Appendix B
Biographies of Roundtable Members and Speakers
(In Order of Appearance)
Vaughan Turekian, Ph.D., is the executive director of Policy and Global Affairs (PGA) at the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. From 2015 to 2017 he served as the science and technology adviser to the U.S. secretary of state. In this capacity, he advised the secretary of state and other senior State Department officials on international environment, science, emerging technology, and health matters affecting the foreign policy of the United States.
Dr. Turekian drew upon his background in atmospheric chemistry and extensive policy experience to promote science, technology, and engineering as integral components of U.S. diplomacy. Previously, he was chief international officer for the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and the director of AAAS’s Center for Science Diplomacy (2006–2015). In this capacity, he worked to build bridges between nations based on shared scientific goals, placing special emphasis on regions where traditional political relationships are strained or do not exist. In addition, Dr. Turekian worked at the State Department as a special assistant and adviser to the under secretary for global affairs (2002–2006) on issues related to sustainable development, climate change, environment, energy, science, technology, and health. He is currently the co-chair of the 10-member group of experts advising the United Nations
on science, technology, and innovation in support of the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
Dr. Turekian holds a B.S. in geology and geophysics and international studies from Yale University and an M.S. and Ph.D. from the University of Virginia, where he focused on the transport and chemistry of atmospheric aerosols in marine environments.
Cato T. Laurencin, M.D., Ph.D.(Chair), is the eighth designated University Professor in the 135-year history of the University of Connecticut. He is the Albert and Wilda Van Dusen Distinguished Endowed Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery. He is the chief executive officer of the Connecticut Convergence Institute for Translation in Regenerative Engineering and the director of the Raymond and Beverly Sackler Center for Biomedical, Biological, Physical and Engineering Sciences at the University of Connecticut. Dr. Laurencin earned a B.S.E. in chemical engineering from Princeton University, and his M.D., magna cum laude, from the Harvard Medical School, and received the Robinson Award for Surgery. He earned his Ph.D. in biochemical engineering/biotechnology from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he was named a Hugh Hampton Young Fellow. A practicing sports medicine and shoulder surgeon, Dr. Laurencin has been named to America’s Top Doctors for more than 15 years. He is a fellow of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, a fellow of the American Orthopaedic Association, a fellow of the American College of Surgeons, and a member of the American Surgical Association. He received the Nicolas Andry Award, the highest honor of the Association of Bone and Joint Surgeons. Dr. Laurencin served as dean of the Medical School and vice president for health affairs at the University of Connecticut. Dr. Laurencin is a pioneer of the new field regenerative engineering. He is an expert in biomaterials science, stem cell technology, and nanotechnology and was named one of the 100 Engineers of the Modern Era by the American Institute of Chemical Engineers, and received the Founder’s Award from the Society for Biomaterials. He received the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director’s Pioneer Award, NIH’s highest and most prestigious research award, for his new field of regenerative engineering and the National Science Foundation’s Emerging Frontiers in Research and Innovation Grant Award. Dr. Laurencin is the editor-in-chief of Regenerative Engineering and Translational Medicine, published by Springer Nature, and is the founder of the Regenerative Engineering Society. He is a fellow of the American Chemical Society, a fellow of the American Institute of
Chemical Engineers, a fellow of the Biomedical Engineering Society, a fellow of the Materials Research Society, and an American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) fellow. The AAAS awarded Dr. Laurencin the Philip Hauge Abelson Prize given “for signal contributions to the advancement of science in the United States.” Dr. Laurencin is active in mentoring, especially underrepresented minority students. He received the AAAS Mentor Award, the Beckman Award for Mentoring, and the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics, and Engineering Mentoring in ceremonies at the White House. The Society for Biomaterials established the Cato T. Laurencin, M.D., Ph.D. Travel Fellowship in his honor, awarded to underrepresented minority students pursuing research. Dr. Laurencin is also active in addressing health disparities. Dr. Laurencin completed the African American Studies Program at Princeton University. He is a core faculty member of the Africana Studies Institute at the University of Connecticut and is editor-in-chief of the Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities, published by Springer Nature. He co-founded the W. Montague Cobb/NMA Health Institute, dedicated to addressing health disparities, and served as its founding chair. The W. Montague Cobb/ NMA Health Institute and the National Medical Association established the Cato T. Laurencin Lifetime Research Achievement Award, given during the opening ceremonies of the National Medical Association meeting. Dr. Laurencin is an elected member of the National Academy of Medicine, an elected member of the National Academy of Engineering, and an elected member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Active internationally, he is an elected fellow of the Indian National Academy of Sciences, the Indian National Academy of Engineering, the African Academy of Sciences, and the World Academy of Sciences, and is an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering.
Lynne M. Holden, M.D., is the co-founder and president of Mentoring in Medicine, Inc. (MIM). MIM is a national health and science youth development nonprofit organization. The mission of MIM is to expose, inspire, educate, and equip students to become biomedical professionals through academic enrichment, leadership development, civic engagement, and mentoring. MIM has reached nearly 52,000 students, parents, and educators from elementary school through medical school and recruited 1,500 health and science volunteers. Dr. Holden provides the overall leadership, creates the organizational strategy, recruits volunteers, facilitates program development, and establishes collaborative partnerships.
