Speakers
From top scientific researchers to tech leaders, from astronauts to policymakers, these are the creative thinkers and problem-solvers driving innovation for a more sustainable future.
Featured Speakers
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Dr. Alisha Jordan
Director of Education, National Cryptologic Foundation
As Director of Education at NCF, Dr. Jordan expands cybersecurity education, creates engaging content, and leads outreach initiatives. She advocates for collaboration with organizations like Teach Cyber, METACTF, ASA, and Tech & Learning to enhance educational opportunities.
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Andrew Whitmire
Manager, PMIEF - Project Management Institute Educational Foundation
With nearly a decade in the educational non-profit sector, Andrew has held leadership roles, guiding youth-serving organizations and foundations toward impact. These efforts reach millions of young minds through project-based learning programs that integrate project management tools to develop essential life skills.
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Bartel Welch
Executive Director & Founder, CODE313
Bartel is a technology leader with nearly 30 years in front-end development, UI/UX design, mentorship, and leadership. He is the Executive Director of CODE313, a non-profit that promotes equitable STEM education for youth.
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C.J. Jackson
Head of Communications for aiEDU: The AI Education Project, a non-profit devoted to making sure that all students are ready to live, work, and thrive in a world where AI is everywhere.
He also serves as an adjunct instructor in journalism at the University of Southern California.
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Cara Barnes
Senior Program Officer, VentureWell
Cara leads Ventures Accelerator programming, where she supports a national and global community of entrepreneurs and startups developing socially- and environmentally-impactful science and technology innovations. She has over 15 years of experience working at and with startups as a scientist, accelerator program instructor, coach, and program designer and manager.
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Cheyenne Skye Branscum
Citizen Potawatomi Nation & AISES PK–12 Program Officer.
Cheyenne is a nonprofit leader in STEM education, program design, financial management, and inclusion. . She leads FIIRE (Fostering Indigenous Innovation in Robotics Education) at AISES, combining traditional ecological wisdom with robotics and coding to empower Indigenous students in addressing climate change while honoring their cultural heritage.
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Dr. Christie Murray
Director of Center of Transformation, Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Washington
Dr. Murray is an Electrical Engineer and 30-year executive professional with private sector, public sector, and non-profit expertise. She currently develops and leads transformational youth development national programs that focus on STEM, global issues, advocacy, and workforce readiness.
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Jason Elliot
Technology and business leadership – Corporate Affairs, Nokia.
With over 20 years in IT and wireless communications, he has made important contributions and achieved many industry milestones. He focuses on teaching and working together to use technology for new business opportunities and sustainability goals for a better future.
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Jay Flores
Global STEM Ambassador, & Founder of Invent The Change
Jay, a key K-12 STEM education voice, reaches millions of students monthly. He is a Mystery Guide on Discovery Education’s widely used K-5 resource, Mystery Science. He also created and hosts It's Not Magic, It's Science!, focused on equitable STEM experiences. His live shows, featuring experiments as magic tricks, engage and inspire students nationwide.
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Jennifer Bushman
Co-Founder & CEO, FED BY BLUE
A sustainable seafood expert and strategist with over two decades of advocating for ethical aquaculture. She aims to transform the food system, preserve oceans, nourish the growing population, and reduce carbon emissions through the Sea Pantry initiative, which educates consumers on responsible seafood choices. Recognized by leaders like the James Beard Foundation, her contributions enhance palate experience, health, and climate impact.
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Jim Hemgen
Talent Development Director, Booz Allen.
As the Talent Development Director at Booz Allen, he drives measurable business outcomes by ensuring teams are AI-ready and equipped to navigate the future of work. His leadership spans learning and development, talent management, and workforce analytics.
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Karla Eidem, PMP, PMO-CP
Regional Managing Director, North America, Project Management Institute (PMI).
Karla leads the regional strategy at PMI, helping organizations and individuals succeed in projects and make a positive impact.
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Louie R. Lopez
Director – DoD Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM)
Mr. Louie Lopez is the Director of Defense STEM in the Office of the Undersecretary of Defense, overseeing PreK through career STEM initiatives. He also coordinates STEM activities across the Department to align with DoD and Federal strategic plans.
