Participants

Tara Allen

UMKC

Teaching Professor in the School of Biological & Chemical Sciences at the University of Missouri- Kansas City

Ms. Hadeel AlQadi

UMKC

PhD candidate at UMKC

Dr. Majid Bani-Yaghoub

University of Missouri-Kansas CityMath and Statistics
Majid Bani-Yaghoub (Dr. Bani) has expertise in mathematical and statistical modeling utilized in ecology, health and biomedicine.

Dr. Rita Barger

University of Missouri-Kansas City
A mathematics educator for more than 50 years. Currently Associate Professor of Mathematics Education at UMKC. Research interests include the affective side of mathematics and recreational mathematics.

Carrie Barnes

KC Scholars/KC Degrees
Hello, my name is Carrie Barnes. I am an adult learner coach for adults receiving the KC Scholars Adult Learner Scholarship. In the past, I have worked as an academic advisor at UMKC and MCC.

Cory Beard

University of Missouri-KC
Cory Beard is an associate professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at UMKC. He leads the BS in ECE degree program and accreditation efforts, and he is engaged in efforts to increase student degree success. His research areas include highly reliable 5G cellular networks for emergencies and other purposes of high priority to society.

Karen Bame

UMKC
Associate Professor Department of Cell & Molecular Biology and Biochemistry

Cynthia Beckman

Northern Arizona Univ Inst for Human Dev

I am part of an INCLUDES Planning Grant at Northern Arizona University focusing on undergraduate STEM students and Neurodiversity.

Hubert Benitez

Rockhurst UniversityDr. Hubert Benitez, DDS, PhD, is Vice President, Strategy and Innovation.

Ken Bledsoe

UMKC

Office Supervisor - Parking Operations

Katherine Bloemker

University of Missouri-Kansas City

Alec Boren

Avila University
Assistant Director of Undergraduate Admission @ Avila University

Nathaniel Bozarth

The DeBruce Foundation Data Analyst, Education Pundit

Karole Bradford

Kansas City Medical Society

Cara Brooks

iRobot Education

At iRobot, our passion for robotics empowers us to give back to the community through iRobot Education and our STEM Outreach program. We inspire the next generation of builders by spotlighting the opportunities STEM provides.

Karen Brown

En Pointe Plus Mastery InstituteUMKC
Assistant Professor of Dance
Karen Brown spent 22 years traveling around the world as a principal ballerina, featured artist, master teacher and lecturer with the Dance Theatre of Harlem (DTH) under the direction of legendary founder, Arthur Mitchell. From the inception DTH’s Kennedy Center Community Outreach Residency in Washington, D.C., she was a master teacher and adjudicator for the groundbreaking and innovative community-focused program. In fall 2020, she was hired as a new Assistant Professor of Ballet at the University of Missouri Kansas City Conservatory.

Darrin Cairn

University of Missouri-Kansas CityCivil and Mechanical Engineering

Eric Camburn

niversity of Missouri-Kansas City

Melanie Carden-Jessen

Missouri State University
Nearly 30 years teaching both formally and informally, public school and higher ed, 15 years in conservation education. Currently the program coordinator for secondary science education at Missouri State University.

Lucero Cardenas
University of Missouri-Kansas City

Bettina Casad

University of Missouri-St. LouisAssociate Professor
My research program examines stereotyping, prejudice, and discrimination from both the target’s and perceiver’s perspectives. My current projects investigate effects of threatening educational environments on underrepresented groups, self-regulation mechanisms in response to threat, perceptions of targets and allies who confront prejudice, effects of prejudice on stress and health, and the effectiveness of training programs to broaden participation in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education and careers.

Karin Chang

University of Missouri-Kansas CityUrban Education Research Center
Karin Chang is the Associate Director of the Urban Education Research Center where she collaborates with schools, colleges, educational organizations, and community partners to study and promote educational opportunity and success. Prior to joining the UERC, Chang served as the director of the Kansas City Area Education Research Consortium (KC-AERC), where she led a team of researchers from the University of Missouri-Kansas City, the University of Kansas, the University of Missouri and Kansas State University to examine critical educational issues in the Kansas City region.

