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Afua Bruce is the director of engineering for New America’s Public Interest Technology program. Bruce joins New America after spending several years working in the Federal government—at the White House and at the FBI. During the Obama Administration, Bruce served as the executive director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy’s National Science and Technology Council at the White House. In this role, she oversaw 100 different Federal inter-agency working groups, tackling challenges on environment, and sustainability, homeland and […]

Yolanda A. Rankin  is currently an Assistant Professor in the College of Communication & Information at Florida State University and the Director of the Designing Technologies for the Underserved (DETOUR) Research Lab. Her research interests include identifying best practices and pedagogical strategies for the recruitment and retention of underrepresented populations in Computer Science education, leveraging game-based social interactions between native and non-native speakers to promote Second Language Acquisition, and defining methods to engage members of underserved populations in participatory design […]

Fayo Ojo is an undergraduate, computer science student at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. There she is a leader in the Society of Women Engineers and Computer Science Education. In addition, she is a researcher in human-centered computing (HCC) and hopes to pursue HCC at the graduate level.

Sheena Erete is an assistant professor in the College of Computing and Digital Media at DePaul University and co-director of the Technology for Social Good Research and Design Lab. With a background in computer and social science, she is an expert in understanding how to situate and evaluate the use of technologies in resource-constrained communities to address issues such as violence, civic engagement, health and STEM education. With all her work being community-based, Dr. Erete takes an asset-based approach to […]

Christina Harrington (she/her) is a designer and scholar and currently a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the Inclusive Technology Lab at Northwestern University. Christina conducts qualitative and exploratory design inquiries to understand the health technology needs and experiences of individuals who have been marginalized along multiple dimensions of identity (age, race, ethnicity, income, class), employing methods of co-creation and community-based participatory research to address health equity. Most recently, her research explores the ways participatory design research can support both function and […]

Titilayo ‘Titi’- I am a current design researcher at Microsoft with a background in CS and Applied Math from Illinois Tech and a Masters in HCI from Georgia Tech. I like working on software and bringing the user’s voice into the product process. In my spare time, I love to travel and try to experience cultures and love meeting people.

Tawanna Dillahunt is an Assistant Professor at the University of Michigan’s School of Information and holds a courtesy appointment with the Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Department. She leads the Social Innovations research group, an interdisciplinary group of individuals whose vision is to design, build, and enhance technologies to solve real-world problems affecting marginalized groups and individuals primarily in the U.S. Her current projects aim to address unemployment, environmental sustainability, and technical literacy by fostering social and sociotechnical capital within […]

Angela Smith is a 3rd-year doctoral student in the Technology & Social Behavior program at Northwestern University. Currently, she works with Madhu Reddy within the People, Information, & Technology Changing Health (PITCH) Lab. Angela’s current research focuses on technology within a homeless shelter network (HSN). More specifically, how we can leverage technology and its design to improve the collaboration as well as the development of social trust and social capital in homeless emerging adults’ transition to mainstream society.

Ailsa Gilliam is an entrepreneur with a passion for leveraging technology to combat domestic violence and foster women’s empowerment.  A prior technology executive, this Harvard Master’s candidate is a 20 year veteran of commodities and investment banking.  Leveraging her corporate expertise, she creates video games that provide the player with strategies for safety and freedom from abuse, raising awareness of the subtleties of domestic violence. Ailsa also co-founded Recycl.it seeking to recycle Caribbean waste plastic into synthetic crude oil. A […]

Pamela Gibbs is currently Human Factors Engineer and Researcher at Northrop Grumman,  and an Information and Interaction Design doctoral candidate at the University of Baltimore. Her research focuses on the utilization of video games as a medium to encourage learning and increase participation of underrepresented and lower socioeconomic status groups in the STEM field. She holds an MBA and dual Bachelor of Science degrees in International Business and Marketing from Penn State University. She is also a proud wife, mom […]

Siobahn received her BS in Computer Science from Winston-Salem State University in 2005, her master’s degree in Information Science from North Carolina Central University in 2009, and in 2018 obtained her master’s and doctorate of philosophy degree in Computer Science from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University. Siobahn is the first female Computer Science Ph.D. graduate from the department. She is a Lecturer for the Department of Computer Science at The University of North Carolina at Greensboro and an […]