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Melur K. “Ram” Ramasubramanian
Executive Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs and Provost; President of the SUNY Research Foundation.
Ramasubramanian, as the head of SUNY's academic programs, aims to promote new ideas, projects, policies, and systems.
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Nancy Kamei
Chief Public Engagement Officer United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO)
As Chief Public Engagement Officer, she leads the Office of Public Engagement and is responsible for carrying out the strategic direction of the Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the USPTO by overseeing the strategy, promotion, and implementation of outreach, education, customer experience, and customer engagement activities across the USPTO.
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Natalie Taitano
Senior Manager, Corporate Responsibility and Government Affairs, Qualcomm
With over 13 years in Corporate Responsibility, Natalie leads STEM Education initiatives, investing in workforce development programs that equip students with skills for STEM careers. These efforts have earned Qualcomm spots on Fortune’s Change the World List and Newsweek’s America’s Most Responsible Companies List.
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Paula Golden
President, Broadcom Foundation
Paula builds partnerships with businesses, non-profits, and NGOs to empower women and underrepresented youth with essential 21st-century skills for success in the Fourth Industrial Revolution. She leads the National STEM Funders Network and the Strategic Advisory Council of the STEM Education Ecosystem Initiative, promoting collaboration among STEM funders, advocates, and educators globally.
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Peter S. Nzabanita
Executive Director, Engineers Without Borders
Peter leading efforts to bring vital, life-changing engineering solutions to communities in need. He oversees projects that improve access to clean water, sanitation, renewable energy, agriculture, and safe infrastructure across Uganda, Kenya, Rwanda, and Tanzania.
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Robert Harrison, PhD
Founding Director of the Institute for Advanced Computational Science (IACS) at Stony Brook University.
Prof. Harrison is a theoretical chemist and expert in high-performance computing. is research interests focus on accurate calculations on large systems and heavy elements using advanced numerical and computational techniques.
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Rohini Srihari, PhD
Professor in the Dept. of Computer Science and Engineering at the State University of New York, Buffalo.
Her research centers on natural language processing, AI, ML, and information retrieval. She teaches graduate courses in these areas and conducts seminars on conversational AI, deep learning in NLP, and AI for social good. She supervises research in both the CSE and Linguistics departments.
Speakers
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Alex Erickson
Manager, Youth & Family Learning Engagement - The Henry Ford
Alex leads the youth and family learning team to create engaging educational programs. Her passion for impactful, inclusive experiences is clear in her leadership of THF Summer Camp and Tinkering for Tots.
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Ananda Bhatia
Product Manager for the House Digital Service
Ananda is a Product Manager for the House Digital Service. She previously served as a Clerk/Research Associate and later Legislative Assistant with the Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress handling member and constituent services, and she started on Capitol Hill as a Staff Assistant and Legislative Correspondent for Rep. Seth Moulton.
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Catherine "Cassie" Page
Cassie is a student and advocate for STEM education, digital governance, and youth leadership. As the youngest commissioner in Alexandria City, she is the Mayoral Representative to the Commission on Information Technology, influencing local tech policies. She co-chairs the Dynamic Teen Coalition, the first Teen Board at the UN, and has collaborated with UN leaders on AI and gender bias in STEM,.
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Dr. Gregory Washington
President, George Mason University
Dr. Washington, president of George Mason University since 2020, leads Virginia's largest public university. A distinguished engineer and educator, he was dean of engineering at UC Irvine and Ohio State. A first-generation college graduate, he is dedicated to expanding educational access, fostering innovation, and promoting diversity in higher education.
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Eric Harold
Vice President with Carollo Engineers
Eric has over 30-years experience in strategic planning, asset management, and wastewater collection system management planning. He has a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from the University of Cincinnati, and a Masters of Public Policy from George Mason University.
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Gary Flowers
CIO, Transformation & Technology Services of Year Up
With over 30 years of experience in technology and operations, Gary leads the transformation and technology services across the enterprise, including business intelligence, product and design, learning excellence, and enterprise operations.
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Jan Morrison
Founder and CEO of TIES Teaching Institute for Excellence in STEM
Jan, a dedicated science teacher turned global STEM leader, has spent over three decades innovating in education. She has transformed STEM education, creating opportunities for diverse students to discover their potential. Her approach merges academics with real-world application, establishing a widely accepted framework in the U.S. and beyond.
