About

In collaboration with L’Oréal USA, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine will host an event that explores the critical need to remove systemic barriers to women in leadership and celebrates the significant contributions of women leaders in science. The event will highlight the narratives of senior women leaders along with a distinguished group of early-career women researchers who have been recognized by L’Oréal USA for their contributions to STEM fields and commitment to serving as role models for younger generations

Women’s representation in leadership is critical for closing equity gaps and creating more equitable workplaces. Research has documented that women in leadership positions are associated with reducing gender gaps in hiring, graduate admissions, tenure decisions, and pay. Further, research has demonstrated that women leaders excel in taking initiative, acting with resilience, practicing self-development, driving for results, and displaying high integrity and honesty, and often receive higher ratings than men in leadership competencies.

But, unfortunately, women remain consistently underrepresented in leadership positions in science, even in fields in which women are well-represented. There is a clear need to remove the systemic institutional barriers to women’s advancement in scientific fields, which are costly to individual women, to science, and to society.

This event will provide an overview of research on the important impact of women in leadership and will explore the first-hand leadership journey of women scientists at a range of career stages. The event will highlight the narratives of senior women leaders along with a distinguished group of early-career women researchers who have been recognized by L’Oréal USA for their contributions to STEM fields and commitment to serving as role models for younger generations.

Meet Our Speakers

Dr. Gilda A. Barabino is the second president of Olin College of Engineering. She is leading the college into its next chapter as it continues its mission to transform engineering education around the world. A chemical engineer by training, with broad interests in global health and interdisciplinary research and education, Dr. Barabino has pioneered new engineering approaches to problems in medicine. She is a passionate advocate for health equity and leads national efforts to engage engineers in the development of solutions to health disparities. In recognition of her outstanding professional achievement, Dr. Barabino has received many of the highest honors in academia.

In 2021, she was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. She is also an elected member of the National Academy of Engineering and the National Academy of Medicine. Dr. Barabino leads on a global stage.

She is the president of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), the world’s largest interdisciplinary scientific society.

Dr. Catherine Hill (She/her) is a lecturer in Women’s, Gender, and Sexualities Studies, at George Washington University and of Barriers and Bias: Women and LeadershipandWhy So Few” Women in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. Her previous positions include Vice President for Research at the American Association of University Women; Executive Director of the Women’s Caucus, Maryland Legislature; and policy analyst at the Women’s Bureau, U.S. Department of Labor. Her current research focus is the intersection of gender, age, and race in late-stage career and retirement decision-making.

Dr. Hill has appeared on National Public Radio (NPR), its regional affiliates, and other major media outlets, including The New York Times and The Washington Post.

Dr. Joanne Tornow joined the National Science Foundation (NSF) in September 1999 as a Program Director in the Division of Molecular and Cellular Biosciences (MCB), Directorate for Biological Sciences (BIO). Throughout her NSF career, Dr. Tornow served with distinction in multiple program and leadership positions, including Program Director in BIO/MCB, Staff Associate in the Office of the Director, Senior Advisor to the Assistant Director in BIO, Acting Division Director in BIO/MCB, Acting Executive Officer in BIO, Deputy Assistant Director for Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences (SBE), and Acting Assistant Director for SBE. She has been a member of the Senior Executive Service since 2011.

In December 2014, Dr. Tornow was appointed as NSF’s Chief Human Capital Officer and Head of the Office of Information and Resource Management, overseeing information technology, human resource management, and administrative services for the agency. She also led the transition of NSF from its old headquarters in Arlington to its new, state-of-the-art building in Alexandria, Virginia.

Dr. Tornow rejoined the Biological Sciences Directorate in January 2018 as the Acting Assistant Director and was subsequently appointed as the Assistant Director for the Biological Sciences at NSF in December 2018. Under her leadership, BIO launched multiple new programs aimed at reintegrating the many subdisciplines of biology and addressing grand challenges in mitigating the impacts of climate change on living systems, emerging infectious diseases, and leveraging biotechnology to grow the bioeconomy. BIO was also recognized twice as being among the best places to work in the federal government.

Prior to joining NSF, Dr. Tornow served as Assistant Professor at Portland State University, and as tenured Associate Professor of Biological Sciences at the University of Southern Mississippi. In 1997, she received an American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Science and Technology Policy Fellowship, during which she served for a year on the U.S. Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee followed by a year at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. She has a BA in Biology from Rutgers University and a Ph.D. in Genetics from Yale University.