Mary Spooner, Ph.D. is the Director of the Equity Initiative at the Center for Women & Work at the University of Massachusetts Lowell. She has a doctorate in Public Policy and a master’s degree in Social Policy and Planning. For over a decade Dr. Spooner has evaluated programs on behalf of federal, state and local agencies. She also has multiple years of experience working with community organizations across multiple states, helping them to understand the needs of constituents and developing programs that address inequities in service access and delivery. Dr. Spooner currently leads the departmental climate assessment work at UML and plays a key role in developing trainings and consulting with organizations. This initiative is part of a $3.5 million NSF ADVANCE Making WAVES Project designed to promote an academic environment that supports STEM women. Interventions associated with the WAVES project aim to disrupt interpersonal and institutional microaggressions, promote alternative support networks for STEM faculty, and address organizational policies and practices that encourage bias.