Tricia Berry leads efforts to close the STEM gender gap by creating an inspired and diverse community of confident STEM leaders as the Executive Director of Women in STEM (WiSTEM) at The University of Texas at Austin. She concurrently serves as Collaborative Lead for the Texas Girls Collaborative Project, leading the dissemination of effective, equitable, and inclusive STEM education practices while fostering networks and collaborations across Texas in coordination with the National Girls Collaborative Project. Through both roles, she connects and supports organizations and individuals working to advance gender equity in STEM fields across Texas and beyond.
Tricia serves in an advisory or leadership capacity for various STEM or equity-focused campus, community and school organizations including the UT Austin K12 STEM Collaborative, Greater Austin STEM Ecosystem, and the DiscoverE Messages Matter Advisory Group. Previously Tricia served for 20 years as Director for the Women in Engineering Program at The University of Texas at Austin, cofounded and led the career consulting company 825 Basics, and worked as a Product Development Engineer at The Dow Chemical Company.
In her outside of STEM work, Tricia is the co-author of You Cant Eat Your Degree: Combine Your Passions and Philosophies to Create the Story of Your Future and Exceeds Expectations: Take Control of Your Performance Review. She is a hobbyist gardener, novice bird watcher, amateur nature photographer, and avid reader. Tricia holds a BS Chemical Engineering degree and an MBA, is the mom of 2 chemical engineering college students, and is the wife of another chemical engineer.
B.S.
in Chemical engineering, University of Texas at Austin
MBA
, University of Houston, Clear Lake
Gender Equity
Science, Technology, Engineering & Math (STEM) Education
Gender Issues in STEM
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
K12 Informal STEM Education
Effective STEM Messaging and Engagement
Strategies to Engage Girls/Women in STEM
STEM Role Model Effective Strategies
Informal STEM Curriculum Development and Facilitation
Engaging Volunteers and Role Models
College Diversity Programs
Womens Leadership and Career Development
Lead / Member,
Steering Committee, Greater Austin STEM Ecosystem (2017 - 2023)
Co-Founder and Co-Lead,
Bias Busting Team, The University of Texas at Austin (2017 - 2020)
Community Member,
Leander Independent School District Elementary Science Leadership Team, Leander Independent School District (2015 - 2019)
Planning Team Member,
Texas Hispanic STEM Research Alliance, REL Southwest (2013 - 2017)
Co-Lead and Co-Founder,
UT K12 STEM Collaborative, The University of Texas at Austin (2012 - 2021)
Board Industry Chair, Board Member,
Westwood High School STEM Academy Advisory Board, Westwood High School, Round Rock ISD, Austin, Texas (2011 - 2020)
President-Elect / President / Past President,
Board, Women in Engineering Programs & Advocates Network (WEPAN) (2007 - 2010)
Berry, T. (2020). Greater Austin STEM Ecosystem. STEM in the Technopolis: The Power of STEM Education in Regional Technology Policy (, pp. 171-188): Springer International Publishing. (View)
Berry, T. & Forget Shield, D. (2012). Exceeds Expectations: Take Control of Your Performance Review (2nded.): Fideli Publishing Inc.. (View)
Berry, T. & Forget Shield, D. (2011). You Can't Eat Your Degree - Combine Your Passions and Philosophies to Create the Story of Your Future: Fideli Publishing Inc.. (View)
Million Women Mentors (MWM) Trailblazer Award
- Million Women Mentors (MWM) (2021)
Center for the Study of Race & Democracy (CSRD) at The University Texas at Austin Faculty Fellow
- The University of Texas at Austin (2020 - 2023)
Million Women Mentors (MWM) State of State Awards for MWM-Texas
- Million Women Mentors (MWM) (2020)
American Society for Engineering Education, Pre-College Engineering Education Division 2019 Lifetime Achievement Award
- American Society for Engineering Education (2019)
Association for Women in Mathematics (AWM) 5th Bi-annual Women in Mathematics Research Symposium, Women in STEM Honoree
- Association for Women in Mathematics (AWM) (2019)
Westwood High School Academy of Science, Technology, Engineering and Math 2016-2017 Partner of the Year
- Westwood High School, Round Rock ISD, Austin, Texas (2017)
Womens Transportation Seminar Rosa Parks Diversity Award
- Womens Transportation Seminar (2015)
InnoTech Austin Women in IT
- InnoTech (2015)
SOLIDWORKS Women in Engineering Program Recognition
- SOLIDWORKS (2015)
STEMTx Community Outreach Award
- STEMTx (2015)
Skillpoint Alliance Unlocking the Potential Award
- Skillpoint Alliance (2014)
Women in Engineering ProActive Network Founders Award
- Women in Engineering ProActive Network (2014)
Girl Scouts of Central Texas Woman of Distinction Award
- Girl Scouts of Central Texas (2014)
100 Women Leaders in STEM Recognition, STEMconnector
- STEMconnector (2012)
Women in Engineering ProActive Network Distinguished Service Award
- Women in Engineering ProActive Network (2011)
SXSW Interactive Dewey Winburne Community Service Award
- SXSW Interactive (2011)
Women in STEM (WiSTEM)
Women in STEM (WiSTEM) is closing the STEM gender gap by creating an inspired and diverse community of confident STEM leaders. Sitting within the UT Austin Division of Diversity and Community Engagement (DDCE) administrative unit, WiSTEM leads exemplary and nationally recognized pre-college and undergraduate student STEM programs with a longstanding history such STEM Girl Day at UT Austin, high school camps and the Living Learning Community that inspire, connect, and support students in STEM majors across campus and beyond.
WiSTEMs university-wide outreach, recruiting and retention STEM programs for pre-college and undergraduate STEM students are designed to increase STEM identity, self-efficacy, and a sense of belonging and lead to increased undergraduate retention/persistence, graduation rates, advancement to graduate school, and persistence in the STEM workforce.
SheSource Expert Profile
Texas Girls Collaborative Project