By Elisabeth Costanzo Stewart
Meet Dr. Stephanie Malmberg – Associate Dean for Distance Learning, Professional Development and Student Success & Adjunct Instructor
Photo Credit: Matt Ebbers
What drives you professionally and personally? “Professionally, I am very much driven to make a ripple. I learned long ago that a big impact doesn’t look like it from the surface. I want our students and community members to be successful in the way that they define success. This is the experience that I was so fortunate to have as a student. So many of our students that I have worked with closely over the years reminded me of me. I have had students who were the first in their families to go to college, who have come to college after living a completely different vocational life, and who come to SUNY Broome not knowing what the path will look like. I am fortunate to still be in contact with many of my previous students, some of whom are in medical school, law school, and grad school for teaching, social work, human rights, higher education, and student affairs. Some are local healthcare providers and entrepreneurs…the list goes on. I truly see it as an honor when our students stay in touch and share intermittent updates with me. I do not take lightly that they placed their trust in me, and as a result, I have had a front-row seat to witness their evolution.
Personally, I wear a lot of hats, my favorite one being a mother. My children, Julian (LACM’ 19), Seth (BUBA’ 19), and Kingston have always been my personal “why.” As a post-traditional student, my driving goal in my educational journey, my “why,” was to be at home with my children more. From there, I had to reverse engineer what it looked like, and with some derailments along the way, I finally got there! The coolest part of having children who experienced much of this with me is that it wasn’t lost on them: they saw what I was doing and learned from it.”
What can we do to encourage and support fellow women as they pursue their education and careers? “From a structural viewpoint, we need to create the conditions that allow women to be successful. This starts with safe, affordable housing and access to quality childcare, addressing food insecurity, and providing paid sick and maternity leave. Someone’s hunger to be and do more should not be driven by actual hunger. I am sure there are more, but I consider these fundamental. It is next to impossible for anyone to learn, grow, and be successful when their basic needs aren’t met.
On a more personal level, we can and should mentor and support women in the workplace by identifying their goals and reverse engineering experiences that will help them learn what they need to achieve them. I am where I am now because of investments that have been made in teaching and developing me, particularly the investments made by my direct reporting structure, Drs. Kim McLain and Penny Kelly, who have put a lot of time, effort, and resources into helping me grow as a leader on campus.”
Who is a public figure (either historical or present day) that has inspired you? What were/are her contributions and achievements? “Everyone should take time to do a little research on artist and activist Nan Goldin. As a photographer, she documented LGBTQ+ subcultures, as well as pre- and post-NYC, as a result of the HIV/AIDS crisis of the 1980s and ’90s that took countless lives. I think some of her most incredible work is as an activist, specifically her role in taking on the Sackler family and Purdue Pharma, the manufacturers of OxyContin, from which Goldin is in recovery. Her organization is credited with getting Sackler money almost completely out of the art world by showing that it was profit made from pain, loss of life, and the decimation of families and communities, which did not spare our local community. For me, Nan Goldin is someone who lives her values and has remained a strong activist for human rights. She continues to inspire me.”
What does it mean to you to be celebrated as a remarkable woman? “For folks on our campus to see me as remarkable is truly an honor. I wholeheartedly believe in our mission and what we do, and I am so happy that I get to be a part of it.”
Name another remarkable woman of SUNY Broome who inspires you. “I have a long list of colleagues who inspire me, but I am also truly inspired by every woman and mother on this campus who is doing their best to create a new future for herself and/or her family. I am also inspired by strong women in my friends and family base.”
Tags: Profile, Women's History Month
