Elizabeth Taylor, MSOE’s director of STEM, has been named a Milwaukee Business Journal 40 Under 40 winner. She directs the institutional strategy for K-12 STEM programming to align with university and Milwaukee community needs and ensure technological relevance.  

“Liz is an incredible ambassador for STEM education among K-12 students,” said Dr. John Walz, MSOE president. “Getting more students to pursue careers in STEM fields is a critical need for Milwaukee, and Liz is doing as much to make this happen as anyone that I know.”

Nearly 300 nominations were submitted for the award, which recognizes professional achievement as well as community involvement. According to Mark Kass, editor-in-chief of the Milwaukee Business Journal, “Each year, Business Journal reporters and editors select 40 leaders under the age of 40 — from a pool of hundreds of nominations — who have demonstrated outstanding professional achievement while also becoming leaders in their communities. This 40 Under 40 class represents the future of community leadership in southeastern Wisconsin.”

In 2017, MSOE made a strategic investment in STEM outreach by establishing a dedicated department to grow, sustain and develop a comprehensive STEM pipeline for all students in Milwaukee and beyond. Since that time, and under Taylor’s leadership, nearly 14,000 K-12 students in more than 150 schools in Milwaukee and beyond have participated in STEM programs. And if it weren’t for the COVID-19 pandemic, the projected number of students that would have participated in STEM programming was over 15,000 by summer 2020.  

Taylor’s mission for STEM outreach at MSOE is to create and support inclusive, meaningful experiences for all students to explore the possibilities of their future, regardless of where their post-high school journey may take them. Her talents and passion for K-12 STEM education have broadened the scope of STEM programming for the university.  

The We Energies STEM Center at MSOE opened in Fall 2020. It is the premier destination in Milwaukee for students of all ages and home to MSOE’s STEM outreach efforts for K-12 students—and the direct result of Taylor’s vision and dedication. The center was developed in partnership with We Energies, Rockwell Automation, American Family Insurance, and other companies and individuals who provided the financial support to bring the project to fruition.  

Taylor holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Kettering University and is pursuing an M.S. in Nonprofit Management and Leadership from UW-Milwaukee. Prior to joining MSOE, she led a successful career in industry as a senior engineer leading global project teams, new product development and intellectual property training for Eaton. She also was a design engineer at Eaton, where she designed plastic components for motor control devices and served as a project manager. She was a leader within Eaton’s women’s advocacy and recruitment group. She has additional industry experience with Stantec in Butler, Pennsylvania; ElectricMotorSite LLC in Tomah, Wisconsin; and as an INSPIRE Intern at NASA Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, Ohio.