Keynote Speakers

Profile

"Sharnnia Artis serves as Vice President of Access, Compliance, and Community at George Mason University. She is dedicated to ensuring that all individuals have opportunities to succeed, fostering a safe and welcoming environment, and cultivating meaningful relationships within and beyond the university.

In her role, Artis provides strategic guidance to Mason’s leadership on initiatives that support institutional access, compliance, and community engagement. She oversees compliance with state and federal mandates, including the Americans with Disabilities Act and Titles VI, VII, and IX, ensuring a respectful and fair environment where all members of the university community can thrive. Her leadership focuses on removing barriers, creating pathways for success, and strengthening policies that enhance participation for all.

Beyond her administrative leadership, Artis is a University Affiliate Faculty in the College of Engineering and Computing. Her research and teaching focus on leveraging socio-technical systems to improve access and success in engineering and computing. She specializes in studying the resilience of students from underserved and underrepresented backgrounds in STEM fields. Artis has published over 50 refereed manuscripts in technical journals, book chapters, and conference proceedings, contributing to the broader dialogue on student success in STEM education.

Prior to joining Mason, Artis served as Assistant Dean of Access and Inclusion at the University of California, Irvine, in both the Donald Bren School of Information and Computer Sciences and the Henry Samueli School of Engineering. She developed and sustained student success programs, launched outreach initiatives for high school and community college students, and secured a $5 million endowment to expand infrastructure supporting STEM education.

A native of Chesapeake, Virginia, Artis earned her bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees in Industrial Systems Engineering from Virginia Tech. She is committed to fostering supportive learning environments and empowering individuals to reach their goals. Outside of work, she enjoys spending time with her partner and two children, traveling, enjoying sports, and exploring new cuisines."

(Derived from gmu.edu)

Profile

Kathy Kanemoto has been teaching Computer Science at Merced College since 2009, and is currently also the Coordinator of Computer Science at Merced College.  She has instructed and mentored many students during that time and implemented the Computer Science (CS) Associate Transfer and Computer Technology & Information Systems (CTIS) Associate Degrees.  She also created Drone Technology, Drone Media, and CTIS Certificated pathways as a means to bring equity into Computational Science fields.  She is interested in drones as a means to bring real-life applications into the classroom as a means to bridge the gap into research, computer science,  and ag-tech.  She is also into researching new ways of teaching Computer Science and building Computational Science pathways for students to achieve their CS certificates and degrees and become successful Computer Scientists.

(Derived from cahsi.edu)