Sather-Wagstaff named Association for Women in Mathematics Fellow

Clemson University Professor of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences (SMSS) Keri Ann Sather-Wagstaff has been named an Association for Women in Mathematics Fellow for the 2023 class. 

The Association for Women in Mathematics (AWM) is a leading professional society for women in mathematics career fields.  Since its founding in 1971, the organization has worked to create a community in which women and girls can thrive in their mathematical endeavors and to promote equitable opportunity and treatment of women and others of marginalized genders and gender identities across the mathematical sciences.

Sather-Wagstaff has done just that. 

Sustained advocacy

Sather-Wagstaff’s AWM Fellows citation stated she received the award “for her sustained advocacy, support and mentorship of women, girls, gender minorities, and other historically underrepresented groups in mathematics; and for spearheading local and national efforts targeting high-need areas to improve the working environment for all.”

“This national fellowship is a tremendous honor for me. I was nominated by a team of three current AWM Fellows based on my ongoing commitment to gender equity in mathematics and more broadly,” she said. “To be selected for this honor by the selection committee is a humbling recognition for the work I’ve been doing, in addition to being a huge motivation for me to continue doing it.”

Sather-Wagstaff is a neurodivergent transgender woman and first-generation college student who joined the Clemson University faculty in 2015.

She is currently on leave to the National Science Foundation, where she will serve as a program officer until 2025on two project teams: NSF ADVANCE, which supports systemic change projects to enhance gender equity and inclusion for STEM faculty, and Alliances for Graduate Education and the Professorship (AGEP), which works to increase the number of historically underrepresented minority faculty in STEM. As a program officer, Sather-Wagstaff will convene review panels and make funding recommendations to NSF.

Working toward equity

During her time at Clemson, Sather-Wagstaff has worked with the TIGERS ADVANCE program, which aims to improve gender and racial equity at the University. She led the TIGERS Advocates program, which trains faculty to recognize implicit bias and learn strategies to better support women students, faculty and staff, and chaired the University’s LGBTQ Commission.

She is a board member of Spectra, the national society for LGBTQ mathematicians.

Sather-Wagstaff mentors graduate students and a postdoctoral fellow in SMSS and served as associate director for graduate students and associate director for undergraduate studies for the School.

“I am passionate about making STEM more inclusive for women, gender minorities, LGBTQIA+ people and others historically excluded from STEM,” she said.

In her spare time, Sather-Wagstaff enjoys hanging out with her spouse and cats, hiking, reading and doing yoga. 

“SMSS is proud of Keri’s accomplishments and values her as a faculty member. We are very glad to see her recognized beyond Clemson and feel that the AWM fellowship is an especially nice honor for her,” said SMSS Founding Director Kevin James.

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