Celebrating Women in STEM at Chemours
Every March, Women's History Month provides a platform to honor women whose contributions to science, politics, arts, and beyond have significantly shaped our world. This year, Chemours celebrated women within our company who are helping us create a better world through the power of our chemistry—showcasing their unique journeys toward a career in the field of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) and sharing their advice for the next generation of women.
Ioana Urseanu is a Manufacturing Technology Site Leader at Chemours’ Dordrecht Works manufacturing site. When asked why she chose a career in STEM, she explained, “I was fascinated by logic and ratio, and believed all phenomena can be explained.”
Today, Ioana plays a critical role as a member of Chemours’ Dordrecht Works Site Leadership team and is responsible for the process technology activities, engineering safety studies, sustainability developments, and new production activities at the site.
Her message to future women in STEM is that “their contribution and opinion matters, it gives more color, additional balance and more diverse thoughts to the group.”
Josie Stoner is a Senior Staff Engineer based at Chemours’ New Johnsonville site who found her passion for STEM early in life. “I was inspired to pursue a career in STEM at a young age due to my love for math and unyielding interest in how things worked.”
She also points to the community around her for guiding her on this path, “My parents, our neighbor, and my teacher all helped foster this love for learning and match the potential career path of chemical engineering to my interests.”
Josie tells future women in STEM, “Don’t exclude yourself from a path STEM solely on the number of equations you have memorized, how many scientific theories you can describe, or even how fast you can solve a calculus problem. Instead, pursue a career in STEM if you have a love of learning and a tendency to ask lots of questions.”
Fátima Reyes, a Finishing/Power House & Utilities Operations Manager in our Titanium Technologies business, has been using her analytical skills to solve problems from a young age. She credits her brother, a chemical engineer, for helping to inspire her career in STEM. “Since I was a child, he always taught me to analyze problems, represent them by numbers, and find solutions.”
When asked for her advice for women who want to pursue a career in STEM, Fátima said, “We need to work together side by side with men and women, to build a better world by applying our STEM knowledge.”
Eva He is a Technical Service Leader for the Asia-Pacific region and has been with Chemours since 2015. She puts her STEM skills and experience to use every day leading the technical services team for lubricants and surfactants in the region. Eva encourages the next generation of women in STEM to embrace their passion. “If you enjoy the fun of STEM, learn it and explore it. Everything is possible for women and girls.”
Bringing together diverse perspectives—like those of Ioana, Josie, Fátima, and Eva—is essential to our company’s growth and innovation. Chemours is actively working to inspire and engage a more diverse group of talent within our company through Employee Resource Groups like the Chemours Women’s Network (CWN). With more than 20 chapters globally, CWN’s mission is to foster a sense of community that will help to support, encourage, and develop women for success.
This year, to commemorate the International Day of Women and Girls in Science in February, several chapters of the CWN hosted a panel discussion titled “The Different Faces of Women in STEM”. This panel event featured women in STEM at Chemours who provided important perspectives about their career journeys and experiences, and why they believe gender diversity is so critical at Chemours.
The company also strives to be an advocate for women in STEM outside our walls and across the industry. This year, for International Women’s Day on March 8th, Chemours’ Hydrogen Venture Leader Stefanie Kopchick attended the Women+ in Hydrogen’s 4th annual event in Washington DC where she met with other women leaders in the industry and helped lead a breakout session focused on how to inspire inclusion in the workplace.
At Chemours, we recognize that bringing together people from all walks of life and backgrounds is essential to the future of our company, our communities, and our entire industry. Although Women’s History Month is ending, Chemours’ efforts to foster the next generation of diverse STEM leaders remain as robust as we work together to create a better world through our chemistry.
