Meet Joanne - A Car Restorer turned Woman in STEM

JoanneMeet Joanne Lunsford. She cherishes the 1978 VW convertible she restored with her dad, a mechanical engineer and former Bettis actuators GM. As the youngest of four girls, she grew up working in the garage with her dad restoring cars and tinkering with anything mechanical. It’s no wonder she was interested in a career in #STEM at an early age. But her journey wasn’t always filled with confidence and certainty, just as many young women experience when contemplating a degree and career as a woman in STEM.

According to the National Coalition for Women and Girls in Education (NCWGE), studies have shown evidence that “gender differences in math and science performance stem from cultural, rather than biological, factors. Where gender bias is low, female performance is correspondingly high. In addition to hindering performance, gender biases can affect whether girls and women choose to enter and stay in STEM fields. They may prevent female students from studying science and math in school or influence whether teachers encourage them to pursue science and engineering careers. They may also directly or indirectly influence hiring and promotion of women in the STEM workforce.” Read more about NCWGE's report here.

Thanks to support from family, friends, and mentors, her knowledge and skills are helping bring safety and reliability to process industry operations in all corners of the world. Today, Joanne is the global product manager for butterfly valves at Emerson Automation Solutions. Joanne was honored last week for being a champion for future Women in STEM and for her 35+ years of service by Johnny Ellis, VP of Sales for Isolation Valves in North America. 

Post your valve questions for Joanne and other isolation valve experts in our Valves group >