Inspiring Girls Worldwide

Diane McClelland, President & CEO of Girls STEAM Institute®, uses her 40-plus years in business entrepreneurship and nonprofit leadership as guideposts for mentoring women business owners and young girl STEAM entrepreneurs using global collaborative innovation and tools from immersive technologies.Diane’s keys characteristicsof leadership emphasize curiosity and empathy as tools for building success models for partnership and innovation that also supports servant leadership and enhances global growth and gender equity.

The pioneering leader learned, at 14, to fight for equality for girls when her high school Administrator announced the startup of an interscholastic boys’ tennis team. When asked if there were plans for a girls’ tennis team, she was told No. Because girls had intramurals, both Diane and her twin sister, Suzanne, asked what it would take to have a girls’ team and were told, “Get 50 girls to sign up to verify there is interest” Through promotion, 60 girls showed up, and Diane and Suzanne competed and made the team of 6. The following year, the Girl's Tennis Team returned to the First State Championship in the school as the only girl's athletic team compared to 16 boys’ competitive teams. This became a hallmark moment in her life because it demonstrated the power of vision and determination could create benefits for girls not only for those years but contributed to the start of women’s sports in Portland, Oregon, 15 years before Title IX.

Tenacity and determination are two of the tools she uses to power her innovation and desire to make a difference in the lives of others. Diane’s major influence came from her family, who were encouragers, held a positive mental outlook, and were servant leaders. This prepared her for an eventual vision to make a difference in the lives of women and girls, leading to the influence of Gloria Steinem, a major encourager and role model of female leadership.

As a female leader, it is important to listen more, talk less, and wait for a strategic moment to offer ideas. When in a mixed group of men and women, women need to be supportive of other women in the group and use a phrase from the other women leaders and then add an idea that supports their original idea. This action creates a bonding of trust and support that encourages more collaboration and ideation among women and men.

The Mission of Girls STEAM Institute® (GSI)is to inspire high school girls globally to become STEAM entrepreneurs who develop solutions for world problems through global collaborative innovation using immersive technology. The history of the organization to offer mentorship and training for young girls to develop businesses in STEAM evolved in 2021 to include immersive technologies and leadership development as major tools of the program, which has led GSI to be on the leading edge for innovation and relevance as an organization changing its program to meet the changing demands of society.

GSI is developing plans to offer a continuum line of entrepreneurial programming that supports girls in ideation, mentoring, and eventual funding for their entrepreneurial ideas. This will lead to more incredible global collaborative innovation, increased gender equity, and financial freedom for women and their families, resulting in more opportunities for peace and hope in the worldwide society.

“To increase the leadership opportunities for women to make needed changes in society, we must put a stake in the ground now to change the conscious and unconscious bias toward women,” says Diane. “This is critical to increase the inner happiness and gender equity for women that translates into greater innovation, collaboration, and societal wealth.”

This bias even comes unwittingly from women who don’t realize their power to use global collaborative innovation with other women as a growth strategy to achieve inner and external success. Diane strongly believes that change is needed to develop training for women and girls to recognize they have everything they need to break down barriers successfully. It comes from their inner perception and the lens they use when looking at themselves in the mirror. ICX