06 Sep 2023 STEM advocate Marian McClellan receives KC Chamber’s Athena Award

KC STEM Alliance Program Consultant Marian McClellan will be honored with the ATHENA Leadership Award by the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce on Sept. 20, 2023.

The award—inspired by the goddess of Greek mythology known for her strength, courage, wisdom and enlightenment—honors individuals for professional excellence, community service and for actively assisting women in their attainment of professional excellence and leadership skills.

Marian is a fierce advocate for girls because she believes that equity in education is a moral imperative. As a KC STEM Alliance Program Consultant, Marian creates opportunities for girls to be inspired by STEM. You may have seen her in action at KC STEM Alliance and FIRST Robotics events or leading the Closing the Gender Gap in STEM webinar series. Often she’s working behind the scenes to lift up, encourage and inspire girls through focused programming.

Marian has always been fascinated with chemistry and, as a child, spent many hours looking at the world through her microscope. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of South Florida. Her early career was in manufacturing, where she focused on improving work environments through the Sociotechnical Systems method.

Marian continued to support women throughout her career at Sperry, Rockwell International, and The Boeing Company through programs, mentorships, coaching and networking. She became known for elevating women to receive professional recognition and opportunities.

After 30 years in the corporate world, she moved to non-profit work and helped establish Blueprint for Education, an advisory and evaluation firm focusing on STEM and education. For the last eight years she has worked with KC STEM Alliance. She says that this has been her favorite workplace because it embodies the values of diversity, equity and inclusion.

When she’s not working, you can find her in Southern Missouri running the tractor at her farm, riding her horse and hunting. Most weekends you can find her on stage in Kansas City, either playing the drums or performing Improv Comedy.

Read the full announcement here: https://kcstem.info/Athena