Dr. Holden earned her B.S. in zoology from Howard University, graduated from Temple University School of Medicine, and completed her residency in emergency medicine at the Jacobi/Montefiore Emergency Medicine Residency Program. She is a practicing emergency department physician at Montefiore Health System in the Bronx, New York. She is a professor of emergency medicine at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, where she has served as a co-chair of the Admissions Committee and in various leadership positions in the Emergency Medicine Residency Program, the largest in the country. Dr. Holden serves on several national boards, including the Friends of the National Library of Medicine and the City University of New York (CUNY) School of Medicine. She is active in the National Medical Association on the local, regional, and national levels. She is a deacon at the Abyssinian Baptist Church in Harlem, New York, and a member of Delta Sigma Theta, Inc.
Mentoring in Medicine has earned 60 press features, including JET, Essence, CNN, the New York Times, and FOX News. Dr. Holden has published extensively and received numerous awards for her work, including the Maybelline NY-Essence Empowerment through Education Award (2007), Society of Academic Emergency Visionary Educator Award (2008), Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Community Health Leader (2009), Washington Post Root 100 Leader (2010), Lifetime TV Remarkable Woman (2010), American Medical Association Inspirational Physician (2016), and the United Hospital Fund Distinguished Community Service Award (2019).
Charles R. Bridges, M.D., Sc.D., is the global chief technology officer for the Pulmonary Hypertension Therapeutic Area, Janssen Pharmaceuticals, where he leads the development of novel therapeutic devices and the application of advanced data sciences methods to solve problems in research and development. A primary goal is to accelerate the development of novel commercially available technologies for the early diagnosis of rare diseases including pulmonary arterial hypertension. From 2015 through January 2018, he was global vice president of the Cardiovascular Therapeutic Area for Johnson & Johnson Medical Devices, serving as the worldwide scientific lead for high-profile investments and acquisitions in the cardiovascular and neurovascular spaces culminating in the formation of Cerenovus, Johnson & Johnson’s neurovascular business in July 2017. Cerenovus achieved Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval for their mechanical thrombectomy platform in 2019, allowing for the reversal of the manifestations of ischemic stroke in a majority of patients. Cerenovus is now
one of the fastest growing sectors in Johnson & Johnson Medical Devices. One of his first investments after joining Johnson & Johnson, a $40 million equity investment in a Minnesota-based company, CVRx, led in August 2019 to the first ever FDA-approved neuromodulation device to treat heart failure. In total, he served as the scientific lead on half a billion dollars of investments in medical device technologies. He was previously the first African American full professor of surgery at the University of Pennsylvania, chief of cardiac surgery at Pennsylvania Hospital; professor and chairman of cardiovascular, thoracic, and vascular surgery at Carolina’s HealthCare System, a University of North Carolina affiliate. Dr. Bridges has more than 170 peer-reviewed publications, 12 patents (issued and pending) with over $10 million in continuous NIH-RO1 funding for nearly two decades. He invented “molecular cardiac surgery,” arguably the most efficient method for vector-mediated gene transfer to the heart of large animals by two orders of magnitude. He was a regular member of the Bioengineering, Technology, and Surgical Sciences Study Section of NIH from 2010 to 2014, and past chairman of the Cardiovascular Committee of the American Society for Gene and Cell Therapy. He is a co-founder of StrongHolt Therapeutics, an early-stage biotechnology company developing novel gene-based therapies for heart failure and muscular dystrophy. He received an A.B. in applied physics from Harvard College, magna cum laude. He entered Harvard Medical School at age 18, the youngest student in the entering class, receiving an M.D. from Harvard Medical School in the Harvard-MIT Program in Health Sciences and Technology. He received an M.S. in electrical engineering and computer science and an Sc.D. in chemical engineering from MIT as a Whittaker Health Sciences fellow. He participated in the 2016 World Rubik’s Cube Association U.S. Nationals competition.
Olujimi Ajijola is an assistant professor in the departments of Medicine-Cardiology and Molecular, Cellular, and Integrative Physiology at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Ajijola received his B.A. from the University of Virginia, his medical degree from Duke University, and his Ph.D. in molecular, cellular, and integrative physiology from UCLA. His clinical training in internal medicine and cardiovascular diseases/cardiac electrophysiology took place at the Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School and at UCLA, respectively. Ajijola’s clinical and research interests revolve around innovative methods to control life-threatening cardiac arrhythmias by modulating the autonomic nervous system. He is also an alumnus of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s
Medical Fellows Program, a recipient of the National Institutes of Health Director’s New Innovator Award (DP2), and a Young Physician Scientist Award from the American Society for Clinical Investigation.
Louis W. Sullivan is the chairman and chief executive officer of the Sullivan Alliance to Transform the Health Professions. He is also chairman of the board of the National Health Museum in Atlanta, Georgia, which aims to improve the health of Americans by enhancing health literacy and advancing healthy behaviors. Dr. Sullivan served as chair of the President’s Commission on Historically Black Colleges and Universities from 2002 to 2009 and was co-chair of the President’s Commission on HIV and AIDS from 2001 to 2006. With the exception of his tenure as secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) from 1989 to 1993, Dr. Sullivan was president of Morehouse School of Medicine for more than two decades. As secretary of HHS, Dr. Sullivan’s efforts to improve the health and health behavior of Americans included (1) the introduction of a new and improved Food and Drug Administration food label; (2) release of Healthy People 2000, a guide for improved health promotion/disease prevention activities; (3) education of the public about health dangers from tobacco use; (4) successful efforts to prevent the introduction of “Uptown,” a non-filtered, mentholated cigarette by R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company; (5) inauguration of a $100 million minority male health and injury prevention initiative; and (6) implementation of greater gender and ethnic diversity in senior positions of HHS, including the appointment of the first female director of the National Institutes of Health, the first female and first Hispanic surgeon general of the U.S. Public Health Service, and the first African American commissioner of the Social Security Administration.
