S 1072  Resolution, By Rankin
 A SENATE RESOLUTION TO RECOGNIZE AND HONOR VANESSA ELLERBE WYCHE, A NATIVE OF
 CONWAY, SOUTH CAROLINA, ON THE OCCASION OF HER ADDRESS TO THE HISTORICALLY
 BLACK COLLEGES OF SOUTH CAROLINA ON MONDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2020.
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   02/04/20  Senate Introduced and adopted (Senate Journal-page 4)

TO RECOGNIZE AND HONOR VANESSA ELLERBE WYCHE, A NATIVE OF CONWAY, SOUTH CAROLINA, ON THE OCCASION OF HER ADDRESS TO THE HISTORICALLY BLACK COLLEGES OF SOUTH CAROLINA ON MONDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2020.

Whereas, Vanessa Ellerbe Wyche grew up in Conway, South Carolina, where her father, Gilbert B. Ellerbe, Jr., served as assistant principal at Conway High School, executive director of a local recreation facility, and a Boy Scout leader, and her mother, Inez Bethea Ellerbe, was an elementary school teacher and Girl Scout leader; and

Whereas, Mrs. Wyche graduated from Conway High School and then earned a Bachelor of Science in ceramic engineering and a Master of Science in bioengineering from Clemson University; and

Whereas, her first job was with the Food and Drug Administration in Washington, D.C., where she met Georgetown law student George Wyche, Jr., who became her husband; and

Whereas, upon George's graduation, the couple returned to his hometown of Houston, Texas, where Mrs. Wyche began her search for new employment opportunities; and

Whereas, she accepted a job at the Johnson Space Center where she became the first woman hired as a project engineer in her division and was named employee of the month within about six months; and

Whereas, Mrs. Wyche has held several leadership positions and is the recipient of two NASA Exceptional Achievement medals and two NASA Outstanding Leadership medals; and

Whereas, on August 8, 2018, Vanessa Ellerbe Wyche was promoted to deputy director of NASA after nearly three decades with the agency; and

Whereas, she has her sights set on new launches from Florida and eventually sending astronauts to the moon and then on to Mars; and

Whereas, Mrs. Wyche partners with engineers from NASA who volunteer to mentor students in an underserved elementary school through an annual science fair, and she serves as the Life to Eagle coordinator for her church's Boy Scout troop; and

Whereas, in addition to her work at NASA, she travels extensively to speak to students about the opportunities available to them through STEM education and has spoken at her alma mater, Clemson University, and at many Ivy League institutions; and

Whereas, Mrs. Wyche is returning to South Carolina to speak to students from our historically black colleges about the importance of pursuing an education in the disciplines of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Now, therefore,

Be it resolved by the Senate:

That the members of the South Carolina Senate, by this resolution, recognize and express their appreciation to Vanessa Ellerbe Wyche, an outstanding South Carolina native, for her service to her nation and for the role model and inspiration she has been for students from underrepresented groups.

Be it further resolved that a copy of this resolution be presented to Vanessa Ellerbe Wyche.