Beth Stevens
Interview Posted By: Ashley Smith
1. Can you tell us a little about your background? i.e. Where you grew up, what education do you have, a summary of your resume, did you always want to do what you are doing now, when did you start to become interested in STEM, what internships/ volunteering
I grew up in New Jersey and was crazy about animals, loved to ride horses, and spent summers at camp in the NC mountains hiking and canoeing. I loved math and science and thought I wanted to be a veterinarian for quite some time. I went to Duke University where I majored in Zoology. My summer experiences during college proved to be very important in shaping my future direction. While working for a veterinarian I came to realize that I was far too emotional to be a veterinarian. Studying German in Germany for a summer just wasn't long enough to really speak the language fluently and made me want to return for a longer period. And a summer course studying animal behavior in Kenya was so inspiring that when I returned to Duke for my senior year, I completely changed my course of study with an eye toward going to graduate school to study animal behavior rather than going to veterinary school. After graduating from Duke, to fulfill my desire to master the german language, I studied animal behavior at the University of Tuebingen. After almost two years in Tuebingen, I returned to the US to attend graduate school at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where I earned a PhD in Biology with emphasis in animal behavior.
From graduate school, I went to the National Zoo in Washington DC as a curatorial intern. This position was designed to introduce postdocs to the role that zoos play in conservation. I loved everything I learned there, and went on to lead the conservation, science and education programs at Zoo Atlanta. From Zoo Atlanta, I was given the privilege of helping to open Disney's Animal Kingdom. I started as the Conservation & Science Director and went on to be the Vice President of the park. From there, I was given another great privilege: to lead environment and conservation for The Walt Disney Company as part of the Corporate Citizenship team. If you had asked me when I was in graduate school if I would be working in Corporate Citizenship at Disney one day, I would have been baffled by the question!
2. What exactly IS your job? What do you do on a day to day basis?
I am responsible for helping Disney businesses conserve resources and protect the planet as a normal part of doing business; and we work together to help kids and families develop lifelong conservation values through nature experiences. No one day is at all like the next! In a given day I could be working with a business on reducing emissions; sharing best practices between different businesses at the company; talking to an environmental organization about its conservation programs; and developing strategies for inspiring our employees and cast members to do their part.
3. How does STEM relate to your job?How do you use the information you learned from your degree in your job?
I really believe that science and the scientific method provide a great foundation for tackling just about any challenge in a logical and objective way.
4. Have you faced any discrimination/ challenges being a woman in a stem field? If so, how did you deal with it? Do you have any advice for up and coming women in STEM?
I feel very lucky because I have always felt incredibly encouraged throughout my career. There are many times, both in graduate school and in my professional career where I was the only woman, or one of a few women, working on a particular project or attending a meeting, but that just seemed normal to me. I have had fantastic male and female leaders and role models whom I have looked to for guidance and inspiration. My advice is to seek out a mentor relationship with those leaders who are inspiring role models to you.
5. What is the best and worst part of your job? What do you look forward to in your job on a day to day basis? What do you wish you could change?
The best part of my job is when someone thanks me for helping them achieve their goals in an environmentally responsible way, or when I read a letter from someone who has been touched by Disney's conservation efforts around the globe. I look forward every day to working with my team and our business partners across the company to find creative ways to achieve both our business goals and our environmental goals, and to making a difference for the planet. The hardest part of my job is that it feels like progress is sometimes slow to come!
6. How do you balance your work and personal life? Any secrets or advice you’d like to share?
I get asked this question a lot and I honestly don't know exactly how to answer it - balance means something different to everyone. Raising two boys when both my husband and I were working required an incredible amount of energy and great time management and involved very little sleep! The advice I would share is to be really clear about your priorities and live up to them!
7. What do you define success as?
Good question! I like to celebrate lots of little successes - making progress, no matter how big or small, is exciting and represents success. Success to me is celebrating all of the little steps along the way and doing it in a way that makes everyone around you feel good.
8. What is one personality trait that you think is universally important for a successful career?
Listening. I think the most successful people are great listeners.
9. Who was a mentor to you throughout your career? (can be more than one!) What did they teach you? How did they impact your life?
I have had many mentors and people in my life who have challenged me, encouraged me, and taught me. My mother taught me all about determination; my father taught me the importance of helping people to feel good about themselves; Jane Goodall taught me the power of speaking to people like they are the only people in the world who matter. I have worked with many amazing people while at Disney and each one has taught me something really valuable about leadership.
