ASME Promotes Stephanie Viola to Lead its Philanthropy and Foundation

NEW YORK (August 23, 2022)—The American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) today announced the promotion of Stephanie Viola to managing director of ASME Philanthropy and her nomination to serve as executive director of the ASME Foundation, subject to review and approval at the next Foundation board meeting on August 30. She has been director of corporate and foundation relations for the Foundation since 2019. In her new role, Viola will lead ASME’s team of development professionals in a consolidated fundraising effort for philanthropic programs across ASME and the ASME Foundation. She will continue to work closely with Anand Sethupathy, ASME’s managing director of programs and strategy, including initiatives in global development, workforce development, K-12 STEM, and engineering education and scholarships.
 
“In a relatively short amount of time, Stephanie has made a tremendous impact on behalf of ASME. Her leadership and strategic insights have helped us to expand existing relationships and develop many new relationships with business leaders and foundations to help advance our mission,” says Tom Costabile, ASME’s executive director/CEO and member of the ASME Foundation board of directors. “I’d also like to acknowledge and thank Kathleen Lobb for her important contributions to ASME and wish her the best in her next chapter.”  

Since joining ASME, Viola has been instrumental in launching an ambitious capital campaign, emphasizing objectives to increase equity in engineering and build a more sustainable future for everyone. She has also helped establish a campaign cabinet with leaders from industry, academia, and government, including executives from HP, SpaceX, Stevens Institute of Technology, and ComEd. Viola helped launch ASME’s community college and HBCU pilot programs, building a network of engaged stakeholders and donors from beyond the traditional engineering community, including industry leaders from TCS, Accenture, and other organizations who share ASME’s objective to grow a more equitable and innovative technical workforce. 
 
"This is a pivotal moment for ASME Philanthropy, an opportunity to continue our progress toward empowering next generation engineers to build a more equitable and sustainable future," says Viola. "I'm grateful to my predecessor for her extraordinary work establishing the philanthropy department and launching the Campaign for Next Generation Engineers, and I'm thrilled to expand our donor network and impact across the engineering and technology communities."
 
Viola has more than 20 years of experience in development and non-profit management, with an impressive track record of securing corporate, foundation, and individual gifts to meet ambitious philanthropic goals. Before joining ASME, she helped plan fundraising strategy, led campaigns, planned giving programs, events and communications for the AIChE Foundation, first as manager of individual giving and later as development director. In 1997, she founded Riot Group, a critically acclaimed, multi-award winning not-for-profit experimental theater company in New York, and served as co-artistic director and performer. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in anthropology and theater from Sarah Lawrence College in Bronxville., N.Y.
 
About ASME
ASME helps the global engineering community develop solutions to real world challenges. Founded in 1880 as the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, ASME is a not-for-profit professional organization that enables collaboration, knowledge sharing, and skill development across all engineering disciplines, while promoting the vital role of the engineer in society. ASME codes and standards, publications, conferences, continuing education, and professional development programs provide a foundation for advancing technical knowledge and a safer world. In 2020, ASME formed the International Society of Interdisciplinary Engineers (ISIE) LLC, a new for-profit subsidiary to house business ventures that will bring new and innovative products, services, and technologies to the engineering community, and later established the holding company, Global Knowledge Solutions LLC. In 2021, ASME launched a second for-profit subsidiary, Metrix Connect LLC, an industry events and content platform to accelerate digital transformation in the engineering community and an agent for the Mechanical Engineering®brand of media products. For more information, visit www.asme.org.
 
About the ASME Foundation
The ASME Foundation is the philanthropic arm of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, supporting an array of programs in three core pillars: engineering education, career engagement, and global development. With the goal of empowering tomorrow's technical workforce, the ASME Foundation advances equitable access both to professional opportunities and to engineering innovations that improve quality of life. For more information, visit www.asmefoundation.org.
   
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