A WIS-PDX Presidential Farewell
Dear WIS PDX Community, 
It is with mixed emotions that I am officially stepping down as President of Women in Science Portland. I am incredibly sad to leave this organization and this community of amazing women, but I am excited to announce that I am leaving to start an academic faculty position at Purdue University this Fall. My time with WIS PDX has been instrumental in my growth as a person and as a scientist.
When I first started my postdoctoral fellowship I really struggled with impostor syndrome, like many women (and scientists) commonly do. I had come from a predominately female department, with strong female mentors and support, and I thoroughly enjoyed and took advantage of my bubble without realizing the immense privilege I was experiencing. In my new position, I no longer had my bubble of support and for the first time, I noticed inequity around me. I really needed a community of support, and luckily I found it, thanks to Women in Science. One of the postdoctoral fellows in my lab, Kateri Spinelli, was a founding member of WIS and she noticed my struggle and immediately reached out to lift me up and invite me to get involved with the then student/postdoc group. From then on, I had my community. It really meant a lot for me to have other strong women around me, who were also feeling the same way that I was feeling, and wanted to do something about it. One of the first things we did was establish a more concrete structure to expand the reach and impact of WIS on the entire science community in Portland. I had previous experience on a nonprofit board and used that knowledge to introduce a formal structure to the already invested and talented group of women that started WIS. With the structure and a newly established fundraising team, led by Trish Prius, we embarked on the process of making WIS a local nonprofit. With generous donations from our community and pro bono support from a local law firm, Perkins Coie LLP, we incorporated, established bylaws, and became a 501c3; Women in Science Portland. Since then we have grown by leaps and bounds; with new programs, larger events with more diverse members, a highly successful fundraising gala, rebranding, a scholarship program, and both individual and corporate donors and partnerships, and I know this is just the tip of the iceberg. I am so proud of the work we have done and I have never felt more empowered by a group of women than the incredible group of women that volunteer their time, talents, and strength to make WIS PDX successful. They are my role models, my supporters, and most importantly my friends.While I will truly miss this community and the support, knowledge, and growth that it has given me over the past five years, I know that our organization is in wonderful hands with Lilli and the rest of the WIS PDX community behind it. Please welcome Lilli and all of the other newly elected WIS PDX board members!! Of course, I will always be available to help out in any way that I can, and I will still be watching over and supporting WIS PDX via social media and through new fundraising opportunities, because I fully believe in our mission, and I will always be passionate about providing a community of supportive networks for the development, retention, and promotion of women in the sciences :)
Allison Schaser, PhD, CCC-SLP aschaser@purdue.edu