“I fell into STEM unexpectedly. I was teaching and training and started to see the benefit of technology not only in business but in life in general. I began working more in technology training and then moved into tech implementation and project management and really enjoyed it and enjoyed seeing the impact I was having, as well.”

Alison McGeary, M&S Consulting

“When I was in high school, I checked out the nursing vocational program, but when I realized that we had to give practice shots to one another, I immediately left and joined the technology vocation program.  I haven’t looked back.”

Daidre Fanis, M&S Consulting Associate Partner

“It was challenging and I love when I get to use my critical thinking. I also saw several other women in my company in these roles and I looked up to them. They helped to set an example and pave the way for other women to grow into tech roles.”

Casey Zaitz, M&S Consulting’s Project Management & Organizational Transformation Leader

“I was a kid who loved to play outside and muck around in the dirt with the bugs, toads, and worms. I became a biologist to study living organisms and their evolutionary and ecological relationships.”

Tracie Ivy, M&S Consulting

“I enjoyed working with a team of people working together to build efficiency in processes through new system applications.”

Theresa Roberts, M&S Consulting

“I always loved reading the encyclopedia as a kid, but I was really hooked when Mrs. Carlisle in her white lab coat opened 7th grade biology class by giving us saltine crackers to demonstrate how an enzyme in saliva starts the digestion process by breaking starch into sugars.”

Barbara Walker, M&S Consulting

“I wanted to learn about space, our solar system, and how airplanes fly.”

Tina Mascaro, M&S Consulting Associate Partner

“I wanted to be able to help people.”

Sanu Chaha, M&S Consulting Managing Partner

“Being part of something that is always evolving and learning something new.”

Bre Zito, M&S Consulting

“I started being interested in STEM (mostly the T – technology) after college, when I joined a computer company as a temp in the late 80s.”

Maria Pelaez, M&S Consulting

“Technology was a rapidly growing area which was why I became excited to learn more about it.  As a Project Manager supporting clients, I wanted to learn as much as I could to improve the delivery of the products to my customers. When I learned I could automate manual business processes to reduce time for clients, I was intrigued. Who doesn’t want to save time and improve a business process.”

Candace Definis, M&S Consulting

“20+ years ago when I entered the STEM world it was a male-dominant career path. Through those years up to now, the game has changed radically. For the last 15 years, I have worked with the most successful female IT Directors, IT Managers, Technical subject matter experts, and Project Leaders. These women have turned companies around for the better and have undoubtedly made their mark and changed the face of STEM.”

Theresa Roberts, M&S Consulting

“I have seen the Women in STEM continue to take on more exciting challenges, grow in their careers, and be able to tackle not only their corporate job and career, but also be outstanding mothers and dedicated wives.”

Tina Mascaro, M&S Consulting Associate Partner

“I have seen a lot of evolution in terms of support and awareness.  Unfortunately, the rate at which young girls and college women drop out of technology programs is still not where it needs to be, I have seen (and have been part of) support organizations and endeavors to help with growth and mentorship.  The motto:  ‘You can’t be what you can’t see’ holds true.”

Daidre Fanis, M&S Consulting Associate Partner

“I’ve been fortunate enough to be surrounded by strong women who have not only been in supervisory roles but also mentees and peers. I have been part of multiple teams that were all women and it’s been incredible to see the impact that women are having in growing the field and increasing knowledge and accessibility to STEM for everyone, but especially women.”

Alison McGeary, M&S Consulting

“I have seen women evolve and grow, within STEM. Back in 2010,  women were not in many leadership positions in technology or other STEM fields. Women in general look at things differently than men. It’s important to have everyone represented at the table to provide different points of view and to collaborate. I know I have grown over the last 14 years in the arena. It’s also been a privilege to watch other women grow and also get opportunities to create and make transformational changes for clients and companies.”

Candace Definis, M&S Consulting

“I have seen more women take on leadership roles and have a seat at the table. However, there is still a long road to go to see equity in leadership roles from compensation to holding the highest level roles within organizations and Board level positions.”