ZhiQiang Chen

University of Missouri-Kansas CitySchool of Computing and EngineeringDepartment of Civil and Mechanical Engineering

Sai Teja Chennu

University of Missouri-Kansas City

I am professional software developer with 5 years of work experience

Chiquita Chanay

University of Missouri Extension
Community Health Outreach Specialist

Christina Chandler

KC STEM AllianceAs an experienced Career and Technical Education Instructor with a history of developing programs for K-12 students that engage all students in high-quality STEM offerings during the school day and in the afterschool space, It has been my privilege to serve in the role of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Specialist and FIRST Robotics program Delivery Partner for the KCSTEM ALLIANCE

Cary Chelladurai

UMKCAsst Dean, Student Affairs
Cary Chelladurai is an Assistant Dean for Student Affairs at the UMKC School of Medicine.

Kelli Cox

University of Missouri-Kansas City

Baek-Young Choi

University of Missouri-KC
A faculty member of SCE/UMKC

Joanna J Cielocha

Rockhurst University
I currently am an Associate Professor of Biology and Science Coordinator at Rockhurst University. Research interests focus on parasite diversity and specifically taxonomy, nomenclature, and phylogenetics of tapeworms and gregarines. I'm a strong supporter of undergraduate research experiences and broadening student exposure in the STEM workforce. By serving as an advocate and mentor to undergraduates, students are exposed to opportunities available to them which will work to increase STEM diversity and retention.

Robert Conklin

MRI Global
As Vice President of Research Operations, Bob is responsible for technical and financial performance of research enterprise across MRIGlobal business areas of Pharmaceutical Sciences; Medical Countermeasures; Global Health Surveillance and Defense, Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance; and Energy.

Aaron Cook

University of Missouri

Cedric Deadmon

MARC KCDegrees

Nancy Donaldson

Physics Professor, Rockhurst University
Area of Interest: Physics of Medicine - Interdisciplinary Learning connecting physics principles relevant to medicine and healthcare.

Cindy Dupureur

Faculty Fellow for Faculty Success and Professor of Chemistry University of Missouri St. Louis

Laurie Ellinghausen

University of Missouri-Kansas City
Associate Vice Provost for Academic Innovation

Grace Filer

University of Missouri-Kansas City
My name is Grace Filer, and I am currently a freshman at the University of Missouri Kansas City. I am majoring in nursing and am interested in learning more about the importance of diversity in STEM.

Diane Filion

University of Missouri-Kansas City
As Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs, Dr. Filion provides leadership and support in all faculty-related matters including coordination and oversight of the campus-wide Promotion and Tenure process, faculty evaluation, faculty awards, faculty hiring, and new faculty orientation. In addition, the Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs oversees faculty support and development initiatives.

Rochelle Frazier

MRI Global

Anthony Funari

Johnson County Community College
Dr. Anthony Funari received his B.A. in English from the University of Pittsburgh, his M.A. from the State University of New York at Stony Brook, and his Ph.D. from Lehigh University. Since joining the Grants Leadership and Development Office at JCCC, Dr. Funari has helped to develop successful proposals for the National Science Foundation, the U.S. Department of Transportation, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the U.S. Department of State, the Library of Congress and the National Endowment for the Arts, as well as state and private foundations.

Erin Gauer

UMKC
Academic advisor to undergraduate computer science majors at UMKC.

Alison Graettinger

University of Missouri-KC
UMKC faculty very interested in helping students transition from high school to college and succeeding in STEM. My background is in volcano geology and I am heavily involved in general education and helping students not be scared of or avoid science (regardless of future career).

April Graham

UMKCBloch Executive MBA
Director of Talent Development
Curious systems thinker with a strong belief in our human potential (imperative) to do good. I love solving complex challenges and helping people access the knowledge, skills, resources, and networks to become more confident, capable leaders so that they can fulfill their potential and help others to do the same.

Zdenka Guadarrama

Rockhurst University
Zdenka Guadarrama is a Professor of Mathematics at Rockhurst University. She is chair of the Department of Information and Mathematical Sciences, Program Director for Mathematics and Computer Science, and Director of the Mathapalooza outreach program.

