Julie Des Jardins - Author, Amplifier, American Queenmaker

Julie Des Jardins, Senior VP of Gender Education and Diversity at CREDAS

Before joining CREDAS, Julie Des Jardins was an award-winning university professor at Harvard and the City University of New York. She has authored 5 critically acclaimed books on gender in America and has spoken around the country about gender in STEM fields and in the American workplace. She received her Ph.D. from Brown University.

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Q. Best advice for women who want to go out in life and crush it!

A. Be a Girl's Girl. Advocate for and do right by other women. Be the change for other women, and they will be that for you.

Q. What do you do to celebrate women?

A. Well, I write books about women who history has forgotten to remind people in the here and now of how effective women have always been, usually behind the scenes. I also speak to and mentor women in STEM and professional fields.

Q. What do you want to see more of?

A. I want to see more women leaders in politics, the boardroom, in Silicon Valley tech, etc.

Q. Recommended reading:

A. I'm VERY biased. My books on historical women are written with current themes in mind: American Queenmaker: How Missy Meloney Brought Women into Politics; The Madame Curie Complex: The Hidden History of Women in Science; Lillian Gilbreth: Redefining Domesticity. And starting this month, PBS is running the American Masters Series "Unladylike 2020." Each week until August 26th, the 100th anniversary of women's suffrage, PBS will run a short documentary on a largely obscure woman of the Progressive period. The women featured are little known but absolutely remarkable.

Q. The theme for this year's women's history month is Valiant Women of the Vote. What women's rights are you most passionate about?

A. I write and speak about getting more women in STEM and leadership roles, which is more important now than ever. We have to be able to imagine "tech"/scientific geniuses and leaders in female molds. The research tells us absolutely that culturally feminine values and leadership styles are highly effective, yet in the popular imagination, women are still not perceived as leaders and tech innovators. Luckily, Millenials are receptive to the cultural reimagination I have in mind.

Q. Shout out to another woman who has made a difference in your life and how she/they did that.

A. My mother, Joy Des Jardins, is unconditionally supportive of who I try to be and what I try to do, even though most of my choices have not been hers. Carol Berkin has been an amazing friend and mentor in the world of academia. My business partners and mentoring circle friends Kristen Guggeis and Lamya Aloui only confirm to me that when women come together to support one another, they can succeed on their own terms.

Connect with Julie Des Jardins online:

Monica Phillips