Casey Zaitz, M&S Consulting’s Project Management & Organizational Transformation Leader

“Over time there has been notable evolution in the participation of women in STEM with more initiatives like scholarships or programs promoting young women in education and their career paths.”

Bre Zito, M&S Consulting

“Although there have been women in history making great process in STEM, it seems that there has been only a handful here and there. Now, there are a lot more women involved in all aspects of STEM, from hands-on development/research to founding and leading companies.  It is very exciting.”

Maria Pelaez, M&S Consulting

“It has been great  to see the representation of women increase over time in STEM fields, and I look forward to parity in numbers and compensation.”

Tracie Ivy, M&S Consulting

“I have seen women in medicine my whole life, but seeing women in tech, math, and engineering has not been as prevalent early on. I have seen more women come into tech and engineering-centric fields and make huge positive impacts.”

Sanu Chadha, M&S Consulting Managing Partner

“I have seen more women in general develop outstanding professional careers, especially as the demand for two-income households increases.”

Hannah Lahmeyer, M&S Consulting

“Take risks doing something that inspires you and don’t let anything stop you.”

Bre Zito, M&S Consulting

“If you find science, technology, engineering or mathematics interesting, then it is absolutely a great career path to explore. The more brilliant minds in these fields the better!”

Hannah Lahmeyer, M&S Consulting

“Shoot for the stars and your dreams. Don’t accept that you cannot do the things you set your mind to. And always know those of us who blazed this path many years before you are here to support you in any way we can!”

Tina Mascaro, M&S Consulting Associate Partner

“Go for it, and surround yourself with great mentors — people who are like you and support you, and people who are different and will give you crucial feedback.  In STEM and in business, in general, don’t be afraid to be both professional and personal.  Formulate deep-level relationships, and care hard about people — your counterparts and your team members.  If you have the opportunity to take on something new or raise your hand for an assignment or task — even if you don’t know exactly how to do it — do it regardless.  This leads to opportunities and growth.”

Daidre Fanis, M&S Consulting Associate Partner

“Embrace EVERY opportunity big or small. Stay on the path of growth and change; while you’re on that path take the next woman with you.”

Theresa Roberts, M&S Consulting

“Find a mentor, someone you can look up to and someone you can lean on for coaching and guidance. Find a person who is going to lift you up and inspire you. You can reach your goals and you can get there – don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t. Be brave. Be bold. Be strong. Be the leader that can inspire the generation behind you.”

Casey Zaitz, M&S Consulting’s Project Management & Organizational Transformation Leader

“Just because you might not have been interested in STEM when you were younger, it does not mean that it is too late. You can start your journey in STEM at any point in your life.”

Maria Pelaez, M&S Consulting

“The skills and experiences you have across all industries and areas will impact how you do in STEM.  STEM is not just about being great with tech or numbers, it is also about being well-rounded and open to learning outside of the field. Always keep your horizons and options open and continue to learn new things and welcome new people.”

Alison McGeary, M&S Consulting

“Learn as much as you can through your schools, universities, professors, libraries, and online resources. And find a mentor. Someone you look up to – man or woman – who you feel you would like to emulate when it comes to the type of work, recognition, authority, expertise, etc.”

Sanu Chadha, M&S Consulting Managing Partner

“The advice that I would give to our young women would be to lean into every opportunity that is presented to you. Don’t limit yourself! Opportunities and Challenges help you grow.”

Candace Definis, M&S Consulting

“Follow your curiosity wherever it takes you. Choose your school based on what kinds of questions you want to ask. Find the scientists/engineers who are doing the kind of work you want to do and go to a school where you can work with them. Start working in your field while you are in college. One of the best things I did during undergrad was to work in a lab on an undergrad research project. I had one-on-one time with a scientist who belonged to the National Academy of Sciences because I was working in his laboratory doing my undergrad research project. There, I also saw firsthand what it was like to be a graduate student, which helped me make decisions about that later. Another thing I did that grew my capabilities as a scientist was taking graduate level classes in my junior and senior years of undergrad.”

Barbara Walker, M&S Consulting

“I suggest finding a female mentor who is in the field you’d like to be in. I think women can speak candidly to other women about challenges they face and how to cope with extra pressure due to gender stereotypes and cultural biases.”