Shirley Malcom is head of Education and Human Resources Programs of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). The directorate includes AAAS programs in education, activities for underrepresented groups, and public understanding of science and technology. Dr. Malcom was head of the AAAS Office of Opportunities in Science from 1979 to 1989. Between 1977 and 1979, she served as program officer in the Science Education Directorate of the National Science Foundation (NSF). Prior to this, she held the rank of assistant professor of biology, University of North Carolina, Wilmington, and for 2 years was a high school science teacher. Dr. Malcom serves on several boards, including the Howard Heinz Endowment. She is an honorary trustee of the American Museum of Natural History, a
regent of Morgan State University, and a trustee of the California Institute of Technology (Caltech). She has chaired a number of national committees addressing education reform and access to scientific and technical education, careers, and literacy. Dr. Malcom is a former trustee of the Carnegie Corporation of New York and a fellow of the AAAS and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. In 2003, she received the Public Welfare Medal of the National Academy of Sciences, the highest award bestowed by the academy.
Marc Nivet, Ed.D., M.B.A., is the executive vice president for institutional advancement at the University of Texas (UT) Southwestern Medical Center. In this capacity, he provides strategic vision and oversight for the areas of development, communications, marketing and public affairs, government affairs, and community and corporate relations.
Prior to his role at UT Southwestern, Dr. Nivet served as a member of the executive leadership team of the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), where he provided leadership on issues surrounding community engagement, diversity, and health equity at medical schools and teaching hospitals across the United States and Canada.
Prior to joining AAMC, Dr. Nivet served as the chief operating officer and treasurer for the Josiah Macy Jr. Foundation, which fosters innovation in health professional education that aligns workforce training with the dynamic needs of patients.
Dr. Nivet has spent more than 20 years in academic medicine developing creative program initiatives and innovative approaches to advance the mission of excellence in research, education, and patient care. He earned his doctorate in higher education management from the University of Pennsylvania and his M.B.A. with a focus on health care management from George Washington University’s School of Business.
Roderic Pettigrew, Ph.D., M.D., serves as CEO of Engineering Health (EnHealth) and executive dean for the Engineering Medicine (EnMed) program at Texas A&M University, in partnership with Houston Methodist Hospital. Dr. Pettigrew also holds the endowed Robert A. Welch Chair in Chemistry. EnHealth is the nation’s first comprehensive educational program to fully integrate engineering into all health-related disciplines. EnMed is the nation’s first 4-year, fully integrated engineering and medical education curriculum leading to both an M.D. and a master’s degree in engineering.
An internationally recognized leader in biomedical imaging and bioengineering, Dr. Pettigrew served as the first director for the National
Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Prior to his appointment at NIH, he joined Emory University School of Medicine as a professor of radiology and Georgia Institute of Technology as a professor of bioengineering. Dr. Pettigrew is well known for pioneering four-dimensional imaging of the cardiovascular system using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). In addition to his numerous achievements, he is an elected member to both the National Academy of Medicine and the National Academy of Engineering.
After receiving his B.S. degree in physics from Morehouse College as a Merrill Scholar, Dr. Pettigrew attended Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, where he earned his M.S. degree in nuclear science and engineering. Dr. Pettigrew received his Ph.D. in radiation physics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and attained his medical doctorate from Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine at the University of Miami.
Ian D. Henry, Ph.D., is a section head in research and development (R&D) at Procter & Gamble (P&G). A native of Marion, Indiana, Dr. Henry earned his B.A. in chemistry from Earlham College in 2001 and a Ph.D. in analytical chemistry from Purdue University in 2008, where he studied under Dr. M. Daniel Raftery. Currently, Dr. Henry leads the Analytical group for P&G’s global Feminine Care business. Prior to Feminine Care, he led the Qualitative Mass Spectrometry group in the Trace Analysis Capability and the Analytical Digital Platforms group in corporate R&D. An analytical chemist with a background in bioanalytical NMR Spectroscopy, he started his P&G journey in the Beauty business, supporting innovation programs for brands such as Olay, Safeguard, Pantene, and Head & Shoulders. During his tenure in Beauty, he was an original member of the Centric Team, a grassroots-led group of Black Ph.D. scientists who led fundamental hair studies and value proposition creation that resulted in the startup of focused product initiatives for consumers of African ancestry, most notably Pantene Gold Series, H&S Royal Oils, and, more recently, the My Black Is Beautiful brand. The team’s work earned both CTO Pathfinder and P&G Diversity and Inclusion Award honors. In 2016, Dr. Henry was selected as a Great Leader Under 40 by LEAD Cincinnati. Beyond work, he is vice president of the Cincinnati Chapter of the National Organization for the Professional Advancement of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers and is active in the local Cincinnati Section of the American Chemical Society, where he is involved in STEM outreach throughout the greater Cincinnati region. Since 2012, Dr. Henry
has been a member of the Board of Trustees at Earlham College, where he leads the Diversity Committee. He is also a mentor in the Big Brothers Big Sisters program, serving since 2010.
Sharon Spencer, M.A., M.S.Ed., began her career in 2000 as a biology teacher at St. Michael Academy in New York with a bachelor of science degree in biology from Manhattan College, Riverdale, New York. In her second year at St. Michael Academy, she was promoted to chairperson of the Science Department where she led a small department of four science teachers. Under her tenure, the school attained an average Regents examination passing rate of 92 percent.
Soon after attaining her second master’s degree, Ms. Spencer was presented with the opportunity to move into the charter school system. In 2012, she became the founding assistant principal at the New Visions Charter High School for Advanced Math and Science II, South Bronx, New York. In the second year of the school, she became the director of school operations.
