Published January 07, 2025
By : Staff Writer
On the last day of December 2024, President Joe Biden proclaimed January as National Mentoring Month. He encouraged every American—whether a college student, community leader, or someone looking to make a difference—to explore opportunities to mentor or tutor.
Later this year, the WOC STEM Conference will celebrate its 30th anniversary. As we look back at past issues of Women of Color magazine, one common theme emerges among the stories of many award winners: the presence of mentors.
Over the next 200 days, WOC Online will feature 200 past award winners who have demonstrated outstanding performance and leadership in STEM fields while also helping young people find direction, grow, and explore their possibilities, just as the mentors in their lives have impacted them.
Past participants of WOC STEM conferences and readers of Women of Color magazine include women we have met at previous events and in earlier publications.
We have seen their portraits in Women of Color magazines and read their inspiring stories about achieving success in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) careers.
In 1997, the top award was presented to Sherry F. Bellamy, who was then a vice president at Verizon.
At the time she received her award, Bellamy was a senior executive at a Verizon subsidiary providing local telecom services in Maryland, following her role as lead counsel for the Bell Atlantic company in Washington, D.C.
In a subsequent position, Bellamy led a nationwide team to secure state regulatory approvals for Verizon's acquisition of MCI, its primary local competitor.
Under her leadership, the team obtained all state regulatory approvals within nine months.
Additionally, she oversaw Verizon's state general counsels along the East Coast, covering areas from New England to Virginia, with primary responsibility for regulatory and legislative matters.
By 2009, Bellamy was responsible for litigation and regulatory issues in the United States for Verizon's extensive business and government organization.
Bellamy shared with Career Communications Group that a key to her success was the encouragement she received from others.
Growing up as the daughter of a lieutenant in the legendary Tuskegee Air Corps (the all-Black flyers of World War II), she recognized the importance of support.
As a mother of five children in 1997, Bellamy emphasized education as a crucial area where to make a difference.
She actively promoted efforts to provide high-speed Internet access in schools and establish distance learning programs at community colleges.
Bellamy also served on the Board of Managers of Swarthmore College, her alma mater.
She was recognized by the American Bar Association Commission on Women in the Profession for her contributions to advancing the legal profession.
