Lea Vacca Michel, Ph.D. is a Professor in the School of Chemistry and Materials Science at the Rochester Institute of Technology. In 2022, she was named the College's first Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. Currently, her research is focused on the role of proteins in disease. Dr. Michel is a proud member of RIT's Women in Science (WISe) program (former Chair of WISe), a mentor for the Rochester Project SEED program (former Director), member of the Rochester ACS Women Chemists Committee (WCC), Director of the Research Strand for the HHMI-funded Inclusive Excellence program at RIT, and a member of ASBMB's Maximizing Access Committee (incoming Chair). She strives to increase the participation of women and underrepresented minorities (including those who are deaf and hard-of-hearing) in science and math. Dr. Michel is also the Director of Experiments for the SMASH Experience for Middle School Girls, led by Dr. Kara Maki (School of Mathematical Sciences). Dr. Michel was featured in articles in Nature (Nature 558, 149-151, 2018) and Chemistry World magazine (Chemistry World, Careers, 21 December 2020), and she was awarded the 2022 ASBMB Early-Career Leadership Award (ASBMB Today article) and the 2023 ChemCUR Outstanding Mentor Award from the Chemistry Division and the Council on Undergraduate Research.