 In 1948 Hicks married fellow engineer Rodney Duane Chipp , who held two director level engineering positions before starting a consulting firm . In 1960 the couple were selected by the National Society of Professional Engineers for a month @-@ long research and speaking tour of South America , which focused on international cooperation between American and South American engineers . When Chipp died in 1966 , Hicks sold off Newark Controls Company and took over her late husband 's consulting business . Hicks was also selected to serve on the Defense Advisory Committee for Women in Services between 1960 and 1963 , was the director of the First International Conference of Women Engineers and Scientists , and represented the United States at four International Management Congresses . 
