Mary Anne Holmes
The 2024 Champion(s) for Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Award is awarded to Mary Anne Holmes for invaluable contributions to transforming the workplace climate in geosciences by advancing equality, diversity and inclusion, and giving a platform to many under-served voices.
Mary Anne Holmes’ work has transformed the workplace climate in the geosciences and beyond by empowering researchers through training to address implicit bias, bullying, and sexual harassment. She is internationally recognised for her research and advocacy in increasing diversity in the geosciences through transforming the processes of faculty recruitment, retention, and promotion. She initiated an endowment fundraising for the Association for Women Geoscientists, focusing on three key programs, that included scholarship funding for students and the Chrysalis Award for women returning to school in geoscience after a career break. As the Director of the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) sponsored ADVANCE-Nebraska program, Holmes oversaw all aspects of the ADVANCE program and implementation to increase the number of women in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) on the faculty at University of Nebraska Lincoln. She followed this leadership position by becoming the Advance Program Director at the U.S. National Science Foundation.
Holmes’ research was marked by thorough data analysis, which was used to state factual imbalances in the demographics of the geosciences. Furthermore, her efforts gave a platform in a structured and impactful manner to many under-served voices. She was co-editor of “Women in the Geosciences: Practical, Positive Practices towards Parity”, which is a valuable contribution on gender issues in STEM disciplines. This volume explores issues pertaining to gender parity in the geosciences, and sheds light on some of the best practices that increase participation by women and promote parity.
Finally, she has been a leader in changing geoscience associations, in particular the AGU and EGU. She has contributed to the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) initiatives at EGU from the beginning in a multitude of ways: as author; convener; moderator; invited speaker; and so on, with great professionalism and insight. Her input helped to increase the recognition and visibility of the work of the EGU EDI Committee. All her contributions were gracious and carried out in a way to that contributed to make the community in geosciences feel empowered about their own actions and strategies.