Nilufer Guler

Rockhurst UniversityEducation

Richard Hale

University of Kansas
Dr. Hale is the C.E. and M.J. Spahr Professor and Chair of Aerospace Engineering at the University of Kansas (KU). He currently serves as the Associate Director for Technology at the Center for Remote Sensing of Ice Sheets, and is a long-term member of the Kansas Space Grant Consortium.

Erin Hambrick

University of Missouri-Kansas City
I am an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology. I am a Clinical Child Psychologist who studies the impact of developmental trauma experiences and how to promote child and family resilience in community settings.

Susan Hankins

University of Missouri-Kansas City
I work with faculty search committees

Pamela Harris

Mid-America Regional Council

Program Coordinator

Mary Haskins

Rockhurst University
I have 33 years of teaching biology at Rockhurst. For the last 15 consecutive years I have had STEM education grants to work with K-8 teachers.

Ahmed Hassan

University of Missouri-KC
Ahmed M Hassan is an Associate Professor at the School of Computing and Engineering at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. His research and teaching interests include multidisciplinary and multiscale electromagnetics applications such as nanoelectromagnetics, bioelectromagnetics, electromagnetic compatibility and interference, experimental microwave and terahertz imaging.

Michelle Heiman

University of Missouri-Kansas CitySchool of Graduate Studies

Senior Student Support Specialist

John Herron

Kansas City Public LibrariesExecutive Director
Prior to his position as executive director of the Kansas City Library, Dr. Herron served as interim dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at UMKC, and chaired the university’s Academic Innovation Council, established to inspire and support new educational programs within the university.

Ile D Haggins

UMKC
Assoc. Professor/ Director of Field Edu.
Ile Haggins, MSW, LCSW, is an associate teaching professor/director of field education in the School of Social Work, where she teaches and manages the field practicums for the MSW students. Ile has 25 years of professional experience in both the clinical and administrative arenas.

Lauren Higgens

UMKC

Frederick Hill

MRI Global
Recruiter for technical and scientific roles

Marlo Hode

University of Missouri- St. Louis

Senior Manager, Strategic Diversity Initiatives

Marlo (aka Dr. Hode) provides professional development, facilitation, leadership, and guidance to help make UMSL an even more welcoming, inclusive, and excellent institution. She facilitates in-person and online educational opportunities for faculty and staff in topics such as unconscious bias, constructive communication, and cultural competence. She also helps develop and launch strategic initiatives and partnerships across campus to work collaboratively towards achieving UMSL’s Inclusive Excellence goals.

Lena Hoober-Burkhardt

UMKC
Assistant Teaching Professor of Chemistry
Dr. Hoober-Burkhardt teaches general chemistry lectures and lab, and serves as a faculty mentor for undergraduate chemistry majors at UMKC. She joined UMKC as an Assistant Teaching Professor in 2017. Dr. Hoober-Burkhardt received her Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of Southern California and her Chemistry B.A. degree from Princeton University. Her graduate research was focused primarily on the electrochemical design of redox-active molecules for large-scale energy storage devices.

Xiaoyan Hu

UMKC

Mary Huber

Bay View Alliance
Mary Taylor Huber is a senior scholar with the Bay View Alliance, a network of research universities in the US and Canada exploring strategies to support and sustain the widespread adoption of instructional methods that lead to better student learning A senior scholar emerita at The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, Huber has written widely on the scholarship of teaching and learning. She is a contributing editor at Change: The Magazine of Higher Learning, writing the Books Worth Reading column since 2006.

Weizhang Huang

University of Kansas
Professor in the Department of Mathematics, University of Kansas.

Mohogany Hunter

UMKC

Born and raised in Detroit, Michigan. Came to Kansas City in search for a better life 3 years ago. I have been in hospitality for the last 20 years. Single mom. Second semester here at UMKC. I love the support I have been receiving here to ensure I can be successful.

Pat Hutchings

Bay View Alliance

Cameo Ibsen

University of Missouri-Kansas City

Tamera Jahnke

Missouri State UniversityOrganic chemistry professor on the Missouri State faculty for the past 34 years. Dean of college of natural and applied sciences since 2006.

