Breaking the Turfgrass Ceiling
In 2022 Sheila Schroeder, PhD, was invited to the 2022 US Women’s Open to create social media messaging for the Women in Turf Team, a group of 30 female turf professionals who helped care for Pine Needles golf course. As part of the experiential learning Project DU F.I.L.M. model, she brought along a student to help with this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
After their work that week it was clear there was enough material to launch a web series about the women and their experience. Thus, Breaking the Turfgrass Ceiling was born. Schroeder raised funds from several corporate sponsors, which enabled her to hire three students who worked for ten months to help log footage, develop story ideas, edit the series and launch it.
Press
- Seths Jones chats with Sheila Schroeder, Ph.D., about her new women in turf documentary series — in Golfdom
- Breaking the Turfgrass Ceiling — in Women & Golf
- GCSAA TV to Rebroadcast Breaking The Turfgrass Ceiling Video Series Showcasing Women in Turf Maintenance — in Golf Course Superintendents Association of America
- Docu-series profiles women breaking the turfgrass ceiling — in Syngenta Golf
- Claiming Their Turf — in Colorado Avid Golfer Magazine
Photo Caption: Members of the Women in Turf team take a pause from their on-course duties for this photo op. Starting at 4:30 a.m. they were on the course mowing this same fairway.
Entrepreneurship@DU Podcast Feature
Members of the Breaking the Turfgrass Ceiling post-production team were interviewed on an episode of the Entrepreneurship@DU podcast, which features conversations with University of Denver students and alumni who share their entrepreneurial journeys, strategies and perspectives.
Photo Caption: Kevin Douglas (left), preparing to record an episode of the Entrepreneurship@DU Podcast with (left to right) Leif Soederberg, ‘21, Professor Sheila Schroeder and Zyann Rodgers, ’22. Missing from the photo is Davis Mawer, ’22, the fourth member of the post-production team.
