Margot Lee Shetterly
Margot Lee Shetterly | |
|---|---|
| Born | June 30, 1969 Hampton, Virginia, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Author, nonfiction writer |
| Known for | Hidden Figures |
Margot Lee Shetterly (born June 30, 1969) is an American author specializing in nonfiction, with professional experience in investment banking and media ventures. Her first book, Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Who Helped Win the Space Race (2016), highlights the pivotal roles of African-American women mathematicians at NASA who significantly contributed to the achievements of the United States space program. During the book’s development, she secured the film rights, leading to the creation of the 2016 feature film Hidden Figures. Alongside her husband, she also co-founded and published Inside Mexico, a magazine aimed at English-speaking audiences.
Early life and education
Shetterly was born in 1969 in Hampton, Virginia. Her father, Robert Lee III, worked as a research scientist at NASA's Langley Research Center, while her mother, Margaret G. Lee, was an English professor at Hampton University. Throughout her childhood, she was closely connected to numerous African-American families associated with NASA. She completed her studies at Phoebus High School in 1987 and later graduated from the University of Virginia's McIntire School of Commerce.
Career
Following graduation, Shetterly began her career in investment banking in New York City, initially working on the Foreign Exchange trading desk at J.P. Morgan and subsequently on the Fixed Income Capital Markets desk at Merrill Lynch. She eventually shifted her focus to media startups, including Volume.com, a website backed by HBO.
In 2005, Shetterly and her husband relocated to Mexico to launch Inside Mexico, an English-language magazine catering to expatriates. The publication ran until 2009. Between 2010 and 2013, they offered content marketing and editorial consulting services within the Mexican tourism sector.
Shetterly embarked on researching and writing Hidden Figures starting in 2010. By 2014, she had sold the film rights to William Morrow, an imprint under HarperCollins, with Levantine Films securing the option. The book and its cinematic adaptation released in 2016—featuring performances by Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer, Janelle Monáe, and Kevin Costner—were both met with critical praise. The film received three Academy Award nominations, including one for Best Picture.
In 2013, she established The Human Computer Project to document and preserve the history of women mathematicians and human computers affiliated with the early days of the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) and later NASA.
In 2018, Shetterly authored a children's picture book version titled Hidden Figures: The True Story of Four Black Women and the Space Race, featuring illustrations by Laura Freeman.
Personal life
Margot Lee is married to Aran Shetterly, who is a writer and historian.
Works
- Hidden Figures: The Story of the African-American Women Who Helped Win the Space Race. William Morrow/HarperCollins, 2016. .
- NASA-Langley Women's History Month 2014 Keynote Address: "Hidden Figures: The Female Mathematicians of NACA and NASA"
- Hidden Figures: The True Story of Four Black Women and the Space Race, HarperCollins, 2018. . Children's picture book.
Honors
- In 2014, Shetterly was awarded a Book Grant from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation for her work Hidden Figures, which also received the Anisfield-Wolf Book Award.
- She secured two separate grants from the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities to support The Human Computer Project.
- The 2017 NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work, Nonfiction was presented to her.
- On May 12, 2018, Worcester Polytechnic Institute conferred upon her an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree.
- Hidden Figures earned Mathical Honors recognition.
External links
- 1969 births
- Living people
- 21st-century American writers
- 21st-century American women writers
- Merrill (company) people
- McIntire School of Commerce alumni
- People from Hampton, Virginia
- Writers from Virginia
- 21st-century African-American women writers
- 21st-century African-American writers
- 20th-century African-American writers
- 20th-century African-American women