Tracie Ivy, M&S Consulting

“I come from a lower-middle-class family background where no one had attended college. In fact, my maternal grandparents only completed the fifth grade. I was never encouraged to go to college or really even aware that was something that non-rich people could do. In high school, I had a wonderful biology teacher who asked me, ‘Where are you applying to college?’ I answered, ‘I’m not sure if I am doing that.’ She said, ‘Oh, yes you are.’ and talked to me about college: applying, what to expect, etc. I ended up applying to college, getting in, becoming the first person in my family to graduate from college, and then continuing on to earn a Master’s and a Ph.D.”

Tracie Ivy, M&S Consulting

“Receiving a new opportunity at M&S was my chance for positive change in STEM. M&S has allowed me to advance my skill set towards long-term goals personally and professionally. In the past year alone I have learned to embrace challenges and learn diverse skill sets to enhance my individual capabilities while also contributing to breaking gender stereotypes in STEM.”

Bre Zito, M&S Consulting

“I think my story is similar to other women. It seemed that those I spoke with, even as it related to business, were always looking for the man to speak with. I overcame it with results and perseverance. Keeping a kind atmosphere, but also standing my ground.”

Sanu Chadha, M&S Consulting Managing Partner

“I have worked for great companies and great leaders of varying size organizations. I have also worked for terrible companies and terrible leaders. They all teach you something — good or bad. One company and leader stands out as the worst, and one that was a turning point for my career. I had always worked for enterprise companies directly, but coming out of this particular environment led me to consulting. I love consulting – helping various clients, working on fresh and interesting endeavors, and having the flexibility to lead in different ways. Had it not been for the awful company and leader, I might not have tried consulting.”

Daidre Fanis, M&S Consulting Associate Partner

“A turning point in my career was when I came back to West Virginia from Texas to support the NASA IV&V Facility projects. This allowed me to do what I love with NASA but also be close to my family.”

Tina Mascaro, M&S Consulting Associate Partner

“I was working on my master’s degree and my Capstone project required me to have executive sponsorship. During a transition through a merger with another company, I asked one of the female leaders from the new company to be my executive sponsor and she agreed. She was well respected and took me under her wing during that transition. I learned a lot from her and other female leaders in technology roles within our newly integrated company. I saw how they led their organizations and the hard work they put into earning the respect of their peers. This particular leader helped me realize how I can apply my skills and experiences towards business analysis and project management roles in our technology organization. This is when I decided my future would be in technology. Not as someone who does coding or builds out databases, but someone who can enable technology through driving process improvement and change.”

Casey Zaitz, M&S Consulting’s Project Management & Organizational Transformation Leader

“One of my turning points was when I was working with a company and I didn’t agree with the vision of the leadership of the team I was on. I didn’t agree with the technology that they were using and I thought that there was a better way. Sometimes it’s hard to be the only one at the table with a different opinion. These challenges are learning opportunities.”

Candace Definis, M&S Consulting

“I started my career in IT by working in the accounting department (where I was miserable). Daidre Fanis asked for a volunteer to come over to IT for 30 days to help build up a System Support Team. I jumped to the opportunity expecting it to be only 30 days. I stayed on the project for three years until Finance finally let me go over to IT. I learned and grew more in those three years than I could have ever imagined. I developed knowledge, confidence, and a passion for system support and IT projects. The people I’ve met along the way developed me and I’m still growing in this industry to this day.”

Theresa Roberts, M&S Consulting

“After I graduated with my BS and worked in a lab for a couple of years, I stayed home with my children for ten years. When I re-entered the workplace and was not willing to relocate, I had a choice between going back into academic research or working at a government facility doing work unrelated to my field. The government job paid twice as much as the academic job at that time, and I had kids to support. I kept talking to managers over the years about my background and abilities. About five years later, they moved me onto a team that supported scientists and engineers doing technical writing. Eventually, I was moved into project management and IT. I stayed open and kept learning. So many professional and personal circumstances will affect the decisions you make in life. You can have an extraordinary life, but it is good to keep in mind that it probably won’t end up looking like you thought it would.”

