Business executive and philanthropist Susan Cunningham will kick off a new lecture series Nov. 6 with her talk “Leadership and the Oil Patch: How I Got There and What is Needed.”

The lecture is the first in a new series organized by Academic Women’s Success and Mentorship (AWSM), a grass-roots initiative of McMaster faculty members and students interested in promoting discussion around gender equity. Formed in January, AWSM (pronounced “awesome”) is funded by all six of McMaster’s Faculties, the School of Graduate Studies and Forward with Integrity.

“Mentorship is one of the best ways to encourage women in their careers,” says committee member Christina Vietinghoff. The fourth-year Arts and Science student emphasizes that mentors can be both male and female. “We really encourage both men and women to attend the lecture.”

The event is free and open to all members of the McMaster and Hamilton communities. A Q&A session will follow.

“We want to showcase the amazing female leaders who have come from McMaster,” says Vietinghoff. “How can we learn from their journey and follow in their footsteps?”

Cunningham graduated from McMaster in 1979 with a degree in geology and physical geography. She began her career in 1980 as a geologist at Amoco Canada. Currently, she is executive vice president at Noble Energy, Inc., where she has worked since 2001. At Noble, she oversees global exploration, geoscience, new ventures, environment, health, safety and regulatory, as well as business innovation.

In 2010 Cunningham made a $1-million gift to McMaster to establish the Susan Cunningham Research Chair in Geology. Janok Bhattacharya, who received his PhD from McMaster in 1989, is the current chair holder. At the time of the gift announcement, Cunningham explained why she had made this significant investment: “My roots are Canadian and I wanted to give back to the institution that gave me my start.”

The series of university-wide lectures on mentorship will be delivered throughout the academic year by leading speakers representing each of McMaster’s Faculties.

TIME: Thursday, November 6, from 3:00 to 4:15 pm. A Q&A and reception will follow.

PLACE: Convocation Hall, McMaster University

REGISTER:  Here

CONTACT: mcmasterawsm@gmail.com

TWITTER: @McMasterAWSM

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