Kimberley Johnson

University of Missouri-Kansas CitySenior Program Manager, Mulicultural Student Affairs
Dr. Kimberly D. Johnson currently serves as the Director of Special Projects to the Chancellor at the University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC). Her research focuses on efforts to enhance the experiences of staff with an emphasis on leadership, mentoring, professional development and understanding the lived experiences of African American women. Johnson has a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology, Master of Arts in Education, Educational Specialist Degree and a doctorate in Education with an emphasis on Higher Education Administration all from UMKC.

Darian Johnson Potts

University of Missouri-Kansas City
Academic Advisor

Karen King

University of Missouri-Kansas CitySchool of Education
Grants professional and graduate student

Makini King

UMKC

Interim VC and Director of UMKC Division of Diversity and Inclusion

Teri Kriege

KC STEM Alliance
As STEM Outreach Consultant, I provide support to the KC STEM Alliance and its associated initiatives in preparing more students for college and careers in STEM by working with area employers, community organizations, and K-12 administrators to identify opportunities and manage collaborative efforts.

Thao Lam

University of Missouri-Kansas City

J.T. Laverty

Kansas State UniversityPhysics

Chris Liu

University of Missouri-Kansas City
Vice Chancellor for Research & Economic Development

Jennifer Lindsey

MRI Global
I currently serve as the MRIGlobal HR Generalist and DE&I Lead.

Randy Logan

University of Kansas

Director of the Biotechnology degree program.

Laura Loyacono

Kansas State University
Laura Loyacono is the Director of Education and Community Engagement at Kansas State Olathe. She has a background in STEM, having founded the KC STEM Alliance and managed the implementation of PLTW in the Kansas City Metro. Her areas of expertise includes education policy and research with a focused on underserved communities.

Barb Manning

University of Kansas Medical Center

Institute for Community Engagement KEE Program Manager

Mercedes Madison

UMKC

I am looking to gain undergraduate research experience. As an undergraduate, nontraditional, returning, career changing, pre-med student, it is difficult to find information and resources for research at this stage. Thank you!

Michelle Maher

UMKC

Professor of Higher Education Administration

Jacob Marszalek

University of Missouri-Kansas City
Jake Marszalek is an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology at UMKC and a Research Fellow in the Urban Education Research Center. His research interests are in quantitative methods, motivation, and STEM education. He is currently a Co-PI on the KCURE NSF S-STEM grant project at UMKC.

Justin Martin

KC Scholars
Hello I am Justin Martin. I am an Adult Learner Coach with KC Scholars.

Kori Martiny

UMKC
Academic Advisor - Field of STEM

Joan McDowd

University of Missouri-Kansas CityProfessor of Psychology

Michael Marvin

Rockhurst University
Assistant professor in chemistry. I work on interdisciplinary STEM education SOTL as well as biochemistry research on pre-mRNA splicing regulation in yeast.

Martha McCabe

KC STEM Alliance
Martha McCabe serves as the Executive Director for the Kansas City STEM Alliance managing relationships with pK -12 schools, post-secondary institutions, STEM organizations and industry working on strategic education initiatives, community partnerships and workforce needs locally, regionally and nationally.

Dr. S. Marie McCarther

University of Missouri-Kansas City
Associate Professor Urban Leadership and Policy Studies in the School of Education at the University of Missouri-Kansas City where she teaches courses in educational administration, foundations, and diversity. Her research embraces narrative studies, ethnography, documentary, and historiography and probes race, gender, equity, and access across urban education and leadership issues. She strives to give voice to those long silenced across race, class, and gender boundaries. Dr. McCarther has 30+ years of experience in education as a teacher, principal, curriculum director, and central office administrator in urban, rural, & suburban school districts nation-wide. She is Editor of the American Educational History Journal and publishes in numerous scholarly journals.

Jeremiah McCluney

Kansas City KS Community College
I serve as the Admissions Operations Coordinator for KCK Community College. Topics of chief concern for me are college access and preparation, and diversity in higher education.

