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STEM Women Leaders participated in the interactive National Virtual Event this week in celebration of the 100th anniversary of Women’s right to vote!
Many also wore yellow to pay homage to the "Yellow Roses" of Women's Suffrage--it looked great!
Thank you to those who joined.
See highlights and link to this conversation below.
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Highlights from the Virtual Event |
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This year marks the 100th anniversary of the passage of the 19th Amendment which was a remarkable shift in the women’s suffrage movement, ensuring a woman’s constitutional right to vote. We celebrated this momentous occasion for women’s rights and discussed ways to spark the interest and confidence in women and girls to vote, run for office, pursue STEM careers, and obtain leadership opportunities through the power of mentoring as we move more girls and women toward equality.
Sheila Boyington, President/CEO of Learning Blade and the National States Chair of Million Women Mentors (MWM) served as the event moderator.
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Bethany Hall-Long
Lieutenant Governor, Delaware
"Right now there is a lot of divisiveness in our country. We need to unify. We need to come together, as women..."
We were so grateful to the Lieutenant Governor for empowering the group as well as offering even more commentary on her experience as a STEM Woman, herself, and in support of the 'Make It Count' celebration.
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Panel - STEM Women in the C-Suite |
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Valoria Armstrong
VP National Government and Regulatory Affairs,
American Water
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Deb Clary
Corporate Director, Humana
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Lynn Kier
VP Corporate Communications, Diebold Nixdorf
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Valoria: "The advocacy piece, for me, and being pulled into the political space of ensuring that people understood the voting process... was a huge part of my priorities."
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Deb: "As I got older, I said, 'wait, I have a voice... I can make my own decisions about studying the candidates and what's really important to me in terms of my own beliefs and my own values.'"
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Lynn: "I find being active and having a voice, and making my voice heard, is critically important. So, I always vote... I am almost always the first one there before the polls open."
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Q2: Industry Trends on Diversity & Inclusion |
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Valoria: "We've established an Inclusion and Diversity Advisory Council that has the responsibility of ensuring that we are immersing this within the culture of who we are... and that everyone owns it."
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Deb: "We are digging in, and partnering with, communities and legislators and really wanting to solve this inequity around health in our communities."
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Lynn: "We are really engaging with our employees and developing resources that, groups that, we can unite so that we can represent all of our employees... and also working to ensure financial inclusion."
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Q3: Elevating Women to STEM Careers |
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Valoria: "The key is saying, 'where do I want to get plugged in, what's important to me,' and then just putting yourself out there. Being proactive and making sure that your keeping yourself available."
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Deb: "The opportunity for a woman... we find is very compassionate and helpful to our members. We are attracting those kind of talent--women like that to our organization."
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Lynn: "Look at the STEM fields as well because it's accessible and it's not what you think it is. It's not your father's factory floor, it's many cool, cool things to study."
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Q4: What's One Way to 'Make It Count' |
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Valoria: "Find an area that you're passionate about and get involved in it."
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Deb: "Wake up on the day of November 3rd and say 'I'm informed, I know where to go, and my voice counts.'"
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Lynn: "Be you. Be confident. You add value -- know it, own it, and get out there. Make a difference."
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Regional sessions allowed for more intimate dialogue about current and potential opportunities for getting women out to vote and connecting women and girls through mentoring to STEM career pathways. |
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Make It Count was moderated by
Sheila Boyington - CEO Learning Blade and National States Chair MWM
Breakout Moderators represented the following organizations:
Women in Manufacturing (WIM), Science Olympiad, STEMconnector / Million Women Mentors (MWM), the Women in Engineering program at the Cockrell School of Engineering at the University of Texas at Austin / Texas Girls Collaboration Project, and the Aspirations in Computing program of the National Center for Women & Information Technology (NCWIT).
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- Vote early. Vote always.
- Utilize resources like the League of Women Voters and National Organization for Women (NOW) sites to research the the issues and candidates
- Make sure family members, friends, and neighbors can get to the polls and know how to vote
- Wear your 'I Voted' sticker, and encourage others to vote
- Organize local events to increase participation in the Census 2020
- Conduct a "Get out the Vote" campaign in your workplace
- Find relevant hashtags and utilize social media to assist in getting the vote out and to be an active participant in the virtual space
- Promote She Votes, an education program for girls serving ages 5-18 to get involved in their communities
- Get your voice heard, and encourage girls to speak out for themselves
- Connect with schools as starting point for civic engagement
- Encouraging women and girls to know about issues in their community, and for them to make presentations to local elected officials
- Reaching out to local groups, like sororities and churches to share voting information
- Write letters to the editor of local and national publications
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- Participate in your local "STEM Day at the Capitol" if they exist
- Be willing to mentor and showcase careers in your STEM field
- Follow social media influencers, especially Women in STEM
- Getting girls to pursue STEM early through classes and career exposure in middle and high school
- Provide externship opportunities to students so that they can see workplaces/spaces in STEM careers
- See the impact of the Verizon Innovative Learning program for rural girls
- Encourage applications for the NCWIT Aspirations in Computing Award
- Attend the If/Then Collection Webinar on August 25
- Share the National Alliance for Partnerships in Equity resources with girls in STEM/manufacturing
- Participating in and tuning in to the new, international talkshow The Bridge for Women Worldwide
- Particpate in relevant Employee Resource Groups for women, STEM, and diversity
- Mentor college students entering STEM through clubs like the Women in 3D Printing association (Wi3DP), ITSMF, the Society of Women Engineers, and Girls in Computer Science (GiCS)
- Join the International Network of Women Engineers and Scientists
- Host a conference, like "Girls STEM Day" or "Futures Unlimited" for middle school to college students and gender expansive students
- Fund a STEAM Lab with a focus on girls and underrepresented communities, like the Chicago Public School's Local School Council
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Edie Fraser of WBC made the call to action:
"We've got to see voting, and political participation, in a movement like we've never seen before. Everybody agree?"
Yes!
"What are we doing -- particularly in our own framework -- to get our friends, our colleagues... how many people are you reaching?"
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Think about this Call to Action, and choose to 'Make It Count' this year! |
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These are just a few highlights from the webinar. |
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We encourage you to click below to view the entire recording. |
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Click here to find your state's deadline to register for voting.
If you want to get involved with any of these organizations please email info@thinkingmedia.com and we will connect you. Please mention which organization you are interested in. |
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Thank you to our Hosts, Sponsors, and Collaborators: |
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Thank you SO MUCH for participating! |
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