NANTUCKET, MA — The Nantucket Maria Mitchell Association (MMA) announces that it will host Nancy Ryan Gray, Ph.D., as a featured presenter for its December Science Speaker Series. Her presentation will take place on Wednesday, December 13 at 7pm. It will be presented via Zoom. This event is free to all.

“The Keys to Success. . . Are Somewhere at the Bottom of My Purse” The title of this presentation would suggest that she is clearly not an expert on the keys to success. Nevertheless, the presentation highlights Nancy Ryan Gray’s circuitous career path, a few of the “lessons” she has learned over the past thirty years, and the “things she knows now” but “wish she'd known then.”

Nancy Ryan Gray is the current President and Chief Executive Officer of the Gordon Research Conferences. Nancy received her B.S. degree in chemistry from the University of Notre Dame and her Ph.D. in Fuel Chemistry from The Pennsylvania State University. Prior to joining GRC, Nancy served as the Director of Membership at the American Chemical Society and as a Research Specialist in Organic Chemistry at Exxon Production Research Company. Nancy has served on the Board of Directors of Ligand Pharmaceuticals since August 2017. Ligand is a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing or acquiring technologies that help pharmaceutical companies in drug discovery, early-stage drug development, and product reformulation. Nancy has also served on the Board of Directors of Slater Technology Fund since March 2021. Slater is a not-for-profit seed fund dedicated to supporting new technology ventures founded by entrepreneurs to build companies that aim to achieve transformational impact in the industries or markets they serve.

Nancy is recognized for her efforts in establishing and growing the Gordon Research Seminar (GRS) initiative to enable graduate students and postdocs to share in the GRC experience. The GRS is a two-day meeting designed specifically for early career scientists to present and discuss research and build collaborative relationships with colleagues. She is also recognized for founding the GRC Power Hour initiative as a forum for conversations to promote inclusion and addressing the challenges women and all underrepresented groups face in achieving equity in science. The 2013 recipient of the Providence Business News Industry Leader Award for Non-Profit Organizations, Nancy is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry, a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and a member of the American Chemical Society. She received an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Colby-Sawyer College in 2019 for her leadership and the commitment she has offered to Gordon Research Conferences and the scientific community.

Join Nancy Ryan Gray for this Science Speaker Series Talk on Zoom. Pre-registration is required.

To register for this event, please follow the link below:

https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_AIplF_CMTD6j1uzAjsgmsQ#/registration



This series is generously sponsored by our lead sponsor, Bank of America.

The Maria Mitchell Association is a private non-profit organization. Founded in 1902, the MMA works to preserve the legacy of Nantucket native astronomer, naturalist, librarian, and educator, Maria Mitchell. The Maria Mitchell Association operates two observatories, a natural science museum, an aquarium, a research center, and preserves the historic birthplace of Maria Mitchell. A wide variety of science and history-related programming is offered throughout the year for people of all ages.

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For Immediate Release

November 29, 2023

Contact: Molly Mosscrop, Marketing Director

mmosscrop@mariamitchell.org