Curious, Bold, Committed: Celebrating AdaMarie
A reflection written by AdaMarie Co-Founder and CEO, Rebecca Tierney.
AdaMarie is four years old.
My favorite thing about four-year-olds is that they ask a lot of questions. They also do this funny thing that annoys some parents, but I always really enjoy it - they stake their claim. They want a thing - a string cheese or someone else's toy truck or a ratty, stinky little blanket - and they are suddenly imbued with the righteous confidence that they deserve that thing simply because they've set their sights on it.
So, four is exactly how old AdaMarie is, especially at this moment in time.
We ask questions, but in our case, it's not a phase.
We've been asking questions since the day we were born! When it seems like so much interest and money have gone into solving issues around women being represented in STEM, why isn't the problem closer to being solved? What is the mental, emotional, and psychological toll on women when they're carrying both the weight of challenging careers and the weight of feeling alone or unseen in their pursuits? Where are the blocks in the pipeline from an eager little kid to a senior-level scientist, engineer, or tech executive? How do we unblock personally and systemically?
These are just a few of our questions, and you don't want to get me started on staking our claim!
Ok, get me started!
In AdaMarie’s first four years, we have claimed a few things:
We launched the AdaMarie Job Board and connected over 20,000 job seekers and 500+ employers, building a bridge between talent and opportunity.
We published two powerful white papers, including a collaboration with the Healthcare Businesswomen’s Association, and officially launched our equity think tank and inclusion lab to deepen our research.
We grew a vibrant community and developed an ambassador program, engaging students nationwide and piloting new features to ensure our work stays rooted in authentic voices and lived experiences.
We also launched our Early Talent Development Program, which pairs early-career STEM professionals with high-touch support.
And now, we’re preparing to launch the AdaMarie Professional Network, a co-created space for women in STEM and allies who understand the power of navigating the industry together.
One of our collaborators recently told me I always have an expression or an -ism. I have one for this moment, too. No one gives you power. You have to take it. You can do it quietly and gracefully - no big dust-up required - but ultimately, power and space must be claimed. The beauty of AdaMarie's mission is that we're staking our claim as a community.
So let's be four, together.
Let’s ask questions. Let's decide together what we want.
Let's claim recognition for our hard work, claim the benefit of the doubt, claim belonging in the room, claim having fun with it, claim being taken seriously—
Let’s keep building the kind of world that honors our questions and our joy, our brilliance, and our boundaries. Because four isn’t just an age, it’s a mindset. Curious. Bold. Unapologetically here.
So here’s to being four.
Here’s to being deliberate. Persistent.
Here’s to claiming everything that’s ours.
Thank you to every member, partner, and supporter who’s helped AdaMarie grow. Your belief and energy make all of this possible. And we can’t wait to welcome you into the AdaMarie Professional Network and see what we’ll co-create in year five and beyond.
