Women of the Year – Theresa Sutter, Curtiss-Wright

By Brooke Strickland

Working at a local ice cream store in high school was where Theresa Sutter learned that she loved interacting with people, while also doing math (figuring out sales transactions) and science (mixing and making various ice cream concoctions). She took these interests to heart and pursued a career in engineering and landed in the urban planning engineering field.

She worked as a technical contributor for Bechtel Power Corporation for seven years before joining Curtiss-Wright in 1999. She has been at the company ever since, working her way up the ranks, where she’s served as the general manager for the last four years. In this role, she oversees a team of more than 220 people, is responsible for profit and loss and the strategic direction of the plant information monitoring and controls business unit and much more.

Over the course of her career, Sutter has celebrated many milestones and accomplishments. She’s visited more than half of the United States’ operating nuclear sites and three international operating nuclear sites. At Curtiss-Wright, she launched a new innovative product line to modernize the existing operating nuclear fleet, and has served as the product sponsor for an acquisition at the company.

“With 30 years of a journey behind me as a woman who chose a STEM field for her career, there have been twists, turns and a lot of nuances,” Sutter said. “I can now say that with all that great experience, I’ve honed my personal philosophy. That philosophy is anchored in the belief that collective voices are required to solve complex problems. I have as a duty a woman in a field where women are underrepresented to enhance the conversations around me by not only bringing my voice and perspective to the table, but empowering others to do the same. Doing so will simultaneously solve those complex problems, while reshaping narratives, dismantling barriers and creating a more equitable future.”

Dr. Cheryl O’Brien shared that Sutter’s ability to set clear expectations of her staff, while motivating them with personal care, is what makes her stand out as a leader.

“Theresa built her career on solid technical skills and applies outstanding leadership through industry knowledge and employee encouragement,” she said. “Her warm, welcoming and giving attitude are displays of how important relationships are for Teresa. Her ability to connect people together and help relationships flourish is one of her strengths. This is evident in the global network she has built over the decades, and most importantly maintained not only professionally, but on a personal level.”

Sutter also serves as the chair of the Museum of Idaho Board of Trustees, where she’s actively looking to increase board participation, while helping mentor the new executive director. She’s also a founding member of VIEW, Inc. (Vision for Inclusive Engineering Workforce), where she is providing direction to women engineers through presentations around several Idaho university campuses.

Outside of work and community volunteering, Sutter is a dedicated wife to her husband of more than 30 years, and a mom of two kids.