Daniel McIntosh

University of Missouri-KC
Chair and professor of Physics & Astronomy; Dir of STEM Education Research; created and direct A Bridge to the Stars High School-to-College Pipeline program.

Kayla McKnight

University of Missouri-Kansas City
Student

Kim McNeley

University of Missouri-Kansas City
Dr. McNeley currently serves as the Vice Provost for Curriculum and Assessment at the University of Missouri -Kanas City where she facilitates assessment and academic quality assurance for all levels of academic programming (undergraduate, graduate, and professional), and she will also serves as the Accreditation Liaison Officer (ALO) for the Higher Learning Commission. The Vice Provost supports key, university-wide efforts through the work of the Undergraduate Curriculum Committee (UCC), University Assessment Committee (UAC), Academic Review Committee (academic amnesty and retroactive withdrawal), Academic Policy Task Force, and Academic Innovation Committee (AIC).

Paige McPheron

University of Missouri-Kansas City

Mario Medina

University of KansasAssociate Dean for Academic Affairs.

Thomas Menees

UMKCChair, Dept of Cell and Molecular Biology and Biochemistry Associate Professor in UMKC's School of Biological and Chemical Sciences

Mako Miller

UMKC
Professional Mobility Escalators Director Mako Miller is a champion for diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts in Kansas City. For over 14 years, Mako has made a commitment to higher education through her work for both two- and four-year colleges. Mako is the Professional Mobility Escalators Director for the University of Missouri-Kansas City. Additionally, she is pursuing her Ed.D. at the University of Kansas in higher education administration to help her better support students and promote DEI in postsecondary education and career development.

Emily Monchusie

KC Scholars

Theresa Moore

University of Missouri-St Louis
Psychology B.S. 4th year undergraduate

Michael Murray

University of Kansas
I teach physics at KU and am interested in education research. I do experiments at the Large Hadron Collider in Geneva Switzerland.

Shani Negron

KC STEM Alliance

Brent Never

UMKC Bloch School of Management
Brent Never is Associate Professor of Public Affairs at the Bloch School of Management at UMKC

Zahra Niroobakhsh

University of Missouri-Kansas City

Deb O'Bannon

Rockhurst University
Deb O'Bannon, Ph.D., P.E., F.ASCE is the Engineering Program Director at Rockhurst University, where we offer B.S. degrees in civil, electrical and mechanical engineering, in partnership with UMKC.

David Oehler

Metropolitan Community College
Dr. Dave Oehler has worked in the field of higher education for over 38 years. He has been with Metropolitan Community College-Kansas City for over 6 years and currently serves as VP of Instruction and Student Services at the Longview campus in Lee's Summit.

Jenny OkermanUniversity of Missouri-Kansas City

Myunghyn Oh

University of Kansas

Laura Packer

Thinkstory
Laura Packer provides coaching, workshops & training in organizational storytelling as well as effective keynote speaking.

Martha Nowak

Kansas State University - Olathe

I provide enriched curriculum to area school districts, with a particular focus in the area of One Health and promoting STEM careers. I was a classroom science teacher for 35 years and now enjoy coordinating field experiences and delivery programming on food science, horticulture and emerging zoonotic diseases.

Mary Paradise

Hogan Prep Academy
I teach anatomy and Principles of Biomedical sciences (PLTW) at Hogan Prep. I am very involved in my students transition from high school to college. I went to UMKC and have a degree in Biology. I got my Masters in Education from Avila University.

Josh Parisse

Avila University

Christine Popoola

University of Missouri-Kansas City
Faculty Affairs Specialist

Charlsie Prosser

Baker University

Rahman

Truman State University

Dean Richards

Baker University
I have been in education for the last 20, first as an elementary and middle school teacher in the KCPS for 13 years, and the remaining years as a teacher educator at KU, UMKC and Baker University.

