 Hello, my name is Margie Done and I'm the Executive Director for Operations at the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. It is my honor to acknowledge Women's Equality Day. The day is rooted in the 1920 ratification of the 19th Amendment, which gave women the right to vote. The struggle for gender equality continues today, but with so many examples of women making strides each day in every field, from politics to medicine and science to the military and business, often making progress with few female role models. I've spent most of my career as an attorney, so I'd be remiss if I didn't recognize the women who have and are serving in the highest court of the country, especially the first female U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor and the current Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. For example, Justice Ginsburg paved the way for greater gender equality in all fields and aspects of life when she was an attorney by arguing winning cases on behalf of both female and male plaintiffs who found themselves on the receiving end of gender discrimination. Her vision was that men and women would, in her words, create new traditions by their actions if artificial barriers are removed and avenues of opportunity held open to them. There are so many other examples of women breaking barriers to equality. Women like Katherine Johnson, Sally Ride, Ellen Ochoa, who reached for and attained the stars, establishing themselves as some of the most influential people of NASA. The women at NRC are another great example. The NRC workforce is 40% women, with women occupying positions including regional administrator, office director, resident inspector, engineer, program and management analyst, administrative assistant, and international relations officer. They fill the ranks of staff and leadership all the way up to the commission, which is currently chaired, as you know, by Christine Savinicki. These women and those who came before them have been and are critical to our agency's mission. I'm personally humbled by the possibility that my selection as the first female executive director for operations at the NRC has potentially paved the way for more women in leadership roles. I see every day at the NRC that it's not just prominent accomplishments of women that matter. It's the day-to-day ways in which women chip away at the lingering stereotypes with their professionalism, their leadership skills, and their expertise, making equality not just possible, but inevitable. Thanks for listening.