December 18th 2017 
Million Women Mentors®’ Entrepreneurship Initiative Mentoring Program, Sponsored by Wells Fargo
MWM- EI WBE Criteria
- STEM growth: Tech and Engineering
- Revenue:  $3-$20 Million Annually
- Size: 25 or more employees
- Location: US-Based
- Past Success in STEM-related industry
- Years in Business: 5 years or more
- Three-to-Five Year Business Plan
- Forecasted Financial Statements for 2017-2019

As part of the MWM-EI program Million Women Mentors will match 5-10 WBEs to a respective larger company to act as their mentor for a year to assist the mentee company in ways to achieve growth.
Extended Application Deadline: 5:00 pm EST, Wednesday, January 10th, 2017
Download the Application for the Program   Here  .
Mentors Needed!
Our valued MWM partner, Mentored Pathways, is looking for additional mentors to help serve a number of students across the United States. Utilizing a vast network of middle and high school educators, Mentored Pathways provides the opportunity for mentors to match with students focused on specific projects to help boost their understanding and desire for the STEM path. You may find more information by going to their website - MentoredPathways.org
AFRICA: Women in Science
Women are under-represented in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) fields globally, but the situation is worse in Africa. In response to this, the Inter-Academy Partnership for Research (IAP-R) partnered with NASAC to publish a book profiling African women scientists. This publication profiles women in STEM fields in Africa. The stories are written mainly to inspire girls and young women to pursue careers in science. 

NEW ZEALAND: Help Us Make a Difference in Lives
We manage to do so much with so little demonstrates the heart we have for our work, making positive change in the lives of women right here, right now.
With a fantastic committee of dedicated governors and some wonderful supporters and sponsors we continue to look for new and different ways to champion women in our community.
Special thanks to all the generous and talented performers who supported us during our recent concert, Venus Unplugged at the Royal Wanganui Opera House on November 18. It was a star-studded feature and an unforgettable evening. With an enthusiastic and attentive audience it helped raise around $1500 to make a difference in the lives of local women who need a boost to navigate some of life's rough and tough patches.
In 30 years of continued service in Whanganui the Women's Network has always been a small organization capable of big things. We operate on the smell of an oily rag and our innovation remains fresh. The success of our La Fiesta festival program celebrating women and community every February/March is just one example of this.

IRELAND: How Can We Fix the Leaky Pipeline and Keep Women in STEM?
A new report from the Royal Irish Academy has made recommendations to improve the retention of women in engineering and computing in Ireland. Dr Claire O’Connell reports.
How can we make engineering and computer science better fields for women to have a career? A new report published by the Royal Irish Academy (RIA) has a few suggestions for academia, industry and government.
It calls for more research on the extent and benefits of gender equality; improved work-life balance and paternity leave; more training for research supervisors; and a networking approach for small and medium enterprises.  

NEW ZEALAND: Spy Agency Wants More Women in STEM Subjects
We've got enough James Bonds...what the country needs now is more Jane Bonds.
The GCSB is expanding after getting an increase in its budget...and its focus now is gender balance.
More than half the leadership team at the country's spy agency are women, but they want more female staff.
The GCSB is encouraging women to study STEM subjects, science, technology, engineering and maths and consider a career in cyber security.
It's awarded four $10,000 tertiary scholarships to women studying those subjects at New Zealand universities.
Director general Andrew Hampton said they also run a graduate programme.
"We are also after people with liberal arts degrees, people who are good writer and thinkers as well."
He said about 35 percent of the GCSB workforce are women.

AUSTRALIA: Calling All Parents - Australia’s Future Female Scientists Need Your Support
Women are  underrepresented and underpaid in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).
The majority of programs and schemes addressing this problem focus on  girls, or their  teachers, or on  assisting businesses to engage with female students.
But these often leave out one vital factor: the parents of girls.
To realise the full benefits of an inclusive, diverse STEM workforce, we should pay attention to the conversations happening at home. Careers in STEM are not solely borne from having the right education connected with the right jobs.

