#SheCanSTEM Gwendolyn Redmond

MLGW has 2770 employees; 752 (27%) are women. Of the 752 women, 143 (19%) hold STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) positions. On the second Tuesday of every month, we will introduce you to a different woman working in STEM at MLGW. 

Gwendolyn Redmond is currently the lead of Third Party Software Support. 3PSS is responsible for assisting with decision making processes to determine software needs; software evaluation, selection and installation; Level 2 support; and serving as the liaison between the user and the vendor. Gwen started working at MLGW in May of 1988 as a part time employee in Revenue Protection. She became full-time in September of 1990.

We asked Gwen a few questions to get to know her better:

How did you get started in STEM?

I originally found interest in STEM during my first year of college. However, after two years, I interrupted my undergrad studies and took a break to focus on making money, my daughter, etc. This so-called break lasted approximately 16 years. Although I was not in the technology field, it was always my desire to expedite cumbersome processes. This motivated me to utilize advanced application features and apply logic and troubleshooting skills. As a result, I was consistently asked to assist others with troubleshooting issues and automating processes. I was eventually asked to work on the IS ClientSoft GUI project. This experience helped me to recognize that I still had something vital to succeed in STEM—passion! As a result, I was allowed the opportunity to rotate in Desktop Systems Support (previously TIC). The rest is really history.

What's interesting or cool about what you do?

What’s really cool about what I do is that I’m always learning something new and I’m part of the solution. The accomplished feeling of resolving an issue, assisting a frustrating customer or watching a major project develop is priceless.

Why would you encourage girls to pursue STEM careers?

STEM is a rewarding, mind stimulating career. This career field will open your eyes to a new way of analyzing problems and invoking your critical thinking skills; not just with STEM but with issues in life.

What advice would you give your younger self?

I would tell my younger self:

·         Believe in yourself.

·         Don’t let your fear of failure keep you from moving forward.  

·         Your passion, persistence and perseverance can take you beyond limits.

 

Did you miss our other installments of #SheCanSTEM? Meet Arnisa Davis, Kelsey Seiter, Debra Higgins, Kerry Roy, Cynthia Jones, Juanita Ford, Shleah Whitlock, Sandra Hicks
and Kimberly Griswold.

#SheCanSTEM Kimberly Griswold

MLGW has 2770 employees; 752 (27%) are women. Of the 752 women, 143 (19%) hold STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) positions. On the second Tuesday of every month, we will introduce you to a different woman working in STEM at MLGW.

Kimberly Griswold started working at MLGW in 2018. She is originally from St. Louis, Mossouri, and has lived in Memphis for the past eleven years. She graduated from Alabama A&M University with a Bachelors of Science in Chemistry and has worked in the Environmental Science field for her entire career in both water and wastewater. 

Currently, Kimberly is our Water Quality Assurance Officer. She ensures that the Water Quality Assurance Laboratory personnel are constantly learning.

We asked her a few questions to get to know her better.

Why would you encourage girls to pursue STEM careers?

A day in a STEM career is always different, I never get bored with my work because my day to day duties change based on the project I'm working on.

What advice would you give your younger self?

Always add the units!!

What do you do for fun?

I'm a member of the Memphis Runners Track Club. I am also a member of Friends of the Library and often volunteer at the library. I like to spend my free time reading and running.

Did you miss our other installments of #SheCanSTEM? Meet Arnisa Davis, Kelsey Seiter, Debra Higgins, Kerry Roy, Cynthia Jones, Juanita Ford, Shleah Whitlock, and Sandra Hicks.

#SheCanSTEM: Sandra Hicks

MLGW has 2770 employees; 752 (27%) are women. Of the 752 women, 143 (19%) hold STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) positions. On the second Tuesday of every month, we will introduce you to a different woman working in STEM at MLGW.

Sandra Hicks’ first interest in STEM fields came when she was a sophomore in college and was ready to declare a major. “I remember one Christmas break going through the Memphis State catalog and trying to determine what I wanted to do as a career.  I loved math and did very well in it, so when I saw Computer Science included eight different math courses, I figured that was the major for me!” she says.

At the time, there were not very many females in the computer science field minoring in Management Information System computer programming, so she was determined to continue the course. She started her career at MLGW 30 years ago as a computer programmer and later became database administrator for a mainframe system and an Oracle DBA (database administrator).

For the past 11 years she has been in the Business Intelligence/Data Warehouse area where she is the Lead Business Systems Analyst responsible for extracting and analyzing data for company reporting and dashboards.

We asked Sandra a few questions to get to know her better.

What do you do in your current position? 

I am responsible for making sure the data from source systems such as the Oracle E-Business Suite's HR/Payroll, Finance, Enterprise Asset Management, Procurement and Spend, as well as many other applications at MLGW, are loaded into our warehouse databases to provide data solutions to our users through analytical reports and dashboards. 

What's interesting or cool about what you do?

I get an opportunity to work with a diverse group of people and various areas around the company. I work closely with Finance, Work Management, HR and many other areas to gather user requirements and assist with finding data solutions to any issues they may have.  As a result, I gain exposure to many of the processes that help make our company function on a day to day basis.

  

Why would you encourage girls to pursue STEM careers? 

Even now, some girls still believe that careers in science, technology, engineering and math are for males to pursue. If math, for instance, is your passion, there are many opportunities in this field and it is very rewarding with good pay. Because there's no turning back when it comes to technological advances, now is a great time to get on board. 

What advice would you give your younger self?

Realize your strengths early and research a variety of careers that would allow your strengths to become your career. Pursue your dream career with confidence.

Did you miss our other installments of #SheCanSTEM? Meet Arnisa Davis, Kelsey Seiter, Debra Higgins, Kerry Roy, Cynthia Jones, Juanita Ford and Shleah Whitlock.