Tiffani Riggers-Piehl

University of Missouri-Kansas City

Asst. Professor of Higher Education

Sarah L Rodriguez

Texas A&M University

Dr. Rodriguez's research addresses issues of equity, access, and retention for Latina/o/x students in the higher education pipeline. She primarily focuses on the intersections of race/ethnicity and gender for STEM students and the role that community colleges play in creating equitable outcomes. Her research seeks to improve our understanding of STEM identity development and inform how national policy and institutional efforts can be enhanced to create equitable outcomes for Latina/o/x students within the STEM disciplines.

Gigi Saunders

Missouri State University

Eleanor Sayre

Kansas State University
Eleanor Sayre is a Professor of Physics at Kansas State University. She conducts research in STEM education and university faculty development as the Research Director of PhysPort and a co-Director of the international Professional development for Emerging Education Researchers (PEER) program.

Samantha Scott

University of Missouri-Kansas City
I am a Biology Major on the Pre-dent Track.

Karen See

University of Missouri-Kansas City

UMKC pre-pharmacy student

Amy Sellers

KU Edwards Campus

Cindy Shuman

Kansas State University
Dr. Cindy Shuman, Associate Dean for Research and External Funding in the College of Education at K-State provides mentoring and support to faculty throughout the proposal development process, conducting workshops and other one-on-one training opportunities, as well as training opportunities related research.. She leverages and highlights COE expertise by working with other Associate Deans across campus and with the Office of Research Development to integrate education faculty into interdisciplinary, cross-campus, and multi-campus external funding endeavors.

Neerupma Silswal

University of Missouri-Kansas CitySchool of Medicine
Neerupma Silswal is assistant research professor, at The Shock/Trauma Research Center. Investigators conduct basic and applied research on the mechanisms involved in tissue injury and organ failure in shock and on the development of new therapeutic intervention strategies to effectively treat the injured and diseased patients.

Darrin Smith

Avila University
I am currently a Dean for the College of Science and Health at Avila University in Kansas City, MO. As Dean, I oversee programs in the natural and applied sciences, computer sciences and mathematics, nursing, and imaging sciences.

Jackie Spears

Kansas State University - Olathe

Cheyenne Squire

The DeBruce Foundation

Steve Simon

UMKC
Professor
Part-time faculty member in the Department of Biomedical and Health Informatics at the University of Missouri-Kansas City and part-time independent statistical consultant.

Douglas Swink

University of Missouri-KC
Doug Swink serves as the Assistant Vice Provost for Enrollment Management oversees the strategic enrollment management planning for the university. These initiatives include overseeing the strategic enrollment management plan and collaborating with various offices, departments and academic units to manage enrollment growth and retention strategies as well as to provide streamlined services for students.

Erin Tacheny

MRIGlobal

Principal Scientist

Principal Scientist with MRIGlobal, specializing in microbiology and high containment work. Serves as co-leader of our Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging Committee.

Matthew Taylor

University of MO- St. Louis
Matt is the Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs in the College of Arts & Sciences at the University of Missouri-St. Louis. Additionally, he is an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychological Sciences. His research focuses on the lived experience of those from historically marginalized and minoritized communities.

Leigh Anne Taylor Knight

The DeBruce Foundation
CEO
Leigh Anne Taylor Knight is a resourceful, future-focused leader who currently serves The DeBruce Foundation in Kansas City as Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer. The Foundation’s mission is to expand pathways to economic growth and opportunity. It seeks to help people discover what they want to do and what they’re good at doing, to open more career possibilities for the future of work.

Victoria Throckmorton

UMKC
Curriculum and Scheduling Coordinator M.A. Higher Education Administration student

Eric ThompsonKC Scholars
I work with adult learners who are supported by our adult scholarship. I focus my attention on finding ways to ensure that our scholars persist and complete while also engaging in meaningful experiences that expose them to the workforce.

Marie Thompson

University of Missouri-Kansas CityHealth Sciences LibraryTeaching and Learning Librarian

E. Andre Thorn

University of Missouri-Columbia

I have been in higher education for over 30 years in the field of recruitment, retention and graduation of URM students. I am passionate about intrusive advising and the utilization of High Impact Educational Practices (HIPs) to increase retention and persistence of URM students.

Kevin Z. Truman

University of Missouri-Kansas CityDean, School of Computing and Engineering.

