Stem-up

This month’s guided conversation entitled, “Doing a (slightly) Deeper Dive into Confidence – How do we get it, grow it, or get it back?,” will be led by Dr. Bili Mattes, Executive Director, STEM-UP Network.

Let’s start a conversation about the confidence gap which, in super simple terms, poses that men are typically more confident than women regardless of competency.  What is the evidence and impact of this gap?  What do we need to know about it?  What can we do about it? What impact does confidence (or lack thereof) have for us?  How do we find and continue to increase confidence and rise above stereotypes and natural (or society-induced) tendencies in male-dominated industries, organizations, and fields? We’ll never cover and solve this in 30 minutes, but let’s start the conversation together.    

 

About Dr. Bili Mattes:

As of the summer 2023, Bili is the full-time Executive Director of STEM-UP Network, a social enterprise powered by HarrisburgU. The STEM-UP Network addresses the workforce and gender gap in STEM. The STEM-UP team and community work directly with women in STEM to provide them with real-world strategies and opportunities to build their professional networks and relationships, to mentor and be mentored, to develop their leadership and career skills, and to navigate and advance their careers. 
STEM-UP specifically targets college students, early career faculty, and early career alumna with its work; and engages more experienced women in STEM professions as mentors, facilitators, and speakers.

Bili has over thirty years of progressively responsible experience in higher education leadership, administration, academic outreach, and program innovation and development. Bili just celebrated her 16-year anniversary at Harrisburg University of Science and Technology where she served as Provost and Chief Academic Officer until July 2023. Harrisburg University is a young STEM-focused institution of higher education built on a competency-based and technology-integrated educational model. As Provost, she was responsible for all aspects of academic and student affairs at the university to include development of all new academic programs and approvals; recruitment and supervision of faculty; oversight of curriculum, academic policy, and student success. Prior to being appointed Provost, Bili served HarrisburgU as Associate Provost for Strategic Markets and was responsible for academic outreach, as well as program development at the University.

Prior to joining higher education, her professional background was in training and development with business and industry.

Bili received the 2018 Moxie Award from the Women in Technology Group of the Technology Council of Central Pennsylvania in recognition of the STEM-UP Network’s contributions to workforce development and gender equity in STEM professions. The Network and University were also recognized by Insights Into Diversity Magazine with its Inspiring Program in STEM Award. Bili was named a Woman of Influence by the Central Penn Business Journal and, along with her colleagues, was recognized by the Whitaker Center Women in STEM awards.

1. Understanding Design Thinking: Introduce the concept of design thinking and how it can be applied to improve your digital presence and problem-solving skills in the digital era.
2. Building an Effective Digital Presence: Explore strategies to create and maintain a compelling online presence, including personal branding, social media etiquette, and leveraging digital platforms for professional growth.
3. Navigating Challenges: Address the unique challenges women may face in the digital space and provide practical tips on overcoming them, fostering inclusivity, and thriving in STEM careers.

Moriah Hathaway serves as the Executive Director of the Pennsylvania Commission for Women under the Office of Governor Josh Shapiro. Moriah will share a brief overview of the Pennsylvania Commission for Women, their priorities, and upcoming events. The goal of the commission is to make Pennsylvania a more equitable place for women and girls.

Plan to spend time making new connections and building relationships in a fun setting with like-minded Women in STEM. We spend a little more time on self-introductions so others can get to know more about you too!

Networking and a guided conversation around a specific topic led by a guest facilitator. Everyone is encouraged and welcome to contribute to the conversation.

March’s Guided Conversation is “Finding Your Voice and Brand and Owning Your Visibility” led by Heike Martin, Owner and Lead Photographer of Heike Photography.

“Owning Your Visibility” is at the core of Heike Martin’s vision and mission as owner and lead photographer at Heike Martin Photography. She is the author of “Owning Our Game: Female athlete stories of strength, beauty and athleticism”.

Combining curiosity, creativity and expert photography skills Heike helps busy, focused and soulful female professionals grow their impact and profits with intentional visual storytelling.  Drawing on 17 years of fair trade marketing experience, Heike’s photography centers joy and a celebration of self.

To help women shift their perspective, Heike regularly speaks about visibility and branding—in her trademark German accent—for networking groups, panels, and podcasts.

Heike Martin Photography offers both headshots and lifestyle branding photography at her studio in Manheim, PA and on location.

Art and Science of Networking Presented by Sola Adesida

Sola Adesida, Executive Director, Enterprise IT Resiliency, Kaiser Permanente

Sola Adesida is the Executive Director of Enterprise IT Resiliency. She oversees resiliency initiatives (Disaster Recovery, Business Continuity, and Crisis Management) for Kaiser Permanente’s IT organization.

Before the Resiliency and Recovery Services team, she worked for Kaiser Permanente Program Offices, serving as a managing director. Before that, she held several other internal roles across the enterprise in strategic execution, executive engagement, portfolio management, regulatory compliance, technology management, and process optimization.

Before her time at KP, Sola worked for several consulting companies, where she built her leadership skills and workforce development. She holds a master’s degree in Health Administration from the University of Southern California and another master’s degree in Technology Management from Georgetown University.