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Our panelist session is on Wednesday, February 19, from 7:10 - 8:00 PM.
Theme: "Mentoring the Next Generation of Data Scientists."
Scroll down to learn more about all 5 of our panelists.
Dr. Nazli Hardy
Dr. Nazli Hardy
Dr. Nazli Hardy is the founder of Woman Empowered! and is dedicated to the empowerment of women in technology & college students. She holds an undergraduate degree in Engineering, an MBA, and a Ph.D. in Computer Science. She is an Associate Professor of Computer Science and has taught several courses including programming, networks, security, and logic. This semester, she is teaching programming 2 for Data Science. Dr. Hardy is the recipient of national (NSF) and regional grants. She writes about technology, politics, and personal empowerment. Dr. Hardy is a long-time leader and advocate for women in STEM fields and has been chairing the annual Women in Science and Technology Conference at Millersville University for over a decade. She is passionate about the empowerment of women and is an active leader in promoting and advocating for diversity, inclusion, & equitable access to education for girls/ women/ underrepresented minorities. Dr. Hardy lives in Millersville, Pennsylvania with her husband, Dr. Chris Hardy (BIOL), and their two children, Zuzu and Zaavi. She loves to read excellent mysteries.
Emily Loda
Emily Loda
Emily Loda is a secondary mathematics teacher at Blacksburg Middle School. She currently teaches Algebra 1 and Math 8. Previously in her career she taught at the high school level, teaching AP Statistics. She is passionate about making math courses accessible to all students and highlighting the real world applications of mathematics while in the classroom. She's a wife, mother of two awesome teenagers, and an avid runner. She loves to geek out about new ways to teach math topics and drives her family a bit crazy with how often she discusses math education. She graduated Magna Cum Laude from Christopher Newport University with a Bachelors of Science degree in Mathematics.
Briana Russo
Briana Russo
Briana is an Associate Director of Data Science at Merck’s Center for Mathematical Sciences. She received a Master’s in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Michigan and a Master’s in Statistics from Texas A&M. Prior to her roles as a data scientist, she worked as a Process Development Engineer at Regeneron for 6 years.
Dr. Angela M. Joyner (MBA, CPCC)
Dr. Angela M. Joyner (MBA, CPCC)
Dr. Angela Joyner currently serves as the Vice President of Economic Development and Corporate Education (EDCE) at Radford University. She previously served as the Interim VP of Enrollment Management and Strategic Marketing, Interim Chief of Staff, the Special Advisor to the President on Partnerships and Chief Innovation Officer. In her current role, Angela fosters connections to programs, services and networks that create a strong talent pipeline, support innovation, and drive economic growth throughout the New River Valley and Roanoke Valley regions and the Commonwealth of Virginia.
Prior to joining Radford University, Angela served as the Vice President and General Manager at ConAgra Foods, Inc. She has held progressive leadership roles at Mattel, Inc., Hallmark Cards, and Sara Lee Knit Products as well as teaching Brand Management, at the Merage School of Business at the University of California in Irvine.
She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Textile and Apparel Management from North Carolina State University and a Master of Business Administration with a focus on marketing from the Fuqua School of Business at Duke University. She earned her Ph.D. in Organizational Leadership at The Chicago School of Professional Psychology. She is passionate about studying positive psychology, coaching women leaders and developing high performing teams.
She received the Bobbie O’Hare award as Woman of the Year for her work as the Chicago Region Co-Chair for the Network of Executive Women organization. Angela was also recognized as one of “The 25 Most Influential African Americans in Health Foods Industries” by Black Health Magazine.
She currently serves as a Board Member at the Women’s Resource Center of the New River Valley, the YMCA Blue Ridge Assembly in N.C., the NRV Community Foundation Board, Pulaski Sports Tourism and Entertainment Authority, NRV Passenger Rail Authority, NRV Regional Commission and several other economic development appointments. She is a certified Co-Active Coach and a Kripalu yoga instructor and author. Her most fulfilling adventure is being a mama to her precious daughter, Miss Tessa Ayana-Marie and their doodles, Princess Leia and Beau bops.
Amy White
Amy White
Driven by a lifelong love of the natural sciences, Amy S. White received her undergraduate degree in Biology from James Madison University, and her Masters in Microbiology and Immunology from Virginia Commonwealth University. She also earned a Certificate in Field Epidemiology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Following completion of her graduate degree, Amy worked for a private consulting firm in environmental toxicology until beginning her teaching career at Hollins University in 2001. She taught at James Madison University from 2003 – 2005 and has worked at Virginia Western Community College since 2005. At Virginia Western, she has held various roles, including Assistant Professor in Biology, Biology Program Head and Assistant Dean. She now serves as Dean of the School of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) and Workforce Solutions, while continuing to teach part-time in the Science department. As a native of Botetourt County, Amy is honored to work in the region and is committed to its success. In her current role, she strives to provide meaningful educational opportunities for the local students, as well as helping develop and support strong academic programs that contribute to the economic vitality of the region. Amy resides on her family farm in Buchanan with her husband Corbin. Amy is the proud mom of Lindsey and Davis Fenster. Lindsey received her DVM from the University of Georgia and practices at Blue Ridge Animal Clinic in Lexington VA. Davis is in graduate school studying Poultry Science at UGA.
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