Sandy Marshall

Sandy Marshall has spent the past twenty years in nonprofit management, including work with the American Heart Association, Special Olympics and Easter Seals; she is a Certified Fundraising Executive (CFRE). Three years after creating the national cause marketing campaign, NASCAR Day, Ms. Marshall founded The NASCAR Foundation, which is now a $5 million organization engaging millions of fans annually. In her nearly ten years at NASCAR, she believes her most important work was in the STEM area of NASCAR. Engaging the company and sport with non-profits and making STEM exciting and relevant through motorsports.

Due to her passion for helping nonprofits that have the mission and infrastructure to make great social change, she started Sandra Marshall and Associates— a consulting group focused on fueling social impact, www.smaimpact.com.

While funding national STEM initiatives through The NASCAR Foundation, Sandy learned of the disadvantages that girls and women have in STEM majors and careers, and became committed to doing what she could to make a difference in her own community - Project Scientist had lift off!

Personally Sandy had experienced gender stereotyping and a lack of role models as she pursued a STEM major in college and as a result changed majors. As a mother of two young girls with a passion for science, Sandy remains committed to changing the status quo for her girls as well as girls across the country. Project Scientist began summer 2011 out of Sandy’s guesthouse in Charlotte, NC. The organization is now on four University campuses serving over 800 girls annually. Ms. Marshall attended the University of Southern California, where she received a BS in Public Policy with an emphasis on Nonprofits.

She has a certificate in nonprofit management from the University of California, Irvine. Sandy and her family currently split time between Laguna Beach, Pasadena and Charlotte.