Dorota has been leading Simplexity since 2010, after holding previous leadership and engineering roles in product development since 1999. She sets the strategy for the company while keeping the team aligned to Simplexity’s core values. Her passion is seeking to truly understand client needs to create optimized products through simple design.
EXPERTISE
- Leading the executive management team and board of directors
- Creating a culture of inclusiveness, flexibility, and excellence
- Simplicity in engineering and product development, including incorporating design for manufacturing and assembly
- Helping develop business and fostering positive client relationships
- Designing and developing new products
- Public speaking
- Engineering and product design
EXPERIENCE
- Over 20 years in engineering and new product development, including 15+ years in leadership roles
- Served as director of Simplexity’s Portland/Vancouver office prior to taking over as CEO
- Managed various engineering projects, including multiple locations both nationally and internationally
- Worked as a mechanical engineer, designing gear trains, mechanisms, injection molded parts, and various electro-mechanical products
- Designed composite material forearm crutch, published in Journal of Rehabilitation Research & Development
- Taught Elements of Design gradute-level mechanical engineering course and co-taught New Product Design & Development with the chair of the entrepreneurship department at Loyola Marymount University
EDUCATION
- Stanford Vistage Executive Leadership Program
- MS in Mechanical Engineering, Stanford University
- BS in Mechanical Engineering, Loyola Marymount University (summa cum laude)
RECOGNITION
- 2017 Executives to Watch, Portland Business Journal
- Portland Business Journal Forty under 40 Award winner 2013
- Society of Women Engineers WE Portland closing keynote 2018
- 2018 Clark County Economic Forecast panelist: The Internet of Everything
- Speaker at various conferences and events including NSF Workshop on Advanced Manufacturing for Smart Goods, Oregon Health & Science University, Intel, Tektronix, Portland State University
- Fellow, Institute for the Advancement of Engineering
- Fellow, Tau Beta Pi
- Fellow, National Science Foundation
- Best of Program in James F. Lincoln Awards Program
- Scholar of the Year (Valedictorian), Loyola Marymount University
- US patent holder
INTERESTS / OBSESSIONS
- Being an advocate for work/life balance in engineering and technology
- Working out, eating healthy, and staying active
- Nature and enjoying the beautiful Pacific Northwest, especially backpacking, hiking, and camping
FAVORITE QUOTE
“Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.” – Mahatma Gandhi
BLOGS
MEDIA
- MPO Magazine – Inventive Interaction: Medtech Research and Development in 2020 featuring Simplexity CEO, Dorota Shortell
- IdeaMensch – Interview with Simplexity CEO Dorota Shortell
- Rescue a CEO – 24 Entrepreneurs Share Their Best Business Tips featuring Simplexity CEO Dorota Shortell
FEATURED VIDEOS