With the support of the New Visions network, Ms. Spencer was again presented with an opportunity that she knew would be her contribution to her community. In 2015, Ms. Spencer became the founding principal of the New Visions Charter High School for Advanced Math and Science IV (AMS IV), Jamaica, New York. Most of her students were of Caribbean descent, and the culture and climate of the school replicated the educational values and behavioral expectations of the various nations represented. The AMS IV community related to Ms. Spencer as she has well-grounded roots on the island of Antigua. The school centered on the core values of Perseverance, Respect, Integrity, Discipline, and Excellence. She saw her first graduating class in 2019 and was honored to have a Fulbright scholar as a member of that first class. She stepped down from her position as principal to engage in work for her dissertation.
Ms. Spencer is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. She is a servant leader who mentors teachers and administrators on their journey to becoming master teachers and fellow servant leaders. Yet, she still finds a way into classrooms to share her love of science with the next generation of STEM professionals and entrepreneurs.
Tracy Lall, M.S.Ed., received her bachelor of science degree from Saint Joseph’s College. She earned a master’s in science education from the City University of New York. She has worked as a science teacher for the New
York City Department of Education for 24 years. Currently, she serves as the Science Department chair and lead science teacher at the Thurgood Marshall Academy for Learning and Social Justice in Harlem, New York.
Italo Brown, M.D., M.P.H., is an assistant professor in emergency medicine at Stanford University School of Medicine, and clinical instructor of social emergency medicine at Stanford Hospital. Throughout his career, Dr. Brown has been at the frontlines of social medicine and health equity. He is the chief impact officer of T.R.A.P. Medicine, a barbershop-based wellness initiative that leverages the cultural capital of barbershops to address the physical and emotional health of Black men and boys. In 2017, the National Minority Quality Forum named Dr. Brown among the 40 Under 40 Leaders in Minority Health. An avid writer, he served with the ABC News Medical Unit, and has contributed health equity and wellness pieces to The New York Times, USA Today, GQ, Emergency Medicine News, and The Root. He also serves as a diversity, equity, and inclusion consultant for organizations like Google and YouTube. Dr. Brown graduated from Morehouse College in 2006, Boston University in 2008, and Meharry Medical College in 2015.
Elise Mike, M.D., is an eighth-year M.D./Ph.D. candidate at Albert Einstein College of Medicine. She was born in the Bronx, New York, and grew up in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands. Dr. Mike was a Robert W. Woodruff Scholar at Emory University, where she obtained her bachelor of science degree in neuroscience and behavioral biology and minored in philosophy. After college, she received postbaccalaureate funding from the National Institutes of Health to conduct cardiovascular research at Baylor College of Medicine. She recently completed her Ph.D. research, which was focused on the pathogenesis of neuropsychiatric manifestations in systemic lupus erythematosus, a disease that predominantly affects Black women.
Dr. Mike has been a leader in the Student National Medical Association at the local, regional, or national level for the last several years, and she is the immediate past Region IX director. At Einstein, she is involved in strengthening diversity initiatives, and she works closely with the administration to support the college’s goals of inclusivity. Additionally, she founded the White Coats 4 Black Lives chapter at Einstein to encourage the student body to combat racism as a public health issue. Dr. Mike is also active in several New York City initiatives to combat racism in health care and promote advocacy and social justice in medicine.
Chris Pulliam, Ph.D., received his bachelor’s degree in chemistry (American Chemical Society approved) and a dual minor in forensic science and law and society from Purdue University in 2012. He went on to receive his Ph.D. also from Purdue University. While in graduate school, under the advisement of R. Graham Cooks, he developed novel techniques to detect carcinogenic pesticides in situ, monitor UV exposure on skin, and monitor multiple chemical reactions in real time while using a miniature mass spectrometer. Dr. Pulliam also co-founded the Chemistry Diversity Initiative at Purdue University to recruit and retain underrepresented minority (URM) chemistry students. Since its inception in 2015, the program has recruited more than 50 URM graduate students with a retention rate of 96 percent.
Upon graduating with his Ph.D. in 2017, Dr. Pulliam joined Procter & Gamble as a postdoctoral scientist, where he employed high-resolution mass spectrometry to investigate the effects of extraction solvent changes on the constituency of various botanicals. The following year, he accepted a full-time offer at Procter & Gamble, where he now develops and applies novel chemometric machine-learning strategies to solve complex analytical problems.
Lamont Terrell, Ph.D., graduated salutatorian from Texas Southern University (TSU) as a Fredrick Douglas honor scholar earning a B.S. degree in chemistry in 1995. While at TSU, his life as a research scientist began doing undergraduate research focusing on the synthesis of inorganic compounds with environmental applications. He earned his Ph.D. in 2001 in organic chemistry from Michigan State University (MSU) under the direction and guidance of Professor Robert Maleczka. His graduate studies consisted of the total synthesis of the antileukemic natural product amphidinolide A and the development of catalytic tin hydride reactions. Upon completion of his graduate studies at MSU, he continued his synthetic training with a 2-year postdoctoral stint with Professor Barry Trost at Stanford University. The focus of his postdoctoral studies was the development of a catalytic dinuclear zinc asymmetric Mannich reaction. He began his career in drug discovery as a medicinal chemist at GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) in 2003 in their cardiovascular medicinal chemistry group. He spent 11 years doing small molecule lead optimization primarily focusing on cardiovascular disease targets. Outside of leading science, Dr. Terrell is passionately involved with community and outreach efforts. He has been involved with the recruitment of scientists at all levels into the chemistry community. He leads the GSK chemistry recruitment team for minority conferences and serves as
the lead for the African American Alliance employee resource group in the Delaware Valley. He is a leader in GSK’s inclusion and diversity efforts and a member of the R&D Inclusion Council. In 2017, he decided to step away from doing science to lead the U.S. R&D Early Talent Programs and head GSK’s diversity recruitment initiative for the U.S. Pharma R&D business.