Barbara Walker, M&S Consulting

“When I left classroom teaching I had planned to stay home with my kids and then figure out my next steps somewhere along the way. I was offered a position as a technical trainer for a large company and I went to work for a woman who has been a constant mentor and friend. She saw in me things and talents that she knew would be great in corporate training and that would open doors for me. That job offer would set me on the path to product implementation and project management and really guide my career.”

Alison McGeary, M&S Consulting

“Women supporting women. Men supporting women. Society supporting women. This is a big advancement.”

Sanu Chadha, M&S Consulting Managing Partner

“In this industry, you are always learning. You learn as you go and it’s often how you grow. I’ve had to stay confident and resourceful when faced with challenges and self-doubt.”

Theresa Roberts, M&S Consulting

“I feel a challenge I faced was being overlooked for positions or opportunities where I felt like I was more than qualified and had a lot to offer. I didn’t let the experience discourage me from continuing to pursue my opportunities of interest.”

Bre Zito, M&S Consulting

“By showing up everyday, and by always being willing to learn something new.”

Candace Definis, M&S Consulting

“I don’t think that there is a woman in STEM, or even in business, that hasn’t experienced some sort of sexism and/or harassment. Like most challenges, I try to be as confident and strong as possible and also approach situations with a bit of humor. My mentor and friendship network has always been a strong support system to overcome any challenges. I also firmly believe that you don’t have to stay stuck in a bad situation — utilize your networks and friendships to move on to your next opportunity. It always turns out for the best.”

Daidre Fanis, M&S Consulting Associate Partner

“I have come across several males in executive-level roles who ignored my voice and only listened to my peers, who happened to be men. One CIO I worked with would consistently make comments to me that ‘women were good note takers’ or were there to make him look good. It was very deflating as I was an emerging leader in our organization. I used my voice to bring light to the situation and also left to go to an environment that supported me and my goals.”

Casey Zaitz, M&S Consulting’s Project Management & Organizational Transformation Leader

“I never started my career, or my education for that matter, believing I was smart enough to be in a STEM field. I also didn’t believe I was ever going to end up in a STEM field. I think the biggest challenge I’ve had to face is overcoming my own thoughts of inadequacy. There have been so many people, a lot of women especially, along the way who have helped me to not only further my career but also recognize my abilities to perform and sometimes over-perform in STEM.”

Alison McGeary, M&S Consulting

“Early on, I used to be the only woman or one of less than a handful in the room. I made sure that I belonged just like all of the men in the room. Years later, I was leading those teams and many of the men in the room.”

Maria Pelaez, M&S Consulting

“Like many high achievers, I have struggled with perfectionism. Perfection sounds like a good thing, but perfection as a goal can be not only paralyzing but detrimental to one’s mental health, as it is impossible to achieve. I have learned that perfect is not always necessary and that time spent achieving perfection is better spent on other things.”

Tracie Ivy, M&S Consulting

“This story is one where as a woman in a male-dominated field, I was being discriminated against for being a woman. One professor in college decided that as a female I should not get the grades of the men, however, the men in my class supported me and pointed out the unfairness and insisted it be corrected. I will always be thankful for my Aerospace Engineering classmates who insisted I be treated fairly. This one change made me realize that I could do anything needed to succeed in my career.”

Tina Mascaro, M&S Consulting Associate Partner

“The #1 advancement has been companies being intentional about diversity. Leaders who institute a culture of diverse and inclusive ideas. This has brought more women and minority groups into leadership and executive roles. Unfortunately, there is still a compensation gap, but that is improving.”

Daidre Fanis, M&S Consulting Associate Partner

“Leadership and subject matter experts who are women have dominated the industry over the years.”

Theresa Roberts, M&S Consulting

“There are so many that we have been involved with. I am proud to support our team as they make huge strides in med-tech advancements, mental health support improvements, CRM solutions, and the list continues.”

Sanu Chadha, M&S Consulting Managing Partner

“Women are now considered Leaders in the Technology fields previously held by men. We not only have the technical aptitude to solve complex problems and understand the details, we can run the projects and be at the executive level.”

