Women of Color STEM DTX Conference Announces 2023 List of Award Recipients

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Women of Color STEM DTX Conference Announces 2023 List of Award Recipients

Friday, June 23, 2023 (0 Comments)
Posted by: Jessica Rafaeil

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The annual conference, now in its 28th year, gathers leaders, innovators, and disruptors in STEM industries and education for a three-day event of keynotes, panels, awards, and activities.

DETROIT - June 22, 2023 -- For 28 years, the Women of Color (WOC) STEM Digital Twin Experience (DTX) Conference has been a beacon of recognition for outstanding achievements in STEM, shedding light on the glaring lack of women's representation in these fields and their under-representation at senior levels across all disciplines.

The annual three-day event, hosted in Detroit, Michigan, October 12-14, 2023, honors the impactful achievements of diverse leaders in STEM. This year's theme is "Waves of Change, Oceans of Opportunity."

Employers dedicated to fostering inclusivity have consistently turned to the Women of Color STEM DTX Conference as a vital platform for sharing best practices and implementing strategies to attract and retain more women in scientific and technical careers.

Alongside a diverse range of events designed to foster collaboration, education, and personal development, the conference organizes a prestigious awards ceremony to recognize extraordinary women from diverse backgrounds.

Each year, a panel of esteemed WOC judges evaluates a dynamic pool of candidates, including outstanding college students, emerging talents, accomplished mid-career professionals and managers, influential C-suite executives, innovators, visionary inventors, and impactful change agents.

Award Winners List

Award Category	Winner(s)
Technologist of the Year	Mary Hor-Lao Director, Software Engineering Abbott Neuromodulation Abbott

Career Achievement in Government	Patricia Sullivan Deputy Director U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Engineer Research and Development Center
Career Achievement in Industry	Kathleen Jolivette Vice President Vertical Lift The Boeing Company
Career Achievement in Industry	Melissa Welch, MD Chief Medical Officer Health Catalyst
Community Service	Shaneka Lawson, Ph.D. Research Plant Physiologist USDA Forest Service
Community Service	Maria Thorpe Human Systems Engineering Department Director Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, Systems Acquisition Group, Human Systems Engineering Department

Corporate Responsibility	Teresa Blanco Vice President –Supply Chain Readiness The Boeing Company
Corporate Responsibility	Toyin Ogunfolaju Director, Social Value & Equity Americas Jacobs

Diversity Leadership in Government	Karen Hudson Chief, Avionics Engineering Division Air Force Life Cycle Management Center Engineering Directorate
Diversity Leadership in Government	Lyndsey McMillon-Brown, Ph.D. Research Electrical Engineer NASA Glenn Research Center

Diversity Leadership in Industry	LaDavia Drane GlobalHead of Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity Amazon Web Services (AWS)
Diversity Leadership in Industry	Deepa Shankar Director, Partnerships UL Research Institutes

Educational Leadership –College-Level Promotion of Education	Whitney Gaskins, Ph.D. Assistant Dean University of Cincinnati
	Anne-Marie Kosi-Koupe, PhD Lecturer 1 University of Detroit Mercy

Educational Leadership –Corporate Promotion of Education	Kelly Keena, Ph.D. Senior Director UL Research Institutes
	Kadidia Thiero SOARS® Principal Investigator/Program Lead University Corporation for Atmospheric Research

FinTech Leadership	Madhura Damle Business Intelligence Specialist Lordstown Motors Corporation

Managerial Leadership	Manasi Reardon, Ph.D. Director, R&D Abbott
	Christina Upah Vice President Attack Helicopter Programs & Mesa Senior Site Executive The Boeing Company
	Dakeesha Wright Operations & Site Leader Raytheon Technologies, Collins Aerospace

New Media/IT Leadership	Amanda Hundt VP of Corporate Communications Health Catalyst

Outstanding Technical Contribution	Michelle Chen Software Systems Engineer The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory
	Yagna Pathak, Ph.D. Manager Medical Affairs Abbott
	Ning Yu, Ph.D. Chief Research Scientist Leidos

Pioneer Award	Jessica Jones, Ph.D. Staff Aeroelastician Aurora Flight Sciences, a Boeing Company
Pioneer Award
Professional Achievement in Government	Ariel Ash-Shakoor, Ph.D. Biomedical Engineer/Acting Team Lead United States Food and Drug Administration
	Natasha White, Ph.D. Program Manager National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

Professional Achievement in Industry	Ashley Johnson-Long, Ph.D. Plant Engineering Manager, IDM Corning Incorporated
Professional Achievement in Industry	Laura Luengo Vehicle Integration -Voice of the Customer Supervisor Lordstown Motors Corporation

Student Leadership –Graduate Level	Tracy Edwards Graduate Research Assistant, Isotope Harvesting Group Michigan State University, Facility for Rare Isotope Beams (FRIB)

Technical Innovation in Government	Chenelle Covin Technical Writer-Editor Department of Defense
	Patricia McDaniel, Ph.D. Senior Research Scientist for Chemistry U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Chemical Biological Center

Technical Innovation in Industry	Clara Rivero-Baleine, Ph.D. Lockheed Martin Fellow Lockheed Martin
	Rashmi Prasad, Ph.D. Staff Researcher General Motors LLC

Visionary Award	Anike Sakariyawo Founder and Executive Director S.E.E.K. Foundation, Inc.

Special Recognition	Sabrina Bailey Vice President of Operations –Integrated Product Support HII
	Diedra Hollins Deputy Chief Information Officer Idaho National Laboratory
	Qiana Jackson Engineering Program Manager 3 Penn State Applied Research Lab
	Judith Jeevarajan VP & Executive Director UL Research Institutes
	Yoko Kawai Parker Scientist, Systems Engineering L3Harris Technologies
	Autumn Leake Chief Engineer Naval Air Systems Command –NAWCWD
	Melody Martinez Chief, Prototypes and Flight Experiments Branch, Section B Air Force Research Laboratory, Space Vehicles Directorate (AFRL/RV)
	Gitanjli McRoy Chief Engineer, Electric Vehicle Energy Management Systems Ford Motor Company
	Ana Lucia Ochoa-Lorenzini Director Supply Chain Management AAM

For more information on WOC STEM Award Winners click here.

About the Women of Color STEM DTX Conference

The Women of Color STEM DTX Conference is an annual event that celebrates outstanding achievements in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). With a rich history spanning nearly three decades, the conference provides a platform for individuals and organizations to recognize excellence, foster career development, and facilitate networking opportunities.

Media Contact
Jessica Rafaeil
pr@ccgmag.com
410-244-7101

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