Shelanda Gonsalves (BE EE 2006)
Inspiration to pursue engineering can come from anywhere, even a close family member. This is the case for Dr. Shelanda Gonsalves, whose Godmother was an electrical engineer and motivated her to enter the engineering field.
Shelanda works for National Grid, which she joined in 2006. During her first ten years there, she worked in the Steam Plant, Combustion Turbine, Power Engineering Operations and Maintenance Services where she was a key participant in many projects including emergency repairs, major overhauls and capital improvement work at various generating facilities. For the past several years Shelanda has been the Lead Program Manager for the Energy Procurement line of business for National Grid. In this role she is involved with long term contracts for renewable energy resources for the Northeast and helps regulate the regional greenhouse gas initiative for the utility.
In 2009 Shelanda received a Master of Science in Engineering Management from C.W. Post Long Island University. Since 2011 she has been an adjunct professor there teaching graduate engineering management courses. Recently Shelanda took her educational journey further, receiving a PhD in management from Walden University with a concentration in engineering. Her PhD dissertation studied women engineers who pursued leadership positions within the New York utility sector.
During her undergraduate experience at Stony Brook University, Shelanda joined many extracurricular activities including the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers student chapter and the National Society of Black Engineers student chapter. Serving on their executive boards helped her learn about organizing events, managing money and speaking in social settings and to large audiences. Professor Mónica Bugallo was her mentor at Stony Brook and also a part of a research fellowship program Shelanda participated in. Professor Bugallo remained an active mentor to Shelanda as she went through her educational, professional and teaching career. Shelanda found that Prof. Bugallo is always willing to listen and help students in any way that she can.
Shelanda’s advice to current students is to look for a job that will help financially support your education after graduation and also to travel while you are young.
Shelanda has taken this advice to heart, obtaining a Master's degree and PhD at minimal personal expense which allowed her to travel and learn about different parts of the world.
Aside from her educational and career pursuits, Shelanda enjoys playing the piano, traveling, exercising and attending various social and cultural events. She lives on Long Island with her husband and two sons.
Considering the trajectory of Dr. Gonsalves’s career and life, perhaps her Godmother had a point.