Testimonials

“Thank you very much — that was a wonderful conversation, and so well informed throughout by the research and experiences you brought to it.”

– Carol B. Muller, PhD, Executive Director of WISE Ventures, Stanford University Office of Faculty Development, Diversity, and Engagement 

“Let me echo Carol’s thanks and appreciation for the wonderful session this morning. The group really was energized and ready to reflect and take action in this space with your wonderful guidance!”

-Magali Fassiotto, PhD, Associate Dean, Office of Faculty Development & Diversity, Stanford University School of Medicine

“I want to take a moment to commend your great effort towards empowering women professionals. The Negotiate What You Want workshop is an absolute blast for me, which has really made me re-think for myself development and career development. Dr. Wayne was a wonderful speaker and very compassionate 1-1 coach.  I have enjoyed both her workshop and the coaching session.  Kudos to you for organizing this amazing event. Thank you! “

-Anonymous, Professor, University of Louisville

“Thank you so much, Nancy.  Your workshop and 1-1 coaching have been one of the most intriguing events that happened in the past 5 years in my life.  I will definitely take these ideas into actions very soon. I will be visiting your blogs often now.”

-Anonymous, Professor, University of Louisville

“I just wanted to thank you for your wonderful workshop on women’s negotiating skills—and, as a woman who has just turned 60, for your chilling statistic about the half-million dollars I’ve lost by not being better at it ;)”

-BG, Associate Professor, University of Louisville

“Both of the workshops were fantastic. The workshop on self-promotion in particular provided me with great ideas with respect to ways to engage in self-promotion that I had not previously considered. In fact, I have never been good at self-promotion but the tips provided are certainly easy to implement without pushing me too outside my comfort zone. The practical hands-on exercises helped the lesson hit home and were an essential (and enjoyable) component to the workshop.”

-Denise Anderson, PhD, Professor of Behavioral, Social and Health Sciences, and Associate Dean for Undergraduate Studies, Clemson University

“The Women Advancing Together Workshop held at Clemson University on March 2, 2018 was the single most valuable and important event that we have held for the External Networking initiative in our TIGERS ADVANCE program.  More than 60 women faculty from across all STEM fields attended Dr. Wayne’s workshop and were excited to participate.  The dialogue generated between women faculty that were just meeting one another for the first time, from different programs and departments, provided important links for both professional and personal support here at Clemson.  Women Advancing Together provided valuable lessons and tools for advancing women’s careers as well as leadership skills for navigating the predominantly male dominated fields of many of the STEM disciplines.  As associate director for the External Networking initiative in TIGERS ADVANCE, I observed firsthand the power of bringing women faculty together to promote and support one another.  I can’t wait to bring Women Advancing Together back next year to conduct workshops on new topics.”

-Margaret Ptacek, PhD, Professor of Biological Sciences, Clemson University

“I really enjoyed your visit, thank you for making the time for us!  I particularly appreciated that you took time to meet with my students, and that these students were also able to participate in the Women Advancing Together workshop. You presented excellent tools for all of us, but especially for students who are just starting to make their way in academia. Several people came up to me to mention how much they enjoyed both your technical lecture and WAT workshops, which tells me that your visit was across the board very well-received!”

-Nicole Martinez, PhD, Assistant Professor of of Environmental Engineering and Earth Sciences, Clemson University

“Having heard Nancy Wayne speak three years ago when she first came to Yale, I leapt at the idea of bringing her back to campus when a co-organizer suggested inviting her to give a workshop for the “Equity in the Job Search” Symposium. I knew that her talk would fit in perfectly with our goal of integrating practical professional development with discussion of gender bias. She gave a workshop on “Self-Promotion and Building Your Confidence” during the afternoon of the symposium that was very well received by everyone in attendance. In particular, I appreciated how she shared practical ways to promote your work that I feel I could actually use in my own life.”

-Bridget Hegarty, Chair of Equity in the Job Search Symposium, 2018 and PhD student in Environmental Engineering at Yale University

“Somehow a mere thank you doesn’t seem sufficient.  I can’t remember when I have enjoyed hosting a WISE workshop so much.  The response from the audience was overwhelming and in some cases touching.  And I was so pleased with the turnout despite the bone-chilling temps [subzero temperatures in Ann Arbor, MI].”