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Jeremy Shorr
Jeremy is an education consultant, futurist, and speaker who helps organizations drive instructional innovation and systemic growth. A leader in AI and STEM education, he has received national recognition for his work. Jeremy lives in Twinsburg, Ohio, with his wife Kimberly and their three daughters—Lila, Lucy, and Luna.
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Jinnyn Jacob
Global Philanthropic Partnerships Lead, Booz Allen Hamilton
Jinnyn leads Booz Allen’s key philanthropic partnerships and the company’s TechXplore Initiative, which aims to empower one million students with advanced technology skills while fostering a healthy relationship with technology to prepare them to become the leaders of tomorrow.goes here
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Joanna Deng
2025 National STEM Champion
Joanna, a 2025 National STEM Champion from California, won the Congressional Innovation Award for her project on using AI to improve education and reduce the digital divide for students.
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Joe Alessi
Director of the Congressional App Challenge
As Director of the Congressional App Challenge, Joe promotes future computer science talent through annual coding contests for pre-college students. In 2024, over 85% of Congress members hosted App Challenges in districts across 50 states.
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Johnny Wells
Director of Education at Destination Imagination
Johnny, Director of Education at Destination Imagination, Inc., promotes creativity in education. With over 30 years in Texas public education, he is a recognized leader, honored as Texas TAGT Teacher of the Year and Distinguished Texas Vocational Educator. Wells co-founded Thinkers Ink, writing on creative thinking and developing curricula globally.
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Juan Valentin
Education Program Advisor in the USPTO's Students and Learners Division
Juan is responsible for the development and implementation of educational projects of national and international scope, with a particular emphasis on directing and coordinating the development of STEM, design-thinking, or invention-focused projects infused with intellectual property (IP) concepts.
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Ken Ward
Senior Director of the House Digital Service
Ken is a civic technology expert who began his career on Capitol Hill, understanding Congressional offices' technical and logistical challenges. As founder and CEO of Fireside21, he expanded their constituent service products and facilitated their adoption in Congress. His experience revealed the challenges and opportunities in legislative services. In 2022, he created HDS, a cross-functional team focusing on high-impact technology projects in the House’s Chief Administrative Office.
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Kris Beisel
Director of Training & Educational Alliances - Destination Imagination.
Kris directs the Destination Imagination training program, analyzing and facilitating online classes, webinars, and workshops for staff and volunteers. She has presented workshops on team building, creativity, strategic engineering, and crisis management for volunteers and student team members.
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Mary Beth Haliburda
Program Manager, Detroit Programs and Field Trips - The Henry Ford
Mary Beth leads the Cultural Passport Initiative for Detroit Public Schools. She is dedicated to fostering youth and family learning through roles in THF Summer Camp and Tinkering for Tots, positively impacting Detroit-based families and organizations.
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Paula Sorrell
Associate Vice President of Innovation & Economic Development at George Mason University.
Paula is responsible for Mason Enterprise, an extended team of 200+ that delivers 24 federal, state, and local programs that support entrepreneurs across Virginia and the DMV.
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Rudra Patel
2025 National STEM Champion
Rudra from Florida is a Two-Time National STEM Champion. HIs 2025 project focuses improving mental health diagnostics by decoding brain patterns.
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Sara Leikin, Ed.D.
Senior Director of National and International STEAM Partnerships at COSI
Sara directs COSI's partnership strategies focused on intellectual property education, including the Extracurricular Intellectual Property Innovation Center (EiPIC), ensuring that underprivileged students acquire vital skills for protecting and commercializing innovations. With 25 years of experience, she has been an award-winning teacher, school leader, and director of U.S. Agency for International Development education projects.
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Shruti Bhatnagar
Vice President for Conservation at Sierra Club
Shruti is a lifelong environmentalist and Wilderness Guardian at the Sierra Club, where she has held key leadership roles, including on the National Board of Directors and as Co-Lead of the Federal Organizing Program. With 30 years of experience in equity, social, and environmental justice, she has led initiatives across private, nonprofit, and political sectors.