Lindsey Malcom-Piqueux, Ph.D., is senior institutional research analyst at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech). In this role, she is responsible for collecting, analyzing, and interpreting data about Caltech and its activities to inform institutional planning and decision-making. Prior to her current position, she was the associate director for research and policy at the Center for Urban Education in the Rossier School of Education at the University of Southern California. Over the course of her career, Dr. Malcom-Piqueux’s work has centered on racial and gender equity in STEM fields. Following this interest, she has conducted research in several areas, including the relationship between financial aid and STEM outcomes, the role of 4-year minority-serving institutions and community colleges in creating educational equity in STEM, and gender equity in STEM among minority populations. She received a B.S. in planetary science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, an M.S. in planetary science from the California Institute of Technology, and a Ph.D. in urban education with an emphasis on higher education from the University of Southern California.
Lester Young, Jr., Ed.D., has made creating opportunities “where every student can be successful” the guiding principle of his public service career of more than 40 years. He has held several positions in the New York City Department of Education, including teacher, guidance counselor, and supervisor of special education. Dr. Young was appointed principal of the General Daniel “Chappie” James Jr. School (PS 183 CSD 23 Brooklyn) in 1983. During his tenure as principal, PS 183 was recognized as a School of Excellence by the U.S. Department of Education and the New York State Education Department (NYSED) in 1987.
Dr. Young was recruited by Commissioner Thomas Sobel to serve in the positions of assistant and associate commissioner of education with the NYSED in 1988 and led the department’s efforts in New York City (including establishing the Brooklyn Office of NYSED). As associate commissioner, Dr. Young’s portfolio included statewide leadership responsibility for the offices of School Improvement, Community Schools, Bilingual Education, and Migrant Services and Education.
In 1993, returning to his Brooklyn roots, Dr. Young was appointed to the position of community superintendent, CSD 13. As superintendent, he established some of the more successful high schools (Benjamin Banneker Academy High School and Bedford Academy High School) and middle schools (Park Place Community Middle School and Satellite Three) in New York City as well as replicating the nationally recognized Algebra Project and Comer School Development Program. As a result of his demonstrated leadership skills, Chancellor Harold Levy appointed Dr. Young to serve as senior superintendent in 2000 (coordinating services in four Central Brooklyn Community School districts). He also established and led the first New York City Office of Youth Development and School Community Services. In 2004, after 35 years of New York City public school service, Dr. Young retired from the New York City Department of Education.
During the period 2004–2008, Dr. Young held the position of visiting professor at Long Island University, Graduate School of Education, Brooklyn Campus.
In March 2008, Dr. Young was appointed by the New York State Legislature as regent-at-large at the University of the State of New York to serve out the unexpired term of the vice chancellor emerita, Dr. Adelaide L. Sanford, and he is currently serving his third term as regent-at-large. Dr. Young co-chairs the P–12 Education Committee and the Regents Workgroup on Early Learning and Early Childhood Education; he chairs the Regents Workgroup to Improve Outcomes for Boys and Young Men of Color. His leadership in this area led to the establishment of New York State’s My Brother’s Keeper initiative, and under the leadership of Speaker Carl Heastie and the New York State Legislature, New York remains the only state in the nation to have the My Brother’s Keeper initiative enacted into law. In just 4 years, this initiative has grown from 5 communities in 2016 to 25 communities and 7 of the 9 Tribal Nations in 2020.
Continuing his commitment to public service, in 2014 Dr. Young was appointed to the New York State Juvenile Justice Advisory Group. Additionally, he serves on the Design Team for the Brooklyn STEAM Center.
Dr. Young is currently chair of the Board of Trustees of the Adelaide L. Sanford Institute, a not-for-profit organization serving Central Brooklyn that “empowers parents by enhancing their understanding of the current New York State education reforms; engages community leaders to develop neighborhood-based strategies and policies designed to marshal the human and cultural capital necessary to guarantee that our youth are college and
career ready; and provides youth leadership opportunities that increase their self-esteem, communication skills, world view exposure, and problem-solving ability.”
He also serves on the Brooklyn Navy Yard Board of Trustees and the Mayor’s Community School’s Advisory Board. During his career, Dr. Young has also served on many advisory boards serving the Brooklyn community, including the Brooklyn Children’s Museum, Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corp., and the Brooklyn Community Foundation.
Dr. Young volunteers as a mentor to superintendents, principals, and aspiring leaders throughout New York City. He has been recognized by many local, national education, and civic education organizations for his professional contributions. Additionally, he is a life member of the National Alliance of Black School Educators and the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity.
Dr. Young is profiled in Men of Courage II, documenting the lives and achievements of 27 African American men. He is also a contributing writer to Child by Child: The Comer Process for Change in Education (1999).
Bernard Harris, Jr., M.D., M.B.A., is chief executive officer of the National Math and Science Initiative (NMSI). Dr. Harris leads NMSI’s efforts to improve teacher effectiveness and student achievement in STEM education across the country. He has been involved in math and science education for more than 25 years through the Harris Institute/Foundation and as a founding board member for NMSI.
