Museum director receives 'Opening Doors' award
For immediate release - October 24, 2005.
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Contact: Jon
Pishney at (919) 733-7450, ext. 304
RALEIGH — Dr.
Betsy Bennett, director of the North Carolina Museum of Natural
Sciences, has been awarded
a 2005 "Opening Doors" award
from the Business and Professional Women's (BPW) groups of Raleigh
and the Triangle. The award is given annually by BPW to three outstanding
professional women in the Triangle who have excelled in their areas
of endeavor and have made strides to open doors for women in their
workplace.
Bennett was nominated by leaders in the community who are familiar with her work as the director of the Southeast's largest natural sciences museum and as the former president of the international Association of Science Museum Directors. Representatives of BPW will present Bennett with the award at the National Business Women's Week event on Tuesday, October 25.
"I am pleased and proud to receive this award," Bennett said. "I have always been passionate about science and education and it's very satisfying to be recognized for helping other women pursue careers in similar fields."
As director of the N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences since 1990, Bennett has led the Museum through its most dynamic period of expansion, elevating it from a hidden gem to a recognized leader in environmental education and natural science research. Bennett led the push for the construction of the Museum's current facility, which opened April 2000. In addition to being the largest of its kind in the region, the new Museum is the "most-visited" and the "number one field trip attraction" in the state, and in 2003 was named one of the top 10 natural history museums in North America by editors of the award-winning Odyssey Magazine.
Receiving Opening Doors awards with Bennett this year are Cynthia A. Toth, MD, Professor in the Department of Ophthalmology at Duke University Medical Center; and Sepideh Asefnia, PE, President and Founder of SEPI Engineering Group in Raleigh and a new member of the Museum’s advisory board. Past award recipients have included luminaries from diverse fields, including: The Honorable Elaine Marshall, North Carolina Secretary of State; Kay Yow, Coach, NC State University Women's Basketball; Dr. Victoria Haynes, CEO, Research Triangle Institute; and Pam Saulsby, News Anchor of WRAL- TV.
BPW is the oldest advocacy group for working women. The national, state and Raleigh organizations were founded in 1919. The Triangle organization just celebrated its 18th year.
The North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, in downtown Raleigh, documents and interprets the natural history of the state of North Carolina through exhibits, research, collections, publications, and educational programming. Hours: Mon.-Sat., 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sun., noon to 5 p.m. Admission is free. Visit the Museum on the web at www.naturalsciences.org. The Museum is an agency of the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources, William G. Ross Jr., Secretary.
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