STEM Fundamentals
four teenage girls had been asked to solve a crime.
And so there they were, black smocks and safety goggles pulled over their sneakers and ponytails as they analyzed the evidence before them — a bit of fiber, a partial fingerprint, a few drops of blood, and a shred of plastic from the card used to pick the lock, all left behind by the criminal.
The first step was to identify six different mysterious white powders that sat in neatly labeled containers on the lab table, which was also littered with tape, scissors, a water bottle and small stoppered vials of chemicals.
“Lumpy or crystalline?” one of the girls muttered, squinting intently as she dragged a toothpick through one of the powders. Was it glucose?
She eventually determined it was sodium bicarbonate — one of the main ingredients of baking soda.
Working through these types of problems is the fundamental skill in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) fields, and in New Hampshire, not enough girls are tackling them.

A Walk in the Park Leads SIU Student to a Degree in Forestry
It all began with a walk in the park — on that led Gabby Will to become more than she thought she could.
When she strolls across the stage during today’s commencement to claim her bachelor's degree in forestry, it will be as much more than a student, thanks to her diverse experiences at Southern Illinois University Carbondale.
“I never thought I could take on so many titles before I came here to SIU. But, now I can say I’m an amateur organic gardener, environmental educator, fourth/fifth grade tutor/mentor, leader and overall, just an involved community member,” Will said. “It has been awesome. I love it here.”

Memphis Teacher Nominated for $1M Award
Dr. Melissa Collins is a second-grade teacher at John P. Freeman Optional School.
She said she could hardly believe it when she found out that she was a candidate for this prestigious international teaching award.
Teaching is more than just a job for Collins, and she's hoping to bring the award home to Memphis.
"I am pas sionate about students, they bring a very unique gift and talent, I want to allot those potentials and so it is a calling - a calling over my life,” Collins said.
"I want us to have a big STEM fair where everybody can come and just get a feel of the importance of STEM education,” Collins said. “If we want our students to be able to compete globally, STEM education is the way."

Paving the Way for Women in STEM/Computing
oftware engineering major Janine Jay '18 was ecstatic to learn that she had won the prestigious Anita Borg Scholarship. It enabled her to attend the Grace Hopper Celebration, the world's largest conference for women in computing, and network with peers from all over the world.
The scholarship paid for Jay's travel and expenses, and gave her full freedom to explore everything the conference offered — including lectures, workshops and panels on a range of different technology topics. She attended discussions with prominent speakers, such as Melinda Gates and Goldiblox founder and CEO Debbie Sterling, and took advantage of a career fair that brought representatives from all of the top companies in the technology industry.

Women in Business - Anisa Telwar Kaicher, Founder & CEO, Anisa International
Founder & CEO of  Anisa International, Anisa Telwar Kaicher was exposed to business and entrepreneurship at a young age. Without a college degree or any formal business training, Anisa began honing her skills at 17-years-old, working for her mother’s import/export company. She watched as her mother built her business from nothing into a $100 million dollar organization, and later sa w her lose it all. 
At 25-years-old, determined to pick up where her mother left off, Anisa called on a Korean business contact and asked to sell his products. Those products were handcrafted cosmetic brushes, and in 1992, Anisa International was born.
In an effort to pay forward her success and empower other female entrepreneurs, Anisa avidly creates a culture focused on mentoring and giving back to the community through partnerships with the Savannah College of Art and Design, Emory University Goizueta Business School and Agnes Scott College.

Women More Likely to be Sidelined at Workplace 
Love to toss creative ideas in the brainstorming session at your workplace? If you are a woman, beware, you are more likely to receive less credit than your male counterparts, new research revealed. 
The findings showed that when it comes time to replace the team's leader, these men are more likely to be nominated to do so. 
Further, women are more likely to be snubbed when they share ideas on how to change the team for the better, they are not given any more respect than women who do not speak up at all, and thus are not seen as viable leadership options, the researchers said.

