Her Story
About Kathleen
Kathleen Davis Bierman serves as an HTM Lecturer at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore, where she teaches accounting through the Hospitality and Tourism Management program in in-person, hybrid, and online formats. With over five years in academia and a background of more than 30 years in accounting across industries including Microsoft and small businesses, she previously taught accounting for more than 20 years. She earned her MBA from Shenandoah University in Winchester, Virginia, and is completing her PhD in Organizational Leadership, with plans to defend her dissertation by November. Kathleen is District Director for Toastmasters International District 221, a volunteer role after nearly 10 years with the organization, and President of the University System of Maryland Women's Forum. Her success is attributed to a strong work ethic from her military family background, where her father served in the Air Force and the family moved frequently, cultivating her adaptability and systems thinking. She has also operated her own accounting business and worked as a professional photographer and equestrian coach.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Kathleen
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to having a hard-working ethic from being part of a military family. My father was in the Air Force, and so we moved just about every 2 years of my life. I've lived all over the United States, north, south, east, and west. That really helped me understand people and what drives them, what motivates them. I paid attention a lot, and that has really helped me in being a good listener and relating to people regardless of where they're from. It cultivated my adaptability and systems thinking.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I've received is to be open to the possibilities, that you never know where that next step can take you. From my great-grandmother: never stop growing, never stop learning. She was learning until well into her 90s until the day she passed, and she always instilled in me that lifetime learner.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I would say to women entering this particular industry that you need a mentor. You need someone who's gonna help you navigate the complexity of academia, as well as support you in your journey. There are many of us out there who are willing to help and support the next person in that journey.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
The challenges in academia these days are academic freedom. We live in interesting times with political issues coming down to the university level. Being part of an HBCU, we've really felt that. There's bullying from a male-dominated platform, and women tend to do more than the men to continue up in the tenure process. It's still an old boy's network in many respects.
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