– Cinda-Sue Davis, PhD, Executive Director of STEM Program Development, and Director of the Women in Science & Engineering Program, University of Michigan

“I attended two workshops by Nancy and both times we discussed situations in small groups. The guided discussions led us to exchange experiences among the group members, and immediately we realized that it was really rewarding and supportive to discuss certain life situations or work-related issues with other people in similar situations. Granted we were all strangers to each other we quickly found a common ground, and very easily resonated very harmonically. I think this was because we were all open coming to this workshop, ready to communicate, talk about things you normally keep to yourself, or think it is not appropriate to talk about. I will always keep joining such workshops as it helps like a therapy to find your way back on track, to see your values and goals. Thank you again, Nancy, and I hope our paths bring us together again some time.“

-Verena Carvalho, PhD, Postdoctoral Fellow,  Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology, Bremen, Germany

“As the campus organizer of the workshops, I was very pleased with the number and diversity of positive comments that I received from participants.  The pre-tenured faculty especially valued the many practical suggestions about how they can be sure that they receive visibility and credit for their work through self-promotion. Everyone liked the lively format with  a research-grounded introduction, small group interaction time, and then sharing the collective observations of the group. Even as a senior faculty member, Nancy’s workshops on self-promotion and on work-life balance had some “nuggets” for me – new strategies to try and timely reminders of things that I’ve let slip over the years.”

– Sue Lamont, PhD, Distinguished Professor, Equity Advisor, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Iowa State University

“I signed up for the Women Advancing Together workshops to learn as a mentor to my students (and my daughter) who aspire to advance in STEM careers. However, just minutes into your presentation, I quickly realized what you teach has a far-reaching effect and would benefit women in any field of work. Your message and strategies are straightforward, easy to follow and mind-opening. And the opportunity to network and make connections at my table was invaluable! Following your workshops, I was able to highlight a couple of key points you talked about, “building relationships at different levels of your institution” and “practicing the 2-minute elevator pitch,” at a state-wide Chinese language teachers networking session. The reaction and feedback from these K-16 colleagues teaching world languages were overwhelmingly positive. Your workshops empower women to find ways to stand stronger on their own and to advance in their personal and professional lives. Thank you!”

– Lo Sun ‘Lotus’ Perry, Instructor in Chinese Language and Culture, University of Puget Sound

“I recently attended two of Dr. Nancy Wayne’s Women Advancing Together workshops addressing self-promotion and overcoming “imposter syndrome.”  Dr. Wayne provided a highly interactive and interesting workshop that allowed for dialogue and problem solving with colleagues and  the ability to end the day with some concrete ways in which I can begin to intentionally promote my scholarly work and the contributions I have made to department and campus programs.  The workshops are well worth the time commitment!”

–  Kirsten Wilbur, EdD, Clinical Assistant Professor of Occupational Therapy, University of Puget Sound

“I’m a second year graduate student and attended the workshop “The Need for Self-Promotion and Negotiating What You Want”. It was a very helpful workshop that taught me the importance of being confident in self-promoting without compromising being liked. I enjoyed listening to a successful woman talk about her experience and give us tips because she understands, not just in paper but from experience.”

– Ivana M. Alicea Polanco, Graduate Student in the Basic Science Graduate Program, Loma Linda University School of Medicine

“Dr. Wayne’s workshop was very engaging and encouraged very constructive conversation to help equip women with strategies to advance in STEM careers. Her presentation was motivating and data-based regarding the disparity of women in STEM careers. The small-group format also provided a safe space to discuss personal accounts that women encounter not only in STEM fields but also more generally when trying to advance in their careers. I highly recommend this workshop!”

– Alicia Michael, Graduate Student in Biochemistry and President of Women in Science and Engineering, UC Santa Cruz

“Thank you so much for giving such a fantastic workshop at SBN [Society for Behavioral Neuroendocrinology]. Several people told me later that day that they had already followed through on their intended goal for self promotion! Helps to have those influential people right there to talk to! But you also presented a lot of great ideas that I don’t think people had heard before (sending your work to others, inviting yourself to speak, campus media relations). So thank you very much for sharing your ideas.” 

– Sarah Meerts, PhD, Assistant Professor of Psychology, Carleton College

“I cannot recommend Dr. Nancy Wayne and her workshops enough. Through her experience and dedication to advancing women in their careers you will become inspired, not only by her but also the rich field of talent that surrounds from the other workshop attendees. I came feeling unsure about myself, my future career aspirations, and my current abilities in my field and left feeling both invigorated and compelled to not only believe in myself more, but to also help the women around me find their self-confidence. The workshops were a great balance of personal experiences, factual based data, and hands on learning. If you get the chance to attend one of Dr. Nancy Wayne’s workshop, DO!”

– Sarah Kwan, Graduate Student in Chem. & Environmental Engineering, Yale University

“The workshop was a fantastic, informative experience that brought together women from our institution to discuss our concerns about women in academia in a comfortable, non-threatening environment. Nancy was amazing in her presentation of facts about women in academia and issues they encounter and she facilitated a great discussion amongst our faculty.”