Victoria is committed to helping those who seek to change their communities and the world. She prides herself on being more than an attorney to her clients, realizing that often her clients need more than just information and services rooted in law—they need counsel that takes into consideration the client’s personality, goals, financial situation, and strategy. Prior to opening her law firm, Victoria clerked in the District of Columbia Superior Court, spending one year on civil matters and another year […]

In 2007, Andrea Hence Evans, Esq. launched the intellectual property law practice, The Law Firm of Andrea Hence Evans. Attorney Evans career path is unique since she worked at the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) for approximately 5 years as both a patent examiner and a trademark examining attorney after graduating from law school. Andrea Hence Evans, Esq. is a 2002 graduate of The George Washington Law School in Washington, DC. While attending law school, she took advantage […]

Rati Thanawala spent 39 years in the high-tech industry, the last 17 as Vice President at Bell Labs. Rati came to the US from India on a Rotary Graduate Scholarship and joined the inaugural batch of grad students pursuing a PhD in Computer Science at Yale. After her PhD, she joined Bell Labs, which was part of AT&T, in software development. At Bell Labs, Rati pioneered the creation of techno-economic models for making complex decisions about new technologies. She established […]

Lori Mitchell is a geek, nerd, dork and all around tech enthusiast who founded Black Women in Technology in 2014. Despite all reports on the lack of black women in technology, she created BWIT to find them and give them cause to stake their claim in the vast tech universe.

Dr. Sydeaka Watson is a Principal Data Scientist at Korelasi Data Insights, L.L.C., an independent analytics consulting company. She earned a Ph.D. in Statistics from Baylor University and has several years of teaching experience at various colleges and universities. In her 5 years as Research Assistant Professor in The University of Chicago Biostatistics Laboratory, she consulted with over 110 biomedical research teams in The University of Chicago Medical Center, specializing in experimental design of clinical research studies and data analytics. […]

Attorney Aimee Griffin, managing attorney of The Griffin Firm PLLC. The Griffin Firm serves communities in Massachusetts, Maryland, District of Columbia, Georgia, and North Carolina. As an incorporator, Clerk and Corporate Counsel for the US Black Chambers, Aimee works to create, protect and transfer wealth for community enhancement. The Griffin Firm works with individuals and families to create generational wealth retention strategies. Aimee uses Trust and estate planning to support families to build generational wealth using tools that minimize taxation […]

Nikki D. Lee is the founder and CEO of KiLee Solutions, a technology development and consulting company. She holds a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Florida State University, a M.S. in Electrical and Computer Engineering (Concentration: Telecommunications and Networking) from Johns Hopkins University and is also a certified Project Management Professional (PMP). Nikki began her career in a government intelligence agency before transitioning over to industry. She has over 20 years of experience working with Intelligence Community partners providing technical […]

Deena Davis is the Vice President and CEO of Alpha Omega Bioservices, Inc. She also serves as the managing partner of CT3 Properties, LLC. Alpha Omega Bioservices, Inc. provides biotechnology support services to the government and private sector. CT3 Properties is a real estate investment firm. Mrs. Davis graduated from North Carolina A&T State University with a BS degree in Computer Science. She received a MS degree in Computer Science from Michigan State University. She spent many years developing software […]

Dr. Estwick is the Principal & Founder of The Acorn EdTech Group, a boutique education technology consultancy, which focuses on STEM education with special emphasis on computer science and cybersecurity for K-12 and under-represented populations. She has over 20 years’ experience in the information security industry and is currently the Program Director for the National Cybersecurity Institute at Excelsior College and serves as the Co-Vice President for the Women in Cybersecurity Mid-Atlantic Affiliate. Prior to her academic and professional pursuits, […]

Dr. Brandeis Marshall, Founder and CEO of the data.ed.x group, is a successful professor, scholar and mentor. She is involved in a number of projects, workshops, and organizations that support data literacy and understanding, share best data practices and broaden participation in data science. Dr. Marshall brings nearly 15 years experience in higher education, and 10 years teaching databases and data-related courses. She has secured over $1.2M from federal and industry funded sources, serving as the principal or co-principal investigator, […]

Jamie Berger is a Computer Science Master’s student at Michigan Technological University. She performs community-based education research on Native American relationships with computing and how to modify computer science curricula to harmonize with Native American traditional values. Outside of the university, Jamie is actively involved in science communication to inspire others into computing. She shares stories of successful diverse individuals in technology, tips for surviving graduate school, and her personal experiences as a student. A unique portion of her science […]