The Women’s College Coalition (WCC) will host a virtual panel with Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks, PhD, and Congresswoman Betty McCollum to discuss advancing women in STEM and matters of importance to student leaders from women’s colleges.

The event, “A Covalent Bond: Women’s Colleges, STEM, and National Defense,” is scheduled 10-11 a.m. CST, Wednesday, March 30. Registration is required for the webinar, which is free and open to all faculty, staff, and students on a first-come, first-served basis.

The speakers will explore issues selected by several student representatives from WCC member institutions.

Deputy Secretary Hicks is the first woman to hold the position as deputy secretary of defense. Outside of her work with the Department of Defense she has served on the boards of several distinguished organizations in STEM fields including the Aerospace Corporation and the U.S. Naval Institute.

Rep. McCollum is an 11-term congressmember who first was elected in 2000. She has led efforts in the Appropriations Committee to invest in the Environmental Protection Agency and in preserving natural resources and Native American lands.