Prior to NMSI, Dr. Harris was CEO and managing partner of Vesalius Ventures, Inc., a venture capital firm that invests in early- to mid-stage health-care technologies and companies. As CEO, he was responsible for managing a portfolio of operating companies and venture investment.
While at NASA, Dr. Harris conducted research in musculoskeletal physiology and clinical investigations of space adaptation and developed in-flight medical devices to extend astronaut stays in space. A veteran astronaut for more than 25 years, he has logged more than 438 hours and traveled more than 7.2 million miles in space and was the first African American to walk in space.
Dr. Harris is a member of the Board of Directors for U.S. Physical Therapy (Nasdaq: USPH), JSA Health, and Monebo Technologies. He serves as a trustee for Salient Fund and Salient MF Trust, and Barings Fund & Trust. In addition, he is on the Board of the National Academy of Medicine, the Texas Medical Center, HealthConnect, NMSI, and the Harris Institute/Foundation.
Dr. Harris earned a bachelor of science degree in biology from the University of Houston, a master of medical science from the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, a master of business administration from the University of Houston, and a doctorate of medicine from Texas Tech University School of Medicine. He completed a residency in internal medicine at the Mayo Clinic and a National Research Council Fellowship in Endocrinology at the NASA Ames Research Center, and trained as a flight surgeon at the Aerospace School of Medicine, Brooks Air Force Base. He is also a licensed private pilot and certified scuba diver.
Dr. Harris is the recipient of numerous awards, including honorary doctorates from Stony Brook University, Morehouse School of Medicine, New Jersey Institute of Technology, Washington & Jefferson College, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, University of Hartford, and Indiana Institute of Technology. He has also been awarded the NASA Space Flight Medal and NASA Award of Merit, is a fellow of the American College of Physicians, and is a recipient of the 2000 Horatio Alger Award. He is the author of Dream Walker: A Journey of Achievement and Inspiration.
Derek Suite, M.D., M.S., is an occupational and organizational psychiatrist. Dr. Suite is deeply interested in how cultural forces shape and impact human behaviors in the professional performance space. He is currently the team psychiatrist for the New York Knicks and New York Jets. He is also the founder of Full Circle Health, a culturally competent, spiritually sensitive community mental health practice that has received national recognition for its holistic services to underserved children and families since 1999. Dr. Suite received his B.A. and M.S. degrees from Columbia University and his medical degree from Drexel University College of Medicine. He is board certified by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology and is an assistant professor of clinical psychopharmacology at Teachers College, Columbia University.
Zenephia Evans, Ph.D., is an associate dean of students at Purdue University, after serving as the director of the Science Diversity Office, director of the Multicultural Science Programs, associate director of the Science Diversity Office, and biological sciences faculty lecturer and lab coordinator in the College of Science.
Dr. Evans was a former honorary member of the Barbara Cook Chapter of Mortar Board, Iron Key society, and Alpha Delta Lamda Phi Eta Sigma honor society. Throughout her time at Purdue, she has served as the advisor for Association of Multicultural Science Students, Barbara Cook Chapter
of Mortar Board, Black Graduate Student Association, Caribbean Student Association, LYNX, Rotaract, Upsilon Chapter of Omega Phi Chi, and the Zeta Theta Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. Currently she serves as the senior faculty fellow in Earhart Hall.
Dr. Evans has been honored with the Special Boilermaker Award, Helen B. Schleman Gold Medallion, One Brick Higher Award, Purdue Title IX Awardee, the Black Graduate Student Association (BGSA) Distinguished Service Award, BGSA Engagement Award, and the Black Caucus of Faculty and Staff (BCFS) – Staff Member of the Year Award.
In addition, she is the treasurer for BCFS after serving as chair, social chair, vice chair, parliamentarian, interim treasurer, and fiscal planner, and she co-chaired the Annual Awards Programs for undergraduates for 5 years. She was the first African American women to serve as convener for the Council on the Status of Women (CSW) at Purdue and was instrumental in putting the presence of CSW into the new faculty welcome. Dr. Evans was also the first African American to serve as president of the Lafayette, Indiana, Daybreak Rotary Club. While a member of the Rotary Club, she served as vice president, president-elect, and chair of International Projects, Local Service Projects, Programs and Member Orientation, Rotary Reads, Lafayette Urban Ministry (LUM) meals to feed the homeless, and advisor to Interact at Central Catholic High School. While serving as Rotary Club president, the club initiated the Rotary Reads project at Miller Elementary School, Murdock Elementary, and currently at Tippecanoe Child Daycare at Wabash Landing. She served as a member of the Rotary District 6560 World Community Service Foundation. She is an inaugural board member of the 100 Women Who Care, serves meals at LUM, is a proud member of the John Purdue Club, and is current president of the Greater Lafayette Art Museum Board.
Dr. Evans received a Ph.D. in cell and developmental biology from Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana.
Zahava Stadler focuses on school funding policy for The Education Trust, with an eye toward creating a more equitable funding landscape and closing the opportunity gap for students of color and students from low-income backgrounds. Previously, Ms. Stadler served as director of policy at EdBuild, an organization focused on school funding inequality and the relationship between funding policies and segregation. Prior to EdBuild, she worked primarily on human capital initiatives serving high-need schools and districts.
Ivy Smith Morgan designs and conducts data and policy analyses that contribute to The Education Trust’s work to ensure that students from low-income backgrounds and students of color get their fair share of resources—including funding and equitable access to effective educators, school counselors, advanced coursework, and high-quality preschool. Prior to joining Ed Trust, Ms. Morgan worked as an education research analyst in the Policy and Program Studies Service at the U.S. Department of Education, where she conducted short-term data analyses on a range of P–12 topics, including teacher equity, fiscal equity, and socioeconomic diversity, to inform policy decisions.
Dowin Boatright, M.D., M.B.A., M.H.S., is an assistant professor of emergency medicine. He is a former Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Clinical Scholar at Yale, and prior to his fellowship, he completed his training and chief residency in the Denver Health Emergency Medicine Residency. Dr. Boatright’s research focuses on diversity in the healthcare workforce and racial/ethnic disparities in health-care treatment and outcomes. His work has been supported by the National Institute of General Medical Sciences and the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities. His publications can be found in journals such as JAMA, JAMA-Internal Medicine, Academic Medicine, and Academic Emergency Medicine.
Mytien Nguyen, M.Sc., is a 5th-year M.D./Ph.D. student in the Department of Immunobiology at Yale School of Medicine. Ms. Nguyen is an Afro-Vietnamese first-generation college graduate. She obtained her undergraduate and master’s degrees at Cornell University studying microbiology and bioengineering. She is a co-founder and president of the National First-Gen and/or Low-Income in Medicine Association. She is passionate about advocating for socioeconomic diversity in STEM and medicine. Growing up as a low-income refugee, Ms. Nguyen fully intends to utilize her platform as a STEM and health advocate to uplift the voices of the oppressed and advocate for the needs of minoritized individuals.
John R. Lumpkin, M.D., M.P.H., is president of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina Foundation, a position he has held since April 2019. The foundation seeks to improve the health and well-being of all North Carolinians through a focus on transforming the health-care system (including oral health), expanding access to healthy food, supporting a
healthy start in life for children, improving the physical conditions where people live, and strengthening the ability of communities to improve health.
Dr. Lumpkin most recently served as senior vice president of programs for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF). At RWJF, he was responsible for the foundation’s efforts aimed at transforming health and health-care systems, ensuring that everyone has access to stable and affordable health-care coverage, building leadership, and engaging business toward building a Culture of Health in the United States. These efforts helped to catalyze fundamental changes in health and health-care systems to achieve measurably better outcomes for all by maintaining high-quality, effective, and value-laden health care, public health, and population health services.
Before joining RWJF in April 2003, Dr. Lumpkin served as director of the Illinois Department of Public Health for 12 years. During his more than 17 years with the department, he served as acting director and prior to that as associate director.
He has participated directly in the health and health-care system, first practicing emergency medicine and teaching medical students and residents at the University of Chicago and Northwestern University. He is the past chairman of the Board of Directors of the Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, the major teaching hospital of Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey. After earning his M.P.H. in 1985, he began caring for the more than 12 million people of Illinois as the first African American director of the state public health agency with more than 1,300 employees in seven regional offices, three laboratories, and locations in Springfield and Chicago. He led improvements to programs dealing with women’s and men’s health, information and technology, emergency and bioterrorism preparedness, infectious disease prevention and control, immunization, local health department coverage, and the state’s laboratory services.
Dr. Lumpkin is a member of the National Academy of Medicine and a fellow of the American Academy of Nursing, American College of Emergency Physicians, and American College of Medical Informatics. He has been chairman of the National Committee on Vital and Health Statistics, and served on the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Council on Maternal, Infant and Fetal Nutrition, the advisory committee to the director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the National Institute of Medicine’s Committee on Assuring the Health of the Public in the 21st Century. He has served on the boards of directors for the Public Health Foundation and National Quality Forum, as president of the Illinois College of Emergency Physicians and the Society of Teachers of Emergency
Medicine, and as speaker and board of director’s member of the American College of Emergency Physicians. He has received the Arthur McCormack Excellence and Dedication in Public Health Award from the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials, the Jonas Salk Health Leadership Award, and the Leadership in Public Health Award from the Illinois Public Health Association. Dr. Lumpkin also has been the recipient of the Bill B. Smiley Award, Alan Donaldson Award, African American History Maker, and Public Health Worker of the Year of the Illinois Public Health Association. He is the author of numerous journal articles and book chapters.
Dr. Lumpkin earned his M.D. and B.M.S. degrees from Northwestern University Medical School and his M.P.H. from the University of Illinois School of Public Health. He was the first African American trained in emergency medicine in the country after completing his residency at the University of Chicago. He has served on the faculty of the University of Chicago, Northwestern University, and University of Illinois at Chicago.
Norma Poll-Hunter, Ph.D., is the senior director of Human Capital Initiatives within the Diversity Policy and Programs at the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC). In this role, she leads a portfolio of career-development programs with a focus on diversity and inclusion across the medical education continuum. She serves as the deputy director for the Summer Health Professions Education Program, a national pipeline program to increase diversity in the health professions. She also leads initiatives focused on cultural competence in medical education, building collaborations and partnerships to advance diversity, and research and evaluation projects focused on diversity in the health-care workforce.
Prior to AAMC, Dr. Poll-Hunter practiced as a bilingual psychologist at a regional hospital in Upstate New York. Following receipt of her B.A. from Lehman College, City University of New York, Dr. Poll-Hunter earned her Ph.D. in counseling psychology at the University at Albany, State University of New York.
Javaid Siddiqi, Ph.D., former Virginia secretary of education, is the president and CEO of the Hunt Institute. Most recently, he served as the director of the Hunt-Kean Leadership Fellows, which partners with senior-level political leaders who have the knowledge, skill, and will to be effective, reform-minded education policy makers at the state level. Under his leadership, the national, nonpartisan fellowship has garnered praise from former governors and generous financial support from major funders across the country.
Dr. Siddiqi’s career spans more than 20 years in education and education reform and policy. He began his profession as a high school teacher, assistant principal, and principal in Chesterfield, Virginia, where he led the implementation of Expeditionary Learning, a nationally recognized school reform model. As secretary of education in Gov. Bob McDonnell’s cabinet, Dr. Siddiqi assisted in the development and implementation of the Commonwealth’s education policy; and provided guidance to 16 public universities, the Virginia Community College System, 5 higher education and research centers, the Department of Education, and the state-supported museums. Prior to his appointment, he served as deputy secretary of education where he focused his efforts on teacher quality and improving educational outcomes for all students.
In addition to an extensive history of leadership service, Dr. Siddiqi continues to actively serve his community and state. He is an Aspen Institute fellow, former vice rector of the Radford University Board of Visitors, and former member of the Chesterfield County School Board. He currently serves on the Elevate Early Education board. Dr. Siddiqi is a graduate of Richard Bland College, Virginia State University, and Virginia Commonwealth University where he received both his undergraduate degree and his doctorate in educational leadership.
Jo Wiederhorn, M.S.W., has been the president and CEO of the Associated Medical Schools of New York (AMSNY) since 2002. Under her tenure, the organization has focused its efforts on educating the public on the role medical schools have played in attracting and retaining an inclusive and diversified physician workforce. This has been accomplished through the development of pipeline programs across the medical education continuum. The organization has also focused its efforts on informing the public about the important role biomedical and life sciences’ research has on improving the health outcomes of New York State residents. Prior to her work at AMSNY, she was the chief of staff to the dean at New York University (NYU) School of Medicine and director of its Institute for Urban and Global Health. Prior to her tenure at NYU, Ms. Wiederhorn was the chief of staff to the president of the then Health and Hospitals Corporation and associate executive director of MetroPlus Health Plan.
Nancy Oriol, M.D., is faculty associate dean for community engagement in medical education at Harvard Medical School (HMS). For 19 years, she was dean for students at HMS and prior to that was director of the Division of
Obstetric Anesthesia at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston. Her career has focused on innovations in clinical medicine, education, and community engagement: The clinical innovations included the “walking epidural” a technique of labor pain relief, inventing a device for resuscitating newborns, and inventing a process for interpreting fetal monitor data. The educational innovations included co-creating the HMS Division of Service Learning and integrating mannequin simulation to the medical student curriculum as well as co-founding a novel, simulation-based high school STEM program, which partners with 30 local high schools. In addition, she co-founded a public health outreach program of Harvard Medical School and co-created a collaborative of more than 700 mobile health clinics, that provides novel assessment tools such as the Mobile Clinic ROI Calculator and the Public Health Quality Calculator.
Renetta Garrison Tull, Ph.D., is vice chancellor of diversity, equity, and inclusion at the University of California, Davis. Before joining UC Davis in 2019, Dr. Tull was associate vice provost for strategic initiatives at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) and professor of the practice in UMBC’s College of Engineering and Information Technology (COEIT). Within COEIT, she served as part of the “Engagement” team, and pursues research in humanitarian engineering. Dr. Tull is founding director and co–principal investigator for the 12-institution National Science Foundation (NSF) University System of Maryland’s (USM) PROMISE AGEP, and co-director/co–principal investigator for the NSF USM’s Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation.
In addition to roles at UMBC and roles with grants, she also served USM as special assistant to the senior vice chancellor for academic affairs and student affairs, and was the system’s director of graduate and professional pipeline development. In 2017, Dr. Tull was appointed to serve as chair for USM’s Health Care Workforce Diversity subgroup. She has engineering and science degrees from Howard University and Northwestern University.
An international speaker on global diversity in STEM, Dr. Tull has led discussions around the world on topics such as “Inclusive Engagement – Engineering for All,” “Cultivating Inclusive Excellence within Science, Engineering, and Technology,” work-life balance, family, and prevention of domestic and work-place abuse. She co-led Puerto Rico’s ADVANCE Hispanic Women in STEM project, and continues to lead the “Women in STEM Forum” for the Latin and Caribbean Consortium of
Engineering Institutions (LACCEI) and the Engineering for the Americas/ Organization of American States as LACCEI’s current vice president for initiatives.
Recognitions include the 2015 O’Reilly Media “Women in Data” cover, 2015 Global Engineering Deans Council/Airbus Diversity Award Finalist, and 2016 ABET Claire L. Felbinger Award for Diversity. She has been an invited plenary panelist for diversity in engineering initiatives for the 2016 International Conference on Transformations in Engineering Education in India, and an invited speaker for the International Federation of Engineering Education Societies “Global Engagement in Diversity” webinar. She was also part of an invited United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) team for the “Engineering Report II” meeting in Beijing in September 2017, hosted by the Chinese Academy of Engineering. In 2017, she was appointed to a 2-year term on the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine’s Committee on the Science of Effective Mentoring in Science, Technology, Engineering, Medicine, and Mathematics (STEMM). In 2018, she was invited back to the United Nations Headquarters to talk about women in engineering as part of a UNESCO-sponsored side event during the 62nd Session on the UN’s Commission on the Status of Women.
Dr. Tull has more than 50 publications, has given more than 200 presentations on various STEM topics, and is a Tau Beta Pi “Eminent Engineer.” She also engages the public on topics related to STEM and society, and was a speaker for “Diversity, STEAM, and Comics,” where “A” adds the “arts” to STEM, at Awesome Con in March 2018. She is a passionate advocate, global mentor, education policy strategist, and champion for equity in STEM.
