Central Pennsylvania is home to a more than a few females who are the firsts in their fields. We sat down with three local women making a mark in their professions as well as our communities.
HIKING HER STATE
Ellen Shultzaberger
Pennsylvania’s First State Forester
For someone who grew up loving the outdoors, hiking and fishing in the creek, having a career related to the environment isn’t far-fetched. But for a woman over the last 20 years, it was less common. Even less common is a female holding the prestigious title of state forester. Of the 50 or so that represent their areas nationally, only seven are women.
One is our own Pennsylvania state forester Ellen Shultzaberger, who is also the director of the Bureau of Forestry for the Commonwealth. This means she oversees 2.2 million acres of state forest lands, conserves and protects Pennsylvania’s public and private forests from fire and other dangers, recommends legislation for our nation’s forests, and manages 600 staff members—and that’s just (wait for it) hitting the treetops.
Over the years, she’s often been the only woman around, but she takes this in stride: “When I get introduced out in the field, sometimes there’s this beat of silence. Then a pause. Then ‘Oh, you don’t look like the last forester.’” She laughs, describing the days when she was pregnant, “running around in the forest with two kids, but everybody [she means every female field biologist or forester] does it.” The thing that truly sets her apart, she says, is her background.
Bringing a Wider Perspective: Forest Ecology
Shultzaberger doesn’t have a traditional forestry degree. Foresters used to do more timber management, so that’s the degree they’d typically have. Over the years, interest in recreation has grown, and her departments work more with the community and private landowners. They help manage mineral and water resources, address questions about bugs eating the trees, or identify invasive plants. “The field is broader, and my background is broader,” she explains. “It’s in natural resources. You can call it forest ecology.”
This means Shultzaberger must balance the importance of various ecosystems and land uses—wildlife ecology, wetlands, etc. She says, “It’s definitely an exciting opportunity here in Pennsylvania, where natural resources are placed at a high value by its citizens.” She builds collaboration among various departments and enjoys the passion of her fellow staffers.
But perhaps the most unexpected perk for this state forester is this: “Sometimes, gosh darn it, I have to go to these beautiful places like the Pennsylvania Grand Canyon and walk down this trail,” she says, “or go check out this vista.” A keen hiker, she selects her trails on her off days depending on how many of her kids and dogs she brings with her, and together they explore the trails in their new community in Lancaster.
JOINING A GIVING CULTURE
Cecilia McCormick, J.D.
First Female President of Elizabethtown College
If you know Cecilia McCormick, J.D., you know she’s a giving person, and it’s easy to tell that the causes she supports are not just for show. They thread through her entire background as well as her latest career move, as she takes on Elizabethtown College’s motto, “Educate for Service.” She’s the college’s first female president, and McCormick looks to continue to nurture this love of giving among its students.
About as new on campus as this year’s freshmen, President McCormick says she’s been “welcomed into a community that values building relationships and helping one another. When you walk onto the Elizabethtown College campus, I guarantee you’ll be greeted with a smile or a wave from a student or employee.” She says it’s just a part of the inclusive, service-oriented culture she’s already proud of.
Looking Beyond the Horizon
With a deep background in law and higher education (including at Widener and Johns Hopkins), McCormick sees new challenges at E-town, where they’re focusing on the next generation not just of students, but of careers. “Our 21st-century students need to be prepared for jobs that may not yet exist,” she points out, “so we’re evaluating and transforming our offerings to remain relevant.” She’s excited about what she calls “future-focused majors and masters.” She lists such examples as a five-year physician assistant program, undergraduate majors in neuroscience and data analytics, and new concentrations in engineering.
Where Healthy Students Thrive
McCormick is all-in on Elizabethtown College’s student-centered culture: “It’s at the heart of everything we do.” Its new Bowers Center for Sports, Fitness & Well-Being emphasizes healthy, active lifestyles; mindfulness; and the social and psychological well-being and development of students. So overall, the mix is perfect for McCormick’s next challenge.
“I’ve spent the majority of my career focusing on education, advocacy, and service to the community,” says the new president. “It has been inspiring to create environments that foster holistic student learning, support, and development for diverse student bodies, and I’m excited to use my background and experiences to enhance these areas for our students at E-town.”
In September, Elizabethtown College was ranked 287 out of 801 U.S. institutions in the Wall Street Journal/Times’ Higher Education 2020 College List. It ranked highest in “its resources provided to students, followed by competitive rankings in the College’s student engagement opportunities and overall student outcomes.” The yearly list evaluates “the educational impact and lifetime benefit to students.”
President McCormick is also eager to collaborate with the community on opportunities that help students learn to lead, as she puts it, “purposeful lives as individuals, in their careers, and in their communities.”
A native of Wallingford, PA, McCormick enjoys time with her family: husband John, three sons, and two grandchildren. After hours, when she’s not volunteering, you might just find her out biking around her new community.
