Ohio State nav bar

Graduate & STEM Diversity Director Selected for Leadership Institute

October 29, 2014

Graduate & STEM Diversity Director Selected for Leadership Institute

Marcela Hernandez, director, ASC Graduate & STEM Diversity, was selected to participate in the 2014 Society for Advancement of Hispanics/Chicanos and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS) Summer Leadership Institute (SLI), at Stanford University, July 14-18, 2014. The institute provides training for motivated underrepresented minority (URM) scientists to master skills necessary to lead institutional transformation.

"In 2013, I attended a SACNAS conference for the first time and was immediately stricken by how inspiring and energizing this conference was," said Hernandez. "I learned that SACNAS not only works towards full representation of Hispanics and Native Americans in STEM fields, but also wants to develop the next generation of underrepresented minority scientific leaders."

SACNAS created the Summer Leadership Institute (SLI) to develop underrepresented minority scientific leaders who would contribute to the strengthening and unification of Hispanic and Native American communities at the national and local levels. Developed in collaboration with the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), the SLI is an intensive five day course featuring small group exercises, keynote speakers, leadership development planning, networking opportunities and extensive community building among selected participants.

Hernandez applied for the SLI was one of 30 members from across the country selected to participate in the 2014 session.

"It was a truly transformative experience," said Hernandez. "I learned about the many aspects of leadership within the context of science, and our other identities. The group started as 30 strangers and finished the institute as comrades and friends."

Hernandez created a leadership plan as part of the culmination of the institute and it is what guides much of what she does today to help the College of Arts and Sciences reach its diversity goals in STEM.

News Filters: