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

DETROIT - June 22, 2023 - PRLog -- 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.

Here is the list of the 2023 Women of Color STEM Award recipients:

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

Melissa Welch, MD
Chief Medical Officer
Health Catalyst

Community Service
Shaneka Lawson, Ph.D.
Research Plant Physiologist
USDA Forest 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

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

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)

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-Kupe, 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

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

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 visit https://intouch.ccgmag.com/mpage/woc-stem-conference-awardees

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.