AAUW honors Sharon Barker

16 years ago

    AAUW (American Association of University Women) Maine is delighted to honor Sharon Barker, who grew up in Fort Fairfield, with its 2009 Achievement Citation Award, was presented on the evening of May 1 during the annual state convention, held in Presque Isle. 
    Barker was nominated by the Penobscot Valley Branch of AAUW where she has long been an active member. She has a B.A. and M.P.A. from the University of Maine at Orono. Her laudable work in support of and advocacy for the women and girls of Maine is well-recognized, since she was recently inducted into the Maine Women’s Hall of Fame in March 2009. Other recent awards include: the Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi (2007) and the Sarah Orne Jewett Award – Maine Women’s Fund (2004). She has been the director of the Women’s Resource Center at the University of Maine in Orono since its inception in 1991.
    A sampling of her meritorious activities includes: Project director for the Maine Girls Collaborative Project, which encourages girls’ participation in science, technology, engineering and mathematics; Board of Directors at the Mabel Wadsworth Women’s Health Center in Bangor; co-chair of the Conference Committee for Expanding Your Horizons, an annual one-day conference that provides middle school girls with opportunities to connect with women who are in under-represented career fields including science, engineering, mathematics and technology; chair since 2003 of the Women’s Employment Issues Committee of the Maine Jobs Council, which resulted in a 2007 report entitled, “Working Women in Maine:  Initial Indicators of Progress;” and the WAGE (Women Are Getting Even) Project, an organization established to end the gender wage gap.
     The Achievement Citation Award is an annual recognition, voted by the state board, AAUW of Maine, to recognize statewide achievements that have a positive impact on women.
    AAUW’s mission is to advance equity for women and girls through advocacy, education and research. The organization’s value promise states that members belong to a community dedicated to breaking through educational and economic barriers so that all women have a fair chance. Local groups in Houlton, Caribou and Presque Isle hold monthly meetings with programs and speakers. For  information about joining AAUW, go to www.aauwmaine.org or call 762-1791.