Biographies of the Women In Science & Engineering Symposium Hosts, Keynotes and Speakers
Keynotes
24th Secretary of the Air Force
Doctor Heather Wilson is the 24th Secretary of the Air Force and is responsible for the affairs of the Department of the Air Force, including the organizing, training and equipping and providing for the welfare of 660,000 active-duty, Guard, Reserve, and civilian forces as well as their families. She oversees the Air Force’s annual budget of more than $132 billion and directs strategy and policy development, risk management, weapons acquisition, technology investments and human resource management across a global enterprise. Wilson has more than 35 years of professional experience in...
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Deputy Chief of Staff for Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance
Lt. Gen. VeraLinn “Dash” Jamieson is the Deputy Chief of Staff for Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C. She is responsible to the Secretary and Chief of Staff of the Air Force for policy formulation, planning, evaluation, oversight, and leadership of Air Force intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities. As the Air Force's senior intelligence officer she is directly responsible to the Director of National Intelligence and the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence. She leads five directorates and...
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Assistant Vice Chief of Staff and Director, Air Staff
Lt. Gen. Stayce D. Harris is the Assistant Vice Chief of Staff and Director, Air Staff, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C. She also serves as Deputy Chairman of the Air Force Council, and is the Air Force accreditation official for the international Corps of Air Attachés. Gen. Harris received a commission in the Air Force through the University of Southern California's Air Force ROTC program. She served on active duty until joining the Air Force Reserve in 1991. Her staff assignments include serving as a mobility force planner for the Deputy Chief of Staff for Plans and...
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Retired USAF Commander
General (Ret) Janet C. Wolfenbarger retired from the Air Force in July 2015. In her last assignment before retirement she served as Commander, Air Force Materiel Command, Wright- Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. The command employs some 80,000 people and manages $60 billion annually, executing the critical mission of warfighter support through leading-edge science and technology, cradle-to-grave life cycle weapon systems management, world-class developmental test and evaluation, and world-class depot maintenance and supply chain management. She was commissioned in 1980 as a graduate of the...
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Mae Krier was born in North Dakota in the 1920's. Calvin Coolidge was President and it was during the Great Depression and the infamous Dust Bowl. Times were really difficult for everyone, not just the ones in the Middle West. Our family was poor, but a happy family with very loving and generous parents. When someone would be down and out, they would take them in or help them through the bad times. That was the way of life during those years. Things didn't start to get better until Roosevelt brought in programs like the WPA and the CCC's. They were great programs to help bring us out of the...
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Military Recruiting Program Manager, Amazon Web Services
Tammy Thieman leads the military recruiting team at Amazon Web Services. Since joining AWS in 2016, Tammy has led multiple initiatives to create opportunities for veterans in cloud computing including the development of Amazon’s Technical Apprenticeship program. Tammy has 20 years of leadership experience in both military and civilian roles. Prior to joining AWS, Tammy was a graduate of Macy’s executive development program and served as a key leader in Macy’s Flag Ship Store in Las Vegas, Nevada. Currently a Lieutenant Colonel in the United States Army Reserve, Tammy...
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AFTAC Hosts
Commander
Colonel Steven M. Gorski is the Commander, Air Force Technical Applications Center, Patrick Air Force Base, Fla. AFTAC operates and maintains the United States Atomic Energy Detection System to monitor foreign compliance with various treaties limiting nuclear testing. The focus of AFTAC’s more than 1,000 professionals is to detect special events in the atmosphere, underwater, underground, and in space to determine if they are nuclear and to report them to U.S. senior decision makers. Colonel Gorski graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy in 1996 with a degree in physics. Upon...
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Major General
Major General Mary F. O’Brien is the Commander, 25th Air Force, Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas. General O’Brien is responsible for more than 29,000 personnel conducting worldwide operations. Twenty-fifth Air Force Airmen deliver multisource intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance products, applications, capabilities and resources. In addition, they conduct electronic warfare, strategic command and control and integrate cyber ISR teams and expertise into the country’s cyber mission forces. The 25th Air Force includes the 70th, 363rd and 480th ISR wings, the...
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Brigadier General
Brigadier General Wayne R. Monteith is the Commander, 45th Space Wing; and Director, Eastern Range, Patrick Air Force Base, Florida. He leads over 13,000 military, DoD civilian and contractor personnel responsible for the processing and launching of U.S. government and commercial satellites from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida. General Monteith is also the final approval authority for all launches on the Eastern Range, a 15-million-square-mile area which supports an average of 15 launches per year aboard Delta, Atlas, Falcon, Navy and emerging launch vehicles. In addition, he...
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Dr. Glenn Sjoden is the Chief Scientist, Air Force Technical Applications Center, Patrick Air Force Base, Florida. The center operates and maintains the U.S. Atomic Energy Detection System, a suite of space-based and subsurface sensors, which monitors foreign compliance with the treaties limiting nuclear testing. A network of trace material analysis laboratories, 14 worldwide detachments and operating locations, and several unmanned equipment locations support the detection system. As Chief Scientist, he is the principal adviser to the commander on scientific and technical matters relating...
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Colonel Michael G. Sawyer is the Vice Commander, Air Force Technical Applications Center, Patrick Air Force Base, Fla. AFTAC operates and maintains the United States Atomic Energy Detection System to monitor foreign compliance with various treaties limiting nuclear testing. The focus of AFTAC’s more than 1,000 professionals is to detect special events in the atmosphere, underwater, underground and in space, to determine if they are nuclear, and to report them to national decision makers. Colonel Sawyer received his commission through the Reserve Officer Training Corps at Texas A&M...
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Chief Master Sgt. Michael S. Joseph is the Command Chief for the Air Force Technical Applications Center, Patrick Air Force Base, Fla., where he advises the AFTAC wing commander on matters concerning the morale, welfare, effective utilization and training of all enlisted members within the 1,000-person Florida-based center and its 14 detachments around the globe who support AFTAC’s international treaty monitoring activities. AFTAC operates and maintains the United States Atomic Energy Detection System to monitor foreign compliance with various treaties limiting nuclear testing. AFTAC...
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Major Mandi L. Fuller is the Deputy Chief of Systems, Nuclear ISR, at the Air Force Technical Applications Center, Patrick Air Force Base, Florida. She is currently responsible for a multitude of million dollar programs that encompass the air/space/subsurface domains, which monitor United States nuclear treaty programs. Major Fuller also administers the National Technical Nuclear Forensics Program that provides prompt diagnostics, collection and evaluation of nuclear events in urban environments and oversees the direct energy research and development program. Major Fuller commissioned in...
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Speakers
District 4 School Board Member for Brevard Schools
Matt Susin is currently the District 4 School Board Member for Brevard Schools. As a former national and state teacher of the year, he has launched many innovative and unique projects. While working in varying capacities on numerous creative and analytical projects, Matt recognized that many STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math) competitions and programs were unconnected, expensive, and did not reach a wide range of students. He also saw the need for a true UAS/Drone system competition. He decided to create a low cost broad-based innovative STEAM platform where students...
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Chief, Policy And Sustainment, Air Force Diversity and Inclusion Office
Lieutenant Colonel Angel J. Lugo is the Chief, Policy and Sustainment Divison, Directorate of Diversity and Inclusion, Manpower, Personnel & Services, Headquarters Air Force, implementating the Air Force’s strategic vision, priorites, and goals for Air Force diversity and inclusion. The directorate is responsible for creating sustainable change throughout the Air Force while integrating diversity and inclusion-focused leadership with operational, functional and talent management strategies and processes. After serving twelve years in the enlisted ranks, Colonel Lugo received his...
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Aerospace/STEM Educator
Susan Broderick Mallett is a retired teacher, administrator and university instructor with an educational tenure of 31 years in Alabama schools. As a public school principal, she led a nationally and internationally-recognized elementary school that integrated the aerospace theme throughout the curriculum. Since 2006 she has served as the Youth Development and Air Force Association (AFA) Programs Coordinator at the National HQ of the Civil Air Patrol at Maxwell Air Force Base, AL. In her position at CAP, Ms Mallett works across the country to coordinate free CAP airplane orientation...
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Lakisha Robertson is currently assigned to the Air Force Personnel Center, Talent Acquisitions Division, Recruiting Branch, and has over 10 years of Human Resources experience. Specializing in staffing and recruitment, she is responsible for identifying "top" talent for the Air Force Civilian Service Acquisition Workforce. Lakisha guides a Team of dedicated professionals whose primary task, is to seek-out potential candidates for STEM related vacancies. With a Bachelor's Degree in Management and a passion for recruiting, she takes great pride in cultivating relationships with...
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Operational Analyst, NATO Headquarters Supreme Allied Command Transformation
Dr. Bianca Barbu works as an Operational Analyst, in the Operational Analysis Branch at NATO Headquarters Supreme Allied Command Transformation (HQ SACT) in Norfolk, VA. She employs a combination of defense analysis, experiments and parallel studies to understand the context of NATO’s operational problems, the associated war-fighting impact of implementing various solutions, and the requirements for new capabilities. Her work is dedicated to bringing modern science and technology to bear on defense problems and finding feasible courses of action, while generating information and...
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Surgeon, Author, Mentor
Dr. Oneeka Williams is on a mission to ‘Educate, Empower and Enrich’ the lives of children, especially girls towards a greater interest in Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math. As Founder and President of Dr. Dee Dee Dynamo LLC, Dr Williams has developed a mechanism to engage children in the joys of science at an early age. Her belief is that by planting the seeds of curiosity, incorporating science content into an entertainment platform and delivering the message in the form of a powerful, confident girl character, she will be create early imprinting of what is...
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Senior Research Physicist Air Force Research Laboratory Space Vehicles Directorate
Julie Smith is a Senior Research Physicist for the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), Space Vehicles Directorate. Julie received her Master’s degree in Physics from the University of New Mexico in 2008 and began working for AFRL’s Directed Energy Directorate at Starfire Optical Range right after. For 7 years in the Directed Energy Directorate, Julie worked on advances in atmospheric propagation, atmospheric modeling and simulation, MEMS technology, adaptive optics, quantum communications and optical communications. In 2015 Julie moved to AFRL’s Space...
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Dr. Dana Joseph is an assistant professor in the College of Business at the University of Central Florida. She has a Ph.D. in Organizational Psychology from the University of Illinois with a minor in Quantitative Psychology. Her research involves using state-of-the-art quantitative techniques to investigate management “fads” including emotional intelligence and employee engagement. Her research has been published in top journals in the field (e.g., Journal of Applied Psychology, Emotion, and Organizational Research Methods) and has been highlighted in the American Psychological...
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Raised by scuba diving parents who taught her to value and respect the ocean, Darcy donned her first scuba tank at age 9 and blew bubbles in the backyard swimming pool. She told everyone afterward that she was going to break out of Oklahoma and become a marine biologist. Darcy earned a BS in Marine Biology from the University of North Carolina Wilmington and an MS in Environmental Science from the University of Oklahoma. Her research experience includes studying coral recruitment and larval development in Key Largo and Puerto Rico, tagging and rehabilitating sea turtles in the Carolinas...
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Dr. Andrew Aldrin is currently an Associate Professor at Florida Institute of Technology (FIT) and Director of the Buzz Aldrin Space Institute (BASI). BASI is a multidisciplinary institute created to advance space exploration and development toward the goal of establishing and maintaining a permanent human presence on Mars. Prior to FIT, Dr. Aldrin was President of Moon Express. Dr. Aldrin was Director of Business Development and Advanced Programs at United Launch Alliance and served in a similar position at Boeing’s NASA Systems, and Launch Services business units. He has also served...
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President of Larsen Motorsports, Elaine Larsen, has over two decades of racing experience. Finding her home behind the wheel of a jet powered dragster, she lives her life at full-throttle. STEAM ambassador, comic book creator and mentor are just a few of Elaine’s roles. Giving young ladies an opportunity to get hands-on experience in the high-performance vehicles industry, she inspires the next generation of motorsports professionals to have the Guts to go for the Glory!
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Amy S. Courter served as the National Commander and CEO of the all-volunteer Civil Air Patrol, a federally chartered nonprofit corporation and the civilian auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force headquartered at Maxwell Air Force Base, AL from 2007-2011. Her primary duty was to lead CAP’s 61,000-plus volunteers in fulfillment of the organization’s three congressionally chartered missions: Emergency Services, Cadet Programs and Aerospace Education, as well as CAP’s increasing role in America’s homeland security. As CAP’s commander, Courter served as a Major General...
