65. Nicole Ponstingle McCaffrey and Crystal M. Franklin on creating STEM opportunities for girls

In this episode, we talk with Nicole Ponstingle McCaffrey and Crystal M. Franklin about inspiring girls to consider STEM careers. The conversation is centered around the American Heart Associations' STEM Goes Red for Girls event.This episode was recorded in August as the original date of STEM Goes Red for Girls was the fall. Due to Covid-19, the event was rescheduled for March 11th.For more information on STEM Goes Red and the event, please visit: https://ahacleveland.ejoinme.org/MyEvents/20212022ClevelandSTEMGoesRed/tabid/1241618/Default.aspxAbout Nicole Ponstingle McCaffreyNicole is a 20+ year marketing and business development veteran with a career that spans local and global brands. As the COO of Pandata, Nicole crafts and stewards the brand and provides the strategy for the marketing blueprint. By extension, she is Pandata’s resident AI Translator, bringing approachability to AI. She also shapes and champions company culture, team growth, and talent pipeline.She fulfills her avocation in tech and diversity-focused workforce development by serving as an OhioX Workforce Development committee member and the 2021 chair for the American Heart Association’s STEM Goes Red for Girls event. About Crystal M. FranklinBorn and raised in Cleveland, Ohio, I have a first-hand. understanding for the students that attend schools in the Cleveland Metropolitan School District, and issues surrounding access to equitable education. As aresult, I have developed a passion for working with students and families to break through barriers and factors that lead to marginalization. Prior to my position as a Director of CSforCLE, I taught high school science at an American School in Pinghu, China, and worked as a Teacher-Trainer for the Peace Corps Response, in New Amsterdam, Guyana. With a background in STEM, which includes a career in clinical and academic research, teaching, and program evaluation, it was only natural that I landed at Cleveland State and became a part of CSforCLE. My goal is to push our vision of Computer Science in every school, and that every student has an opportunity to engage in.