Elizabeth Turner

Rockhurst University

J. David Van Horn

University of Missouri-KC
I am a materials science researcher in the Department of Chemistry, UMKC, employing a unique radioanalytical technique, positron annihilation to study all types of materials. Interests include chirality, aerospace materials, coatings, polymers and crystalline samples. Other interests: philosophy and history of science; asymmetry; bonding theory.

Dr. Pratibha Varma-Nelson

IUPUI
Dr. Pratibha Varma-Nelson is Professor of Chemistry and the founding executive director of the STEM Education Innovation and Research Institute at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI). Before she joined SEIRI she was the executive director of the Center for Teaching and Learning.She is well known in the STEM community for her pioneering work in the development, implementation and dissemination of the Peer-Led Team Learning (PLTL) model of teaching. She has been a Co-PI of three NSF funded National Dissemination Grants. In addition she was a founding Co-PI of the first NSF funded Undergraduate Research Center “Center for Authentic Science Practice in Education, (CASPiE)”.

Vasanth Vasa

University of Missouri-Kansas City

MCCKC

Natasha Vernon

Tim Walston

Truman State University
Tim Walston is the Dean of Science and Mathematics at Truman State University. A major component of this scholarship throughout his career is identifying mechanisms to increase STEM recruitment and retention, particularly from students from underrepresented backgrounds, including racial and ethnic minorities, students from low socioeconomic classes, first generation college students and students from rural areas.

Jacob Wagner

UMKC
Associate Professor of Urban Planning

Ye Wang

University of Missouri-Kansas City
Ye's research agenda features a focus on interactivity and engagement on websites and social media. She has conducted research on engagement on branded social media sites, interactivity within online health communities, cause-related marketing, cross-cultural communication, and advertising education. Her recent investigation explored opinion leadership and engagement with social norm campaigns on social media.

Tiffany Way

DeBruce Foundation

I am part of an INCLUDES Planning Grant at Northern Arizona University focusing on undergraduate STEM students and Neurodiversity.

Lori Wetmore

Hogan Preparatory Academy
After teaching at college level for 19 years, I am now in my first year as a high school science teacher.

Sharmelle Winsett

KC Scholars
Sharmelle Winsett is the Director of Workforce and Alumni Engagement for KC Scholars. She has diverse sales and marketing work experience across the healthcare, beauty and non-profit sectors. Her focus at KC Scholars will be ensuring that 80% of graduates find gainful employment within the Kansas City regional workforce with special attention to high demand occupations.

Shannon Wheeler

University of Missouri-KC

M.A. Ed. with 8+ years of demonstrated history of working in the field of higher education. My experience spans from a focus in academic advising, retention & persistence with underrepresented student populations, student affair programming development, recruitment, admissions marketing.
Currently, my focus is on funding, supporting non-profit organization initiatives, student engagement, recruitment, research and further advancing community engaged learning for students and faculty at UMKC.

Dean Zollman

Kansas State University
Director of the Center for Research and Innovation in STEM Education. University Distinguished Professor - Emeritus

Chanelle Zak

Lents & Associates and The DeBruce Foundation

Ann Zimmerman

STEM Connect-KC Coordinator
Brent Never is Associate Professor of Public Affairs at the Bloch School of Management at UMKC

Ayla

Lincoln College Prep
I am a fourth year teacher at Lincoln College Prep. I teach sophomore biology. I am currently pursuing my masters in Curriculum and Instruction at UMKC.

DIAMANT

University of Missouri-Kansas City

Kyle

University of Missouri-Kansas City

Selia Ramirez

University of Missouri-Kansas City

I work at UMKC School of Education as the office assistant. I have a MA in Sociology with an emphasis in education.

University of Missouri-Kansas City

Jodi Arnold

Northern Arizona University

Kathleen O'Shea

University of Missouri-Kansas City

Maricarmen Garcia

Metropolitan Community Colleges

John Kevern

University of Missouri-Kansas CityChair of the department of civil and mechanical engineering and PI for NSF S-STEM project to improve transfer metrics for urban engineering students

Maru Paradise

Hogan Prep Academy