Piedmont Tech Administrator Helping Lead STEM Mentorship Project

This spring, the Million Women Mentors SC group held its second annual statewide MWM-SC STEM Symposium at IT-ology in Columbia. MWM-SC has pledged 5,000 mentoring relationship commitments to support moving girls or young women toward STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) careers. Piedmont Technical College associate vice president for assessment and compliance Dr. Donna Foster serves on the 12-member MWM-SC steering committee.

“As a technical college administrator, I am excited to see South Carolina continue to support the national Million Women Mentor movement of advancing women’s and girls’ interest and confidence in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) careers and education,” Dr. Foster said.

National companies and organizations such as BP, PepsiCo, FedEx, Cisco and Boeing are among those making commitments to mentor girls and women in STEM fields for a minimum of 20 hours through suggested mentor pathways. South Carolina is part of the national MWM movement active in more than 40 states.

South Carolina has recruited high-paying STEM-related jobs to the state. By communicating and engaging current employers, civic organizations and communities about the available support for women and girls interested in STEM careers and of the need for additional support, the organization will help advance South Carolina’s collaborative efforts to have a future workforce prepared to meet the long term needs of its employers and its citizens.

Chris Brady Wolfe, an energy planning engineer at SCE&G and former LPGA golfer, serves as the 2017 state lead for MWM-SC. Through her career in operations, engineering and data analytics, she recognizes the lack of girls and women in STEM programs and professions. 

“For most of my professional career, I have always been the only female in the room,” she said. “I feel like I need to help change that, and I believe mentoring is the missing piece of the puzzle.”

For more information about MWM-SC or to join the Be Counted Mentoring Campaign, please visit www.millionwomenmentors.com/sc.

PHOTO CUTLINE

Dr. Donna Foster, Piedmont Technical College associate vice president for assessment and compliance