Women in STEM celebrated during Women’s History Month at USAG Bavaria

TOWER BARRACKS, Germany - In honor of Women's History Month, U.S. Army Garrison Bavaria recognizes women in Science, Engineering, Technology and Math careers with this special highlight of women employees in the Directorate of Public Works.

Not only do these women find inspiration from women in history, they also give praise to their teammates, coworkers and, most importantly, their families.

Emily Gore, master planning branch chief and acting division chief, DPW

Gore is originally from Amelia County, Virginia, a rural community outside of Richmond, Virginia. She started with DPW two years ago as a community planner. She credits her passion in STEM to her family - her father, brother and several great uncles/great-grandfathers are and were engineers, and her mother and maternal grandfather are and were in the medical profession - a pharmacist and dentist respectively.

"My father influenced my passion for all things architecture design, community planning, and master planning," Gore said.

Gore currently oversees community planners in charge of space assignments and project development, in each of the districts for the garrison including Tower Barracks, Rose Barracks, the Joint Multinational Readiness Center at Hohenfels, and Garmisch. As the branch chief, she manages the facility investment plan, major and minor construction funding and over $7.5M in major repair work.

Of women throughout history, Gore says Hypatia of Alexandria inspires her.

"She was a philosopher, astronomer, and mathematician who lived in Egypt and Rome around 400 AD," Gore said. "Very few women were able to achieve the notoriety and influence she had. She became a martyr for philosophy after her murder. I am able to make my own choices about my life thanks to women like Hypatia who sacrificed everything to be heard and did not shy away from standing out in predominately male environments."

On why life is "Better in Bavaria," Gore explained the following:

"There's something about Bavaria, I think it's the landscape," she said. "With most fairytales or German culture, you're exposed to old stories that seem to be Bavarian based, so I think Bavaria is the ideal German experience."

Andrea Hoesl, acting chief Engineering Branch and architect engineer, DPW

Hoesl is originally from the Grafenwoehr area and has worked for the U.S. Army as a local national for 20 years. After studying architecture in Munich, she made her way back to Grafenwoehr and started her career with DPW as a project manager. As far as hobbies, she enjoys horseback riding, photography as well as gardening. She is the chief project manager of the Engineering Branch and the acting chief.

At her job, every day is different. She oversees the project management of smaller and bigger construction projects from first idea of the project up through completion, which includes programming, design, construction and turnover. Her job has many multi-functional tasks. She leads a team of project managers who prepare construction project packages according to the garrison's yearly project. She also works with the Resource Management Division on providing the required project funding in the estimated amount in time. In addition, she regularly visits various construction sites, guides distinguished visitor over the sites, prepares presentations for higher headquarters, coordinates projects with the host nation authorities as well as works together with Master Planning to program and scope future projects.

"(What) I enjoy most about my job is that I have a really excellent team of hardworking folks," Hoesl said. "You can come with any problem, and they find a solution."

In her career, she draws inspiration from Zaha Hadid, an Iraqi-British architect, artist and designer.

"She was really famous for being an architect," Hoesl said. "She always had to fight because she was a woman in a male-dominated job. She is a big inspiration to me."

For mentors, she credits Dwane Watsek, a former sergeant major at USAG Bavaria, and Alan Lucht, both of whom worked in DPW and helped shape her career.

For a woman in history, she admires, Sophie Scholl, a German resistance fighter active in the "White Rose" during World War II.

When asked why it's "Better In Bavaria" for her, she gave three reasons.

"First of all, look at the surrounding, here at USAG Bavaria we are like a big family," Hoesl said. "Second of all, you have great nature around you. We also have wonderful cultural traditions. I think that makes it Better In Bavaria."

Ekaterina Piotrowski, program analyst, Business Operations and Integration Division, DPW

Piotrowski began working for DPW in 2018 at Hohenfels as a contracting officer representative. She initially came to Bavaria from Hessen where she previously studied and worked. In her free time she enjoys arts and aesthetics and visiting arts events. She also enjoys languages and linguistics, travel, skiing, gymnastics, drawing and sketching.

When growing up she admired her own mother as a woman in STEM.

