I'm often asked . . . ‘OK, we get it, they come to a place where they feel safe and empowered and they find their voice. But when happens then when they go out into the real world?' And I smile when I say it, ‘Once a woman finds her voice, she never loses it.' So it's not like she's only confident in this sheltered environment, she just has to find the confidence. Then she always carries it with her.

Dottie King is president of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College near Terre Haute, the oldest Catholic liberal arts college for women in the United States.

King previously served as associate professor of mathematics, chair of the sciences and mathematics department, assistant dean for undergraduate and international programs, and vice president for academic affairs.

A mathematician and administrator, she has delivered numerous professional presentations and published research on factors that encourage women to persist in their study of mathematics.

She is a recipient of the Sister Mary Joseph Pomeroy Award for Faculty Excellence for teaching, the College's highest teaching honor.