Margaret Ellen Mayo Tolbert, Ph.D., is the author of Resilience
in the Face of Adversity. She is a retired scientist and former senior
advisor at the National Science Foundation. Tolbert holds a doctorate in
biochemistry from Brown University, a Master of Science in Analytical Chemistry
from Wayne State University and a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry from
Tuskegee University.
1.
What inspired you to write your
book? When I started writing down memories of my life, the intent was to
share this information with my son and grandchildren. I wanted to record the
details of my journey so that they could understand and appreciate the path I
traveled. My effort was to inspire them to do the best with their lives. The
urgency was to provide them with this information in “Resilience in the Face of
Adversity” prior to my departure from this life. Writing about myself was a journey.
It caused me to reflect on decisions and their long-term impacts. As I
continued to develop the manuscript for my book, I realized that with a little
more work, I could inspire others who were pursuing or planning to pursue their
own journey.
2.
What is it about? When reading my book, “Resilience
in the Face of Adversity,” one will notice that it is a fact-filled journey
through my life (my upbringing, personal
struggles, joys and professional accomplishments). The book contains details of my childhood in Suffolk, Va.,
to adulthood. It covers positions held in academia, the private sector, the philanthropic
sector and the federal government. It is my autobiography written in a style
that will appeal to individuals at most educational levels. Descriptions of my
roles in the various settings as I survived the unexpected, rallied against
adversity and charged ahead on a path of personal accomplishment are factually accurate.
In my diverse positions, I traveled nationally and internationally sharing
information on education in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. In
the end, my successes were numerous:
•
The first
African-American female appointed director of the Educational Programs Division
at Argonne National Laboratory
•
The first African-American female to serve as director of the nation’s
New Brunswick Laboratory
•
The first female to
serve as director of the Carver Research Foundation at Tuskegee University
•
The highest ranking
African-American female to hold two high ranking management positions at BP
America
•
One of six
African-American senior executives at the National Science Foundation
•
The second
African-American to graduate from Brown University with a doctorate in
biochemistry
•
The first member of
the Mayo family of Suffolk, Va., to earn a doctoral degree
3. What do you hope will be the everlasting thoughts for readers who finish your book? Once a reader completes the book, the everlasting thought should be, if I (Dr. Margaret Ellen Mayo Tolbert) could make it through life with great success while working against difficult challenges, others should not have any excuses for not climbing the ladder of success.
4. What advice do you have for writers? I advise writers to continue writing so that they can share their work with others. Focus on chosen topics, and develop them well. Seek the advice of others who are able to provide useful advice. Take your time and fully develop each aspect of the manuscript for your book. If details in the manuscript are true, be sure to check and keep your facts in order.
5. Where do you think the book publishing industry is heading? Seemingly, the book publishing industry is growing and will continue to do so in the near future. I envision books in an electronic format will become more popular.
6. What challenges did you have in writing your book? A major challenge that I had in writing my book was the identification and verification of facts. Also, I spent a great deal of time deciding on the order of the topics.
7. If people can only
buy one book this month, why should it be yours? It is inspiring,
entertaining and well worth the time needed to read it. Facts contained in the
book are true and captivating.
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