"My very own mother was a person I looked up to because she is a doctor and she was able to combine her very challenging career with being a loving mother of three," Piotrowski said. "This is why she is still a source of inspiration for me."

A significant part of Piotrowski's job responsibilities is analytics, research, and development of new approaches and calculation methodologies.

"Generally speaking, I break down complex problems into measurable and manageable components and distill complex information into actionable intelligence," Piotrowski said. "Through comprehensive data collection and analysis, research, and consultations, I identify areas for improvement, formulate strategies, and optimize processes towards the needs of our customers, partners and our organization in compliance with applicable guidance and regulations."

Her inspiration for analytical work for science in general comes from her grandfather, who was a scientist and engineer.

"I think that this fascination comes from him, because of his dedication to work, and I grew up with that from a very young age," she said.

She gave advice to students looking for a career in STEM.

"I think fortune favors the brave," she said. "I think people should be brave enough to pursue something that they really like doing, something that brings them joy and need to find their own path."

Piotrowski said life is "Better in Bavaria" because of economic strength and opportunities for professional development.

"I think in general, Bavaria is an attractive place for many professionals from around the world from various sets of industries," Piotrowski said. "The area has a very strong economy, very well-developed infrastructure and high level of life with unique landscapes and cultural heritage, and I think this area offers many opportunities for many different lifestyles."

Chasity Thomasson, information systems security officer, DPW

Thomasson, originally from Louisiana, began her career as a mechanic with the U.S. Army as a Soldier for eight years. She has now worked as an information technology professional at USAG Bavaria as an Army civilian for two years. For her hobbies, she is an avid hunter or better known as a "Jäger" here in Germany. She is also currently pursuing her pilot's license.

She enjoys several things about her job, but what she enjoys the most is following through with solutions and ensuring cyber security for industrial control systems throughout USAG Bavaria.

"I would say that my inspiration is to be a successful woman in IT and to be the best role model I can possibly be for the younger generations coming into IT," she said.

The woman in history she admires is Margaret Thatcher.

"Margaret Thatcher was the first female prime minister in the UK, known as the 'Iron Lady'," she said. "She stuck to her guns and prevailed no matter the amount of adversity that she had to experience; I definitely respect her for that."

With working in male-dominated career fields her whole career, she feels that we need to normalize females in these career fields more than what we have in the past to influence the younger generation coming into these fields.

Thomasson gave some thought to the phrase "Better in Bavaria."

"I think it's 'Better in Bavaria' for me because of the community," she said. "Everyone here is like a family and it's just a great place to be."

Andrea Tischler, General Engineer, and Architect in the Engineering Division, DPW

Tischler is originally from the Neustadt an der Waldnaab area, near Grafenwoehr. She has worked for the U.S. Army as a local national in DPW for 20 years. She started out her career with DPW at Hohenfels as an inspector in the Construction Inspection Branch and moved to Grafenwoehr after a year and became a project manager. As far as hobbies, she enjoys traveling, sports (especially skiing), her home and her cats.

As a project manager, she oversees the design phase of projects until their completion. Every day is a new challenge for her. She credits the team around her for making her job fun. As a part of her job, she deals regularly with utilities, German government law, fire department requirements, and requirements for the U.S. military.

"I see it as a great opportunity to be a part of the project," Tischler said. "After it is completed, you can see the building and you were a part of it."

Tischler looks to Queen Elizabeth II and her own father as her inspirations.

"Of course, the most important person in my life is my daddy, who was also a civil engineer," she said. "When I was a child, I visited him in the office. It was great to see all the drawing panel, pens, and paper, this is the inspiration for the job for me."

Her advice for students looking to get into STEM careers? Have an open mind for everything around you.

Not only is it her home, but it's also "Better in Bavaria" for Tischler.

"This is a great location," Tischler said of Bavaria. "I have my family here and I have a safe environment for my job and family."

During National Women's History Month, the Army joins the nation to celebrate the contributions and accomplishments of women. Women have played vital roles in the Army since the Revolutionary War and are critical members of the Army team. Women's History Month stands as a reminder of the strength the Army has through its high-quality and diverse all-volunteer force.

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