AAUW Announces New Board Members for 2024-25 Term
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The American Association of University Women (AAUW) today announced new board members for the 2024-2025 term.
The AAUW Board of Directors is experiencing its first change in board leadership since 2017 and bringing on five new directors.
“AAUW is thrilled to welcome the new voices joining our board,” said Gloria L. Blackwell, AAUW’s CEO. “Our board members are extremely passionate about how to advance our mission of achieving equity for women and girls through advocacy, education, and research.”
The board’s new chair is Cheryl Sorokin, an attorney who spent much of her career at Bank of America, where she was executive vice president and corporate secretary. She is currently president of Marin Villages, a nonprofit that helps older adults remain active, connected, and independent in their homes, and is a consultant on governance matters with Veaco Group. Ms. Sorokin has held various leadership positions at AAUW on the local and national levels, including serving on the national board since 2017.
The new vice chair is Gloria Bañuelos, Ph.D. Dr. Bañuelos is part of the government affairs team at Qualcomm, where she applies her background in science, education, and research to advance public policies and diversity initiatives in patents and intellectual property. Dr. Bañuelos is a first-generation American Latina with two degrees in biochemistry. She has spent her career creating opportunities for students of diverse backgrounds to see themselves as scientists and engineers.
“Throughout my own career, I have witnessed firsthand the barriers and biases that hinder women’s success,” said Ms. Sorokin. “I look forward to leading the board at AAUW, where we are dedicated to breaking down these obstacles and advancing equity for women and girls.”
In addition to Ms. Sorokin and Dr. Bañuelos ascending to board leadership, new directors include Melissa LaDuke of Charles Town, WV; Dianne Owens of Lompoc, CA; Sona Pancholy of Chevy Chase, MD; Christine Schmitz of Sykesville, MD; and Auntaneshia Staveloz of Silver Spring, MD.
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AAUW (American Association of University Women) is the nation’s leading organization for equity in higher education and women’s economic empowerment.
Founded in 1881 by women who defied society’s conventions by earning college degrees, AAUW has since worked to increase women’s access, opportunity, and equity in higher education through research, advocacy, and philanthropy of over $140 million, supporting thousands of women scholars. Learn more at aauw.org and follow us at @AAUW.