What does it take to ask the hard question, "Is this sustainable?" And then put a plan in place?
In this Force Multiplier episode, Shane Woods, Executive Director of Girlstart, a nonprofit dedicated to empowering girls in STEM, shares her journey leading the organization into its next stage of growth.
Shane began her career as a middle school science teacher in Fort Worth ISD, rising over 17 years to K-12 Science Director for the entire district, and then served as Senior Director of the Girl Scouts of Northeast Texas STEM Center of Excellence before joining Girlstart in 2022. Her work has earned her the Women Leading Technology Leadership Award and an invitation to the 2024 White House Summit on STEMM Equity and Excellence.
Shane and I first met through Social Venture Partners Austin, when Girlstart was exploring new earned revenue ideas. In this episode, Shane shares perspective on the loneliness of leadership, why change happens incrementally, not overnight, and the discipline of asking not just what to add, but what to sunset.
If you're navigating the loneliness of being an executive director, wrestling with how to diversify away from grant dependency, or asking what your organization needs to sunset in order to grow, this episode offers candid, practical insights.
Build the organization your impact demands. By being the business you are.
Key Takeaways
· Leadership loneliness is real. Find people you trust to say the hard things out loud before taking them to your board.
· Change happens incrementally, not overnight. Phase in big shifts.
· Grant dependency is wish money, not guaranteed; earned revenue is a base you control.
· Growth sometimes means sunsetting. Ask not just what to add, but what to prune.
About Shane Woods
Shane Woods doesn't just talk about closing the gender gap in STEM: she's built a career doing it. As Executive Director of Girlstart, she leads a nonprofit dedicated to empowering girls in STEM, bringing more than two decades of experience as a nationally recognized leader, author, and speaker in science education and equity.
Shane began her career as a middle school science teacher in Fort Worth, rising over 17 years to K-12 Science Director for the entire district, then served as Senior Director of the Girl Scouts of Northeast Texas STEM Center of Excellence before joining Girlstart in 2022.
Her work has earned her the Women Leading Technology Leadership Award, Austin Women in Business Finalist honors, and the Rising Star Award from Women Who STEAM, Dallas Links Inc., along with an invitation to present at the 2024 White House Summit on STEMM Equity and Excellence.
Shane holds an MS in Education and a BS in Biology, and stays deeply engaged in the broader education and youth development community through cofunding the North Texas Ecosystem, being a long-time partner of the Texas Girls Collaborative Project, and actively volunteering with the American Camp Association.
About Girlstart
Girlstart's mission is to empower girls through STEM. Girlstart envisions a future where all those who identify as girls believe they have the potential to change their world through STEM. Girlstart is a woman-founded, woman-led organization that has primarily offered year-round out-of-school STEM programming for girls in grades 4-8 in Texas, California, Massachusetts, and other locations nationwide.
Girlstart is headquartered in Austin, Texas, where it was founded in 1997, and is an active part of its community, serving girls not only in its own STEM Center but also by meeting them in their schools and through family-focused events across the region. Since 1997, Girlstart has impacted more than 200,000 girls through after-school programs, summer camps, STEM career conferences, and community STEM education outreach.
Connect with Shane Woods
Website: girlstart.org
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/shane-woods-stem
Websites and Social
Company Website: tacosa360.com
Impact Catapult: www.impactcatapult.com
YouTube: youtube.com/@Tacosa360
Connect with Tanja
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/tanjahoran
Topics
Nonprofit earned revenue, nonprofit sustainability, executive director leadership, nonprofit change management, nonprofit program sunsetting, women in STEM leadership, nonprofit grant dependency