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Sophia Fu
2025 National STEM Champion
Sophia is a 2025 National STEM Champion from Indiana. She has an award-winning project that improves AI accuracy on unbalanced data using the BMC Algorithm.
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Sritej Padmanabhan
Founder and CEO of YRI
Sritej has three years of research experience in computer science and medicine. His work includes a Low Compute Framework for Dynamic Vision Tasks aimed at enhancing perception and control in autonomous vehicles. As a mentor, he shares expertise in robotics, computational techniques, and medical tech, assisting students with experimental design, data analysis, and project management.
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Steve Dwyer
Senior Director for Innovation, U.S. House of Representatives
Steven works closely with the House Digital Service (HDS) which he helped create. HDS's mission is to identify and deliver intuitive solutions that improve on Congress's most significant challenges using human-center design principles, modern development stacks, and rapid prototyping.
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Zibran Vastan
Engineer at Booz Allen Hamilton
Zibran, with expertise in Python, Java, and Linux, drives innovative solutions in cloud infrastructure and AI. A FIRST alumnus, he is passionate about tackling complex challenges with curiosity and technical precision.
Expert Mentors
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Captain Aaron Clark
A United Airlines pilot for 24 years, he began flying at 16 and earned his Private Pilot's License in high school. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Aeronautical Science from Arizona State University and holds Certified Flight Instructor, Commercial Multi-Engine, Commercial Single-Engine, and Instrument ratings.
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Ama Debrah
Ama is a Government Affairs Analyst at Qualcomm’s Thinkabit Lab, where she develops inclusive STEM education programs. At Qualcomm, she creates STEM curricula, leads hands-on engineering activities, and conducts career exploration workshops to help students thrive in science and technology.
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Andrew Friendly
Andrew is the VP of Government Affairs and Public Policy at Autodesk. His tech career focuses on combating climate change. Previously, he served five years at The White House, including as Personal Aide to President Clinton.
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Bobak Ferdowsi
Bobak is a flight engineer at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. He served on the Cassini–Huygens and Mars Science Lab Curiosity missions.
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Charles Jackson III
Charles is the Electrical Department Lead at CMTA, Inc., with extensive experience as a Senior Construction Engineer, Commissioning Team Manager, and Project Manager.
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Clair Koroma
Clair is a digital services expert who works with the U.S. Digital Service procurement team at the White House and the strategic operations team at the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD).
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Cole Donovan
Cole Donovan is an International Relations Specialist in the Office of Space Commerce’s (OSC) Policy, Advocacy, and International Division. His background includes positions at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, U.S. Department of State, and The National Academies.
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Cori Lathan Ph.D.
Dr. Lathan is a neuroscientist, biomedical engineer, and tech entrepreneur. She co-founded AnthroTronix, creating a robot for kids with disabilities, a sensor glove for surgeons, a VR system for astronauts, and a game for tracking brain health.
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Emily Kuehn, Ph.D.
Emily is the Deputy Director of DoD STEM in the OUSD(R&E) Basic Research Office. She supports activities to inspire and develop STEM talent. Dr. Kuehn holds a B.A. in biology from Kalamazoo College and a Ph.D. in neuroscience from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.
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Jacob Wycoff
Jacob is an Emmy-winning meteorologist at WBZ-TV, previously at Western Mass News. He holds a Meteorology degree from Western Connecticut State University and is a member of the National Weather Association and the American Meteorological Society.
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Dr. Jerlinda Ross
Dr. Ross is a gynecologic oncologist and health equity advocate. She earned her medical degree from Duke, completed her OB-GYN residency at Indiana University, and a fellowship in gynecologic oncology at the University of Chicago, focusing on cancer's socioeconomic impacts.
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Justin Treptow-Miller
Justin is the Deputy Program Executive for NASA's Small Spacecraft Technology and Flight Opportunities programs, focusing on improving space exploration and commerce with agile spacecraft and responsive launches. He has experience in trajectory design, mission management for the CubeSat Launch Initiative, and systems engineering for launch vehicle integration.