Tina Mascaro, M&S Consulting Associate Partner

“mRNA vaccine was in part developed by a woman.”

Maria Pelaez, M&S Consulting

“Women getting recognition for their work. Less than a hundred years ago, most of the ideas of women scientists and engineers were stolen from us. For example, Rosalind Franklin, whose crystallography work was an essential contribution to the discovery of the structure of DNA, was ignored when Watson and Crick were awarded the Nobel Prize. Countless other women could not study or work in their field of choice and held jobs supporting scientists instead of being allowed to work as scientists. There are still hurdles, but they are a little lower to the ground now.”

Barbara Walker

“I think that seeing women just stepping into roles and careers and industries that for so long have been considered male-dominated is really exciting. I’m also excited about the fact that two of my daughters are considering STEM fields and want to look into technology video games and engineering as their careers. It’s not something I ever would have considered and seeing that they are makes me so happy and excited for the future.”

Alison McGeary, M&S Consulting

“All of the encouragement and mentorship for women today and future generations to pursue STEM fields.”

Bre Zito, M&S Consulting

“I see more female mentors who have worked hard to be the best in their field. This shows young women what the art of the possible is. ‘You can’t be what you can’t see’ and when you have women who are removing barriers and showing that you can be and do anything, it gives young women hope and courage to reach for their goals.”

Casey Zaitz, M&S Consulting’s Project Management & Organizational Transformation Leader

“I’m most excited to see so many new developers being women. Ten-plus years ago, most women were project managers or business analysts.”

Candace Definis, M&S Consulting

“I’m excited by the increased normalization of women in STEM fields – We aren’t anomalies anymore, but just a regular feature of the workplace.”

Tracie Ivy

“A slow and steady increase of female CEOs at Fortune 500 companies.”

Hannah Lahmeyer, M&S Consulting

“Creating and running SIM Women of the Carolinas. I have created a nonprofit focused on mentorship, networking, and nurturing of women in executive technology careers, as well as support to young girls, college women, and women returning to work.”

Daidre Fanis, M&S Consulting Associate Partner

“I managed an IT team and helped design an application for a complicated workflow for review and approval of research publications which then allowed those final documents and their metadata to flow into the document management application we had built. I was able to build trust because the users (scientists and engineers) knew I understood their language, and I was able to explain to the development team what was important to the users. The users were relieved and happy and enthusiastically grateful when they saw how it would work for them.”

Barbara Walker, M&S Consulting

“There have been so many but I think I’m most proud of my fist IT Project where we built up the Sales Portal, Billing, OSS, and Customer Portal at the same time. Having my hand in it all including writing business processes, training users, and application support was the ride of my life professionally.”

Theresa Roberts, M&S Consulting

“Based on experiences I had, I created a process to uncover clients’ issues within their business processes and guide them to build new, efficient processes that help the organization grow and scale. We use this method today with many of our clients and it’s so rewarding to know that I helped our clients in some way be better.”

Casey Zaitz, M&S Consulting’s Project Management & Organizational Transformation Leader

“The project I’m most proud of is an SAP implementation I completed several years ago. We integrated SAP C4C CRM, with ECC6 and Hybris Ecommerce. This was an international go live and we worked with a large data set of customers and materials as well as variant configuration of products on invoices. Essentially, any and all customers could have a completely customized invoice and solution.”

Candace Definis, M&S Consulting

“My first foray into product implementation was helping to build and launch an app for Real Estate agents and brokers. We worked with a newly acquired tech company to build out a full road map and use Agile development and project management to launch this app to over 1500 companies across the country. I was responsible for not only project managing this project across multiple brands but also for budgets, building and managing training, working with third-party vendors, and also customer satisfaction. I spent a lot of time in offices across the country working with teams on their issues and helping them maximize the app for their specific brand, company, and office. I was then offered the opportunity to program manage all of the specialists for the app who would reside in offices across the country. I developed their training and implementation program to help their agents, and sometimes bosses, learn to use the app and maximize it for best business growth.”

