Press Release
Intellectual Property Partner Carolyn Toto Honored as a Corporate Leader in STEM
Press Release
Press Contacts: Erik Cummins, Matt Hyams, Taina Rosa, Olivia Thomas
10.24.17
Pillsbury is proud to partner once again with STEMconnector as a sponsor of its 2017 Million Women Mentors Summit. The conference is presented by Million Women Mentors (MWM) and STEMConnector, which have joined forces to increase the engagement and mentorship of women working in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics. In conjunction with the Summit, STEMconnector announced today that MWM has reached 2 million pledges for mentoring relationships and is on target to reach its goal of 3 million pledges by 2020.
The event also coincides with the release of MWM’s 100 Corporate Women Leaders in STEM publication, which profiles 100 of the top female STEM leaders in the nation, including Pillsbury’s own Carolyn Toto – an Intellectual Property partner and co-leader of the firm’s Internet & Social Media team.
“Every day, law firms throughout the U.S. are making strides for women. Pillsbury is unquestionably a leader in this area, from spearheading regular mentoring and sponsorship programs, to promoting a 2017 partner class that is 75 percent women, to celebrating the achievements of the firm’s many inspiring women leaders,” Toto writes in the publication. “That the rapid pace of innovation in technology coincides with the most exciting time for the advancement of women in law firms can only make this story more compelling. All fields must continue to recognize the importance of exposing and encouraging women and girls to work in technology.”
To build on its progress and enable the organization to reach its goal of 3 million mentoring pledges by 2020, MWM and MENTOR: The National Mentoring Partnership announced a new collaboration during the Summit, which is being held at the National Press Club in Washington, DC. The partnership will leverage existing resources to expand MWM’s presence to all 50 states and add 1,032 organizations to the number of NGOs and nonprofits currently providing mentoring services to youth and young career professionals through MWM. MWM currently serves 43 states and works with 85 NGOs and nonprofits nationwide at 958 sites, and global expansion efforts are underway.
"We are so excited to bring together so many thought leaders from across the country to celebrate this progress and advance our movement," said STEMconnector founder and chair Edie Fraser. "We are on track to truly make a difference for women and girls across the country who have been historically underrepresented in STEM careers and leadership."