Chris Smetana has a diverse background in engineering, technical, and financial management. Born in Brooklyn, NY, and raised in Queens, she earned her BS in Aerospace Engineering and Humanities from the Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn, which is now NYU Tandon Polytechnic.Working full-time on strategic nuclear ballistic submarines, she earned her MS in Operations Research and Systems Engineering, then joined General Electric, working in diverse businesses from power generation equipment to GPS and other satellites. She later earned an MBA in Finance and completed part of the PhD program in Finance at NYU Stern (part- time). Her final tech job was managing the Facilities & Logistics Segment of President Reagan's Strategic Defense Initiative. Chris worked on the factory floor as a manufacturing engineer, wrote source code in Fortran (self-taught) to eliminate "grunt" work, and managed parts of complex hardware, software, and systems integration programs-all while fostering her love for fiction in her free time.In retirement, she provides financial and technical guidance (pro bono) to individuals, small businesses, and non-profits. A passionate animal lover, she actively supports animal shelters and lives with her husband, Bob, and their rescue cat, Fiona.All royalties from this book are sent directly to NYU Tandon Polytechnic for scholarships for women pursuing engineering careers. On her 78th birthday, Chris was inducted into the Sir Harold Acton Society, NYU's most prestigious philanthropic society.