Alison McGeary, M&S Consulting

“I think by introducing TEKids to the schools we made a big positive impact on the next generation of women. Being able to show young girls and boys that technology and innovation with technology is within their reach was fulfilling.”

Sanu Chadha, M&S Consulting Managing Partner

“Some of my proudest career moments were while working on over 30 Space Shuttle Missions; solving numerous problems that happened with various spacecraft and experiments during these missions, and ensuring that the astronauts had the necessary training and responses to make each mission successful. During one of the Tethered Satellite Missions, we spent days trying to determine why the satellite would not deploy as planned. We sent the astronauts out to do a spacewalk to find out that the tether was jumping a bolt causing the reel mechanism to not function properly. While we did not accomplish all the mission objectives we were able to successfully bring the Italian-built spacecraft back to Kennedy Space Center to fly again one day.”

Tina Mascaro, M&S Consulting Associate Partner

“When I was a professor, I taught a research course, and I feel really proud of the work I did for that course. The students thought it was very challenging, but many of them have written to me over the years thanking me for the skills they learned.”

Tracie Ivy, M&S Consulting

“There are many, but I am proud of bringing in new technology to help people work more efficiently. In one case, using RPA (robotics process automation) technology to automate low-level data entry work. The company saved millions, no jobs were lost and the staff was free to do more interesting and complex work.”

Maria Pelaez, M&S Consulting

“For years, I have been (and currently am) a University of North Carolina College of Computer & Informatics mentor to women in college technology studies. I have positively helped several women with guidance from everything to technology details and processes, to how to navigate a male-dominated leadership team, to how to present themselves in meetings and events, etc.”

Daidre Fanis, M&S Consulting Associate Partner

“A friend of mine has daughters who are interested in STEM. I had to conduct a workshop with a client so I offered to take them to work with me so they can see that you can work in technology and not be a developer or coder. They really enjoyed this experience and opened their eyes to how they can use their skills in technology and what types of roles there are outside very technical roles.”

Casey Zaitz, M&S Consulting’s Project Management & Organizational Transformation Leader

“When I was a Ph.D. student, I participated every year in a day-long workshop designed to encourage 10 to 14-year-old girls to pursue studies in STEM. We always tried to dream up new ways to capture the imaginations of the girls attending the workshops. It was so rewarding to see young girls express enthusiasm about science and learning.”

Tracie Ivy, M&S Consulting

“I’ve had the privilege of working with many women in STEM. One of my favorite things is being able to mentor and coach the next generation. I link to be able to share the insights that have been shared with me. I don’t have a story, but I think that being present daily and being consistent with mentoring and support is how you help.”

Candace Definis, M&S Consulting

“I briefly taught Introduction to Biology (a class that fulfilled a general education requirement) as an adjunct faculty member at a small university. My main goal was to help students see how understanding biology was relevant to their lives. I integrated current events, allowed multiple ways for people to earn points for their grades, and incorporated optional field trips (identify trees at the park and visit a cadaver lab). I had several students who hadn’t thought they could choose a science field tell me I inspired them to change their major to Biology. Many others thanked me for turning something they had dreaded into something that they enjoyed.”

Barbara Walker, M&S Consulting

“When I taught my daughter’s kindergarten class about space, the planets, NASA, and technology, all of the students were engaged, excited, and wanted to learn more each month. I continued to meet with them, answer questions, and have them act out a simple readiness for spaceflight exercise complete with a Go-NoGo call from a Flight Director at Johnson Space Center!”

Tina Mascaro, M&S Consulting Associate Partner

“Throughout my career, I have been a mentor for junior staff and also outside of work. In a previous company, I would have intercity high school student summer interns. It was fun to get notes from them a year or so later, thanking me and saying they were going to college.”

Maria Pelaez, M&S Consulting

“I was working at a real estate company doing product implementation and project management and I was managing several temporary employees as part of my team- all of them were women. One of the women had come into her role and the company as an admin and really had no other aspirations, at that point, to do much of anything else. I had the opportunity to unofficially and then officially mentor her and transition her into a permanent employee. She has since taken much larger roles in STEM fields and has been working her way up in the technology world.”

Alison McGeary, M&S Consulting