The Pressure Cooker: Nkiru’s Agenda for Women
The Pressure Cooker is an agenda setting book. One that seeks to help define a path for the career minded woman. It is not as much a map as it is a navigational tool, a wish more than a command, one that expresses the hope that the author’s personal choices and experiences can help influence a younger woman’s choices and experiences as she navigates the mine-laden corporate landscape.
Nkiru’s former boss, Sola David-Borha has described this book as a gift. But it is a unique gift, a labour of love if you will, because the author has looked at her own life and experiences and in an unselfish act of indirect mentoring, decided to use her life as case study for what to do and not do as a young woman intent on climbing up the rungs of the corporate ladder. 

Women In Science Lecture Series Coming To Cleveland
  From The Cleveland Museum of Natural History:  "Celebrating Women in Science – Presented by KeyBank" is a series of lectures, exhibits and special programs occurring at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History from November 11-April 28. It champions the work done by women in science fields at the Museum, in Northeast Ohio and around the globe.  This national touring photography exhibit  features the Museum's own Curator of Paleobotany and Paleoecology Dr. Denise Su."Celebrating Women in Science" is a season of showcasing the incredible women who blaze new trails of discovery every day. The capstone event of the series is International Women and Girls in Science Day on Saturday, February 10th, 2018.

United Way of Lake County’s Women’s Leadership Council raises $26,709
Unite d Way of Lake County’s Women’s Leadership Council raised a record $26,709 at its recent sixth annual Women’s Winterfest and Holiday Food Tasting Fundraiser.
The fundraiser raised $7,398 over last year’s event and more than double the amount raised in 2015, according to the news release.
“The popularity of the event continues to grow every year,” said Winterfest event chair Kathleen Buse of Advancing Women in STEM. 

How to be a Mentor in Light of #MeToo
Our nation has seen a sudden shift recently as a rash of accusations of sexual misconduct have affected industries from Hollywood to politics and even the news media. While the revelations are often shocking and the details lurid, all Americans ought to be encouraged by the progress we have seen recently as accused abusers have resigned from positions of power after victims have courageously stepped forward.
These events have made clear that abusive patterns of conduct that used to be tolerated or ignored are now rightly considered unacceptable. As society seeks to establish better norms for workplace interaction, I hope we do so in ways that don’t cause collateral damage by creating an atmosphere of distrust in the workplace.

Meet the Women Leading Our Public Bodies
Rachel Wang is a 44-year-old mother of two and runs her own business. She is also on the board of trustees for the National Portrait Gallery.
"Being a trustee is not just about fancy dinners and private viewings. It's a job which comes with a significant commitment," she said.
Boards are responsible for taking key decisions and setting out strategies for public organisations across the country, from museums to prisons.
The government is launching a new plan to ensure these boards reflect society.
Data published this year shows  progress has been made - 49% of the 1,275 new appointments made by the UK government in 2016-17 went to women, up from 34% in 2011-12. And 10% of board posts are held by people from ethnic minorities.

In a recent Gallup study, only 11 percent of corporate executives perceived that college graduates had the skills they were looking for. How can we better prepare the next generation for the jobs of tomorrow? 
In her new book, Teach to Work: How a Mentor, a Mentee and a Project Can Close the Skills Gap in America (Taylor and Francis: March 28, 2017) mentoring expert Patty empowers professionals – whether they are bankers, lawyers, architects, accountants, engineers, IT specialists or artists – to bring their real-world experience and her project based mentoring model into the classroom. 
Compelling and insightful, the book reveals how professionals can embark on a journey to transform lives, mentoring one student at a time. 
“You have made a difference in the lives of these kids, and most likely you have made a difference in the lives of their kids as well. They have grabbed hold of your light, because they feel your encouragement and kindness, and maybe because they had no other. Thank you for your important leadership in this role.” 
— Chris Gardener, Author of The Pursuit of Happyness, 2010 NFTE Dare to Dream speech 
For more information visit  www.teachtowork.com
 
Women’s Quick Facts brings to life insightful data on the impact of women that everyone should know. From purchasing power, to how efficient women owned companies are with respect to capital compared to men, this book takes the pulse on women in today’s modern economy. Not only does each page compile a broad spectrum of the most current data, it also brings the numbers to life in bite size, easy to read content.

Million Women Mentors | STEMconnector | 202-304-1964 | MWM@STEMconnector.org | www.MillionWomenMentors.org