10. What do you think is the best advice you've ever received ? What advice would you give your younger self if you had the chance? What’s one piece of advice you can pass on to us?
Follow your passion!
I grew up in New Jersey and was crazy about animals, loved to ride horses, and spent summers at camp in the NC mountains hiking and canoeing. I loved math and science and thought I wanted to be a veterinarian for quite some time. I went to Duke University where I majored in Zoology. My summer experiences during college proved to be very important in shaping my future direction. While working for a veterinarian I came to realize that I was far too emotional to be a veterinarian. Studying German in Germany for a summer just wasn't long enough to really speak the language fluently and made me want to return for a longer period. And a summer course studying animal behavior in Kenya was so inspiring that when I returned to Duke for my senior year, I completely changed my course of study with an eye toward going to graduate school to study animal behavior rather than going to veterinary school. After graduating from Duke, to fulfill my desire to master the german language, I studied animal behavior at the University of Tuebingen. After almost two years in Tuebingen, I returned to the US to attend graduate school at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where I earned a PhD in Biology with emphasis in animal behavior.
From graduate school, I went to the National Zoo in Washington DC as a curatorial intern. This position was designed to introduce postdocs to the role that zoos play in conservation. I loved everything I learned there, and went on to lead the conservation, science and education programs at Zoo Atlanta. From Zoo Atlanta, I was given the privilege of helping to open Disney's Animal Kingdom. I started as the Conservation & Science Director and went on to be the Vice President of the park. From there, I was given another great privilege: to lead environment and conservation for The Walt Disney Company as part of the Corporate Citizenship team. If you had asked me when I was in graduate school if I would be working in Corporate Citizenship at Disney one day, I would have been baffled by the question!
2. What exactly IS your job? What do you do on a day to day basis?
I am responsible for helping Disney businesses conserve resources and protect the planet as a normal part of doing business; and we work together to help kids and families develop lifelong conservation values through nature experiences. No one day is at all like the next! In a given day I could be working with a business on reducing emissions; sharing best practices between different businesses at the company; talking to an environmental organization about its conservation programs; and developing strategies for inspiring our employees and cast members to do their part.
3. How does STEM relate to your job?How do you use the information you learned from your degree in your job?
I really believe that science and the scientific method provide a great foundation for tackling just about any challenge in a logical and objective way.
4. Have you faced any discrimination/ challenges being a woman in a stem field? If so, how did you deal with it? Do you have any advice for up and coming women in STEM?
I feel very lucky because I have always felt incredibly encouraged throughout my career. There are many times, both in graduate school and in my professional career where I was the only woman, or one of a few women, working on a particular project or attending a meeting, but that just seemed normal to me. I have had fantastic male and female leaders and role models whom I have looked to for guidance and inspiration. My advice is to seek out a mentor relationship with those leaders who are inspiring role models to you.
5. What is the best and worst part of your job? What do you look forward to in your job on a day to day basis? What do you wish you could change?
The best part of my job is when someone thanks me for helping them achieve their goals in an environmentally responsible way, or when I read a letter from someone who has been touched by Disney's conservation efforts around the globe. I look forward every day to working with my team and our business partners across the company to find creative ways to achieve both our business goals and our environmental goals, and to making a difference for the planet. The hardest part of my job is that it feels like progress is sometimes slow to come!
6. How do you balance your work and personal life? Any secrets or advice you’d like to share?
I get asked this question a lot and I honestly don't know exactly how to answer it - balance means something different to everyone. Raising two boys when both my husband and I were working required an incredible amount of energy and great time management and involved very little sleep! The advice I would share is to be really clear about your priorities and live up to them!
7. What do you define success as?
Good question! I like to celebrate lots of little successes - making progress, no matter how big or small, is exciting and represents success. Success to me is celebrating all of the little steps along the way and doing it in a way that makes everyone around you feel good.
8. What is one personality trait that you think is universally important for a successful career?
Listening. I think the most successful people are great listeners.
9. Who was a mentor to you throughout your career? (can be more than one!) What did they teach you? How did they impact your life?
I have had many mentors and people in my life who have challenged me, encouraged me, and taught me. My mother taught me all about determination; my father taught me the importance of helping people to feel good about themselves; Jane Goodall taught me the power of speaking to people like they are the only people in the world who matter. I have worked with many amazing people while at Disney and each one has taught me something really valuable about leadership.
10. What do you think is the best advice you've ever received ? What advice would you give your younger self if you had the chance? What’s one piece of advice you can pass on to us?
Follow your passion!