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Joanna Yarborough
Joanna leads cross-category innovation in R&D and Nestlé Food & Beverage, aligning with consumer trends. Her team rapidly develops consumer-driven product solutions through a test-and-learn approach, collaborating with internal teams, students, and start-ups to foster an entrepreneurial mindset and utilize Nestlé’s global R&D network.
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Kara Branch
Founder and CEO of Black Girls Do Engineer Corporation, Kara has a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering and an Executive MBA. With experience in Oil & Gas, Aerospace, and Tech, she has led over 15 multimillion-dollar projects and worked as an Engineering Manager at a Fortune 100 company.
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Kei Koizumi
Kei is former Principal Deputy Director for Science, Society, and Policy at the White House OSTP. His previous roles include Senior Advisor for Science Policy at the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) from 2017 to 2019, and Assistant Director for Federal Research and Development at OSTP during the Obama administration from 2009 to 2016.
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Lloyd Whitman
Lloyd is a senior advisor and fellow for science and technology policy at the Atlantic Council. He has a distinguished federal career in S&T research, policy, and planning.
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Dr. Ofelia Olivero
Dr.. Olivero is a biologist specializing in HIV/AIDS and biomedical research. She pioneered the discovery of nucleoside analog-induced centrosomal amplification and aneuploidy as a senior scientist at the National Cancer Institute (NCI).
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Megan Wilkerson, Ph.D.
Dr. Wilkerson serves as a Chief Scientist at Department of Energy & Environment (DOEE) , aiding small-farmer resilience and community development.
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Michael Curtain
Mike became CEO of DC Central Kitchen (DCCK) in 2004, leading the first community kitchen after a 20-year hospitality career, including owning The Broad Street Grill in Virginia. Using his expertise, he expanded DCCK’s social enterprises to generate over $10 million annually, enabling the organization to match donations with earned revenue.
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Michael Perl
Michael is an inventor and nine-time founder. His studio Naquatic pioneered mobile and VR, reaching 100 million players with 50 hit games, winning an Apple "App Store Best Of" award. In 2020, he created Human-Cyborg Relations, an R2-D2 AI model.
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Molly Fogarty
As Head of Corporate Affairs for Nestlé U.S. since 2017, Molly leads strategy in public affairs, sustainability, public policy, industry affairs, stakeholder engagement, and crisis management. Previously, she worked for Senator Chuck Hagel, served in the Bush Administration at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and engaged with the Senate Agriculture Committee on federal nutrition and food safety.
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Sirisha Bandla
Sirisha is Vice President of Government Affairs and Research Operations for Virgin Galactic. She has a Bachelor of Science degree in astronautical engineering and holds an MBA.
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Terysa Ridgeway
Terysa is a Computer Science professional, former rocket scientist, and currently a Technical Program Manager at Google. She is also the best-selling author of the STEM-based children's book series "Terysa Solves It," with over 75,000 readers globally.
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Tracy Fanara
Dr. Fanara is a Coastal Modeling Portfolio Manager for the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the creator of “Inspector Planet.”
STEMbassadors
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Aly Moore
Aly, a leading advocate in insect agriculture, educates on the benefits of eating bugs. She’s on a mission to inspire others to open their minds and mouths to this sustainable protein source.
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Chemical Kim
Chemical Kim, a chemistry professor and award-winning science education influencer, makes science accessible and exciting through hands-on experiments. Her mission is to make science inclusive and accessible for everyone
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Forrest Valkai
Forrest is a biologist and science communicator. He engages audiences through presentations on YouTube, TikTok, and at conferences, blending science lessons, skepticism discussions, and social advocacy.
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Hillary Coe
Hillary is an Emmy award-winning hands-on design leader utilizing bold, disruptive multi-platform innovation to solve the world's greatest challenges.
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Kevin J. DeBruin
Kevin is a former NASA Rocket Scientist turned Entrepreneur. His mission is to inspire and educate people about the wonders of space exploration and its importance to us here on Earth.
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Maynard Okereke
Better known as the Hip Hop M.D., Maynard graduated from the Univ. of Washington with a degree in Civil Engineering. He’s an award winning Science Communicator.
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Dr. Owais Durrani
Dr. Durrani is a STEM education advocate, medical analyst, speaker, and practicing board certified emergency medicine physician in Houston, TX.