In 2022, Abbie Stack re-started the St. Louis chapter, which had been dormant since 2019. Abbie held leadership roles with the Sacramento Valley AWIS chapter from 2016-2022 but was relocating to St. Louis for work.

“When I moved to St. Louis, all I had to restart this chapter was a big dream, a heart full of passion, and the names of a couple of women I barely knew who signed on to help me. Little did we know that six-person effort would turn into a network of over 300 women and allies in St. Louis. It has been difficult but rewarding, and I am so proud to work with the amazing board of officers who are dedicated to the personal and professional development of women in STEM in our city.” said Stack, the current president of the AWIS St. Louis chapter.

The St. Louis chapter re-started by first focusing on gaining a membership base. Luckily, AWIS National started an institutional partnership with Washington University of St. Louis in the spring of 2023 which enabled college and graduate students to get free membership. The chapter board initially focused on a monthly networking event. As membership and the board of officers grew, they began to host quarterly larger events including a seminar on financial basics, a webinar on using LinkedIn for personal branding, and two panel discussion events on careers. They have also successfully partnered with AWIS Indianapolis and the St. Louis startup community TechSTL on events. New in 2025, they just launched a mentoring circles program led by board member Amanda Reyna.

Kristen Wiedman is the current AWIS St. Louis Vice President. She stumbled into Abbie and the chapter while looking into creating a Women in Biology chapter in the region, a process which would have required significant fundraising to initiate as compared to the AWIS chapter chartering process. “Joining the AWIS board has most definitely been a labor of love, but it has introduced me to some wonderful, dedicated women in academia and industry. I hope the work we’re doing now lays the foundation for continued growth for our chapter.” said Wiedman of the chapter.

Last fall, the chapter started selling t-shirts with a custom science arch design to fundraise for a scholarship program. Wiedman hopes the program will be up and running later this year.

To learn more about the AWIS St. Louis Chapter and get involved, join their LinkedIn group, visit their website, or reach out via email at stlouisawis@gmail.com.