Dr. Bonnie Bertolaet (she/her)

Bonnie Bertolaet, Ph.D., has been the Executive Director with Science Club for Girls (SCFG) since 2019, after previously serving as the Board Chair in 2018. She has ushered in a new era of growth at SCFG, while maintaining a steadfast commitment to increasing the accessibility of quality STEM programming and mentorship to girls and gender-expansive youth from underrepresented communities. Under Dr. Bertolaet’s leadership, SCFG has experienced continuous expansion, increasing youth participation from communities underrepresented in STEM and increasing representation from these same communities in SCFG’s mentor corps, staff and Board of Directors. Dr. Bertolaet has also overseen the successful addition of virtual programming in response to the pandemic, including the addition of spring and summer vacation programming and creation of a weekly online TV show, all while expanding engagement from corporate and community partners. SCFG’s current K-12 strategy, building on its storied 29-year history, places it in a unique position to address systemic inequities in STEM around gender, race and socioeconomic factors to transform the face of STEM and build the pipeline for the future, diverse, skilled STEM workforce.

Prior to SCFG, Dr. Bertolaet has worked as a drug discovery scientist in biotech and with educational organizations in public and private schools in a variety of roles, including working in STEM education and supporting an equity-based educational program focused on raising awareness of physical and intellectual disabilities for children in K-6th grade. Dr. Bertolaet received her B.A. from Amherst College and her Ph.D. from Harvard University and trained as an NIH post-doctoral fellow at the University of California San Diego and The Scripps Research Institute. She also currently serves on The Graduate School Alumni Association Council for Harvard University.

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"I'm inspired by the work and career path of Dr. Aomawa Shields, an astrobiologist at UC Irvine who is exploring the climate and habitability of small exoplanets and also has an MFA in acting"