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Director of Science and Technology
Ms. Lisa R. Sanders is the Director of Science and Technology for Special Operations Forces, Acquisition, Technology & Logistics (SOF AT&L), U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM), MacDill Air Force Base, Florida. She is responsible for all research and development funded activities. Ms. Sanders has over 30 years of civilian Federal service. Ms. Sanders entered Federal Service as an Electronics Engineer at Naval Avionics Center in Indianapolis, Indiana where she served in quality engineering, production engineering and program management. In 1996, she transferred to Naval Air...
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Senior Research Electronics Engineer
Monica Allen is a is a Senior Research Electronics Engineer at the Munitions Directorate, Air Force Research Laboratory, Eglin Air Force Base, Florida. Her research focuses on resonant sensing platforms for EO/IR technologies and components that can find applications in detection and sensing. Her primary areas of interest include nonlinear optical, photonic, and plasmonic physics concepts through the exploitation of light-matter interactions. Her other research interests include investigation of nonlinear optical phenomena and quantum photonic devices at infrared wavelengths. Her current...
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Scientific Adviser to the Commander, Air Combat Command, Langley Air Force Base, Virginia
Dr. Janet S. Fender, a senior level executive, is the Scientific Adviser to the Commander, Air Combat Command, Langley Air Force Base, Virginia. She serves as the Command Chief Scientist providing scientific expertise and technical guidance throughout ACC. As primary interface to the scientific community, Dr. Fender identifies leading edge technologies and catalyzes effective, rapid enhancements to ACC's warfighting capabilities. In previous positions at the Air Force Research Laboratory, Dr. Fender served as Chief Scientist for Space Vehicles and Senior Scientist for Advanced Imaging. Her...
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Director of Engineering
Angela Lamb is the Director of Engineering for Harris Corporation. Her responsibilities include establishing and improving engineering processes and tools; defining and driving productivity and quality measures; developing and enhancing technical career paths aligned with Harris’ growth strategies; identifying and managing technology partnerships with other companies and suppliers; and promoting the disciplined execution of projects within cost, schedule and technical constraints. Most recently, Lamb was Director of Engineering for Harris Corporation’s Critical Networks segment...
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Director of the Office of Diversity and Inclusion
Dr. Sutch serves as the Director of the Office of Diversity and Inclusion at the Office of Personnel Management where she leads the efforts of developing government-wide policies and guidance to assist Federal agencies in building diverse workforces and inclusive and engaged organizational cultures that leverage diversity, and provides expert advisory services to Federal agencies undergoing cultural transformation. Prior to serving in this capacity, Dr. Sutch held the position of Director of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Office of the Executive Secretariat leading the...
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Secretary General
Monica Groba is the Secretary General of the National Geographic Institute (IGN), the national organization that manages Astronomy, Geophysics, Geodesy and Cartography facilities of the Spanish Government. The Secretary General is responsible for budget, procurement, human resources and Information and Communications Technologies (ICT) for the IGN. She coordinates central and peripheral centers, national and international projects and furnishes the legal support required. Through the Geographical Superior Council, the Secretary General has sole authority for management of the National...
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Journalist
Christine Negroni writes about aviation safety for The New York Times, Air & Space, Airways and other publications. She is the safety consultant to ABC News and worked with the network in Malaysia during its coverage of the disappearance of Malaysia 370. Her book about the accident has just been published by Penguin in the United States and Atlantic Books in the UK. She was the chief of investigations for the aviation law firm Kreindler & Kreindler from 2000 to 2008. Prior to that she covered aviation for CNN. Her work on the crash of TWA Flight 800 led her to write the New York...
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Retired U.S. Navy Captain and Aviator
Winston E. Scott is a retired U.S. Navy Captain and Aviator. He entered Naval Aviation Officers Candidate School in 1973 and completed flight training and was designated a naval aviator in 1974. Scott later earned his Master of Science degree in aeronautical engineering with avionics. During his Navy career, Captain Scott served as a helicopter pilot with Helicopter Anti-Submarine Warfare Squadron Light Thirty-Three at NAS North Island, CA. flying the SH-2F helicopter. He later served a tour of duty as a fighter pilot with Fighter Squadron Eighty Four at NAS Oceana, Virginia flying the F-14...
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