– Christina M. Dieli-Conwright, PhD, CSCS, Assistant Professor of Research, Keck School of Medicine at University of Southern California

“Something short of a miracle occurred when the women joined together in this workshop to confront their fears, embrace their true talents, and promote their own future success. This remarkable transformation was accomplished with the encouragement and guidance of the Associate Vice Chancellor for Research and Professor of Neuroscience at the University of California, Nancy Wayne. Thanks, Nancy!”

– From the sexandfoodand blog by Professor Jill Schneider, Lehigh University: https://sexandfoodand.wordpress.com/2015/03/21/mystery-achievement-so-real/

“Nancy did a wonderful job – presenting the facts from a personal level and then inspiring  the audience to tackle their own fears of inadequacy.  The combination of faculty and students empowered the group to utilize the experiences of both to present strong recommendations on moving forward.  Very inspiring!”

– Jennifer Swann, PhD, Professor of Biological Sciences, Lehigh University

“[I liked] the pro-active nature of the presentation. The fact that not only did she [Dr. Wayne] point out the issue, but spent more than half the workshop talking about solutions, and demonstrating to the workshop attendees that THEY have the solutions to their particular confidence issues. 2) The fact that it was presented by a successful scientist (shows that obstacles can be overcome). 3) The data to back up and illustrate the claims that women have confidence issues. Bonus: She brought her own data from her own publication. 4) No women’s studies jargon or platitudes, just plain talk from a successful scientist. 4) The speaker’s sharing that she spent her early career blind to the discrimination going on around her. 5) Loved meeting and talking with the women at my table.”

– Workshop participant, Lehigh University

“I liked how it was a safe all female environment with people in my field: it is not every day that you get to experience this. Additionally, I liked how Dr. Wayne presented information to us in a positive manner that gave us no excuse to settle for less. She gave us a side by side comparison of data from our male counterparts, and it really opened up my eyes as to some of the doubts that we as women have on our competence in STEM.”

– Workshop participant, Lehigh University

“So often, advice about promoting the advancement of women is anecdotal.  Your workshops are so valuable because you highlight research findings about what the real issues are, and what approaches actually work. I find these insights extremely valuable when mentoring junior faculty.”

– Janet Pregler, MD, Professor of Clinical Medicine at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and Director of the Iris Cantor- UCLA Women’s Health Clinic

“I attended the workshop you held last week, and I wanted to let you that I followed your advice and made a bullet point summary of my accomplishments from the past year and presented it to my boss. With this I also requested a 15% raise, and my boss approved it! So thank you so much for this advice!”

– UCLA Staff Research Associate

“Dr. Nancy Wayne is a trusted and effective mentor who has assisted me through several salary negotiations and faculty promotion to Associate Professor. Over the past few years I have attended numerous workshops led by Nancy.  The workshops were invaluable in understanding how to effectively communicate with senior leadership and self-promote for career advancement.  As I have taken on additional leadership roles at UCLA I find myself using the information obtained from Nancy’s workshops to mentor my students and junior faculty.  The workshops have been a tremendous learning vehicle and opportunity for personal and professional development.”

– Andrea L Hevener, PhD, Associate Professor of Medicine, UCLA

“I have had the privilege of participating in the Women in Science Networking Series events.  I attended for the first time in my early years as an assistant professor, and I continue attending every chance I get. These practical discussions, led by Dr. Wayne, have given me extremely useful information and tools that are applicable to my daily academic career, as well as the opportunity to network with other women in high positions at my University. I have shared what I have learned with colleagues in other medical schools in the country, and with my fellows. I have also encouraged them and other faculty in my department to attend the series.  This forum has led me the understanding that, independent of our ethnicity, all women in academia are facing similar challenges.”

– Fabiola Quintero-Rivera , MD, FACMG. Associate Professor Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, UCLA

“I try to attend the Women in Science Networking Workshops as often as I can.  They are such a great opportunity to discuss problems and concerns with colleagues at all stages of their careers and to elicit great advice and wonderful ideas to move our career agendas forward. The networking, hand in hand, with the warmth and inclusiveness of the discussion, makes the investment of time truly worthwhile.”

– Joyce Fried, PhD, Assistant Dean at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA

“This was a great workshop. Like many other women, I used to believe that if I worked hard to make an outstanding CV, I would automatically get recognized and rewarded. Then I learned that this is not true. This wonderful workshop has helped me to become aware of the importance of self-promotion. After this workshop I realized that it is a skill that can be acquired and improved!”

– Sophie X. Deng, MD, PhD, Associate Professor of Ophthalmology, UCLA Jules Stein Eye Institute

“I have been attending your workshops throughout the year, and I am finding them useful.  I am already preparing summaries of accomplishments of the programs I lead.  It has been helpful.”

– Linda Demer, MD, PhD, Professor of Medicine and Vice Chair of Cardiovascular and Vascular Medicine at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Director of the UCLA STAR Program