It's almost autumn and the 2022 Women of Color (WOC) Conference digital twin experience (DTX) is here.
Scheduled for October 6-8, the 27th annual event will feature forums on retention and networking.
Since 1995, employers committed to inclusion have chosen the Women of Color STEM Conference to exchange best practices and strategies to attract and keep girls and women in scientific and technical fields.
This year's conference theme is "The Struggle, the Progress, and the Future," and the conference co-sponsor is Raytheon Technologies, with additional sponsorship from Jacobs Engineering.
The event has highlighted the continuing challenges that bias, discrimination, and harassment pose to diversity, equity, and inclusion
efforts. That's why the 2022 conference theme is a call to action while reflecting the development and progress to achieve universal workplace gender equality.
In addition to a series of events for attendees to gather, learn, and grow together, the conference hosts an awards ceremony to honor women who have spent time mentoring and nurturing the next generation of STEM leaders.
Here are the awardees for this year's Women of Color STEM DTX Conference.
Technologist of the Year:
Valerie Sheares Ashby, Ph.D., President, University of Maryland, Baltimore County
Career Achievement – Government:
Andra Homer, Chief, Resource Management, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Sacramento District
Phi-Anh "Ann" Lutz, Systems Security Engineer, U.S. Air Force
Donna Merriman, Deputy Commander, Defense Contract Management Agency
Career Achievement – Industry:
Sharon Jean-Baptiste, Vice President, Midwest Operations, Jacobs
Sadiqa Mahmood, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Life Sciences Business, Health Catalyst
D Sangeeta, CEO and Founder, Gotara
Community Service:
Karriema Calhoun, Manager, Indirect Supply Chain, The Boeing Company
Cesanee Johnson, Program Manager, and Business Operations Lead, Raytheon Technologies
Adrienne M. Somerville, CEO, Talent & Technical Solutions Corporation
Corporate Responsibility:
Bernice Billups, Director, Boeing Global Engagement, The Boeing Company
Judy Johnson, Vice President, Jacobs
Diversity Leadership:
Ruthie Barnes, Branch Chief/Program Manager, United States Air Force Materiel Command, BOMC Development Support Branch
Denise LaMaison-Bell, Senior Program Coordinator, Jacobs
Educational Leadership – Corporate Promotion of Education:
Molly Mo, Global Engineering Learning & Development Manager, Ford Motor Company
Briana Pompilus, Executive Advisor, Project Manager of Operations for Global Digital Center of Excellence, Jacobs
FinTech Leadership:
Josnelly Aponte, Director, Consumers Energy
JeanMarie LeiAnuenue Priola, Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance Modernization, Automation and Development (IMAD) Portfolio Manager, HQ ACC A2, U.S. Air Force
GEM Student Leadership:
Samantha Mendez, Research Assistant (Ph.D. Student), The Ohio State University
Lifetime Achievement Award:
Amanda Goodson, Ph.D., Senior Director, Engineering and Mission Assurance, Raytheon Intelligence & Space
Managerial Leadership – Government:
Jennifer Mills, Ph.D., Supervisory Computer Engineer, the Communications-Electronics Command (CECOM) – U.S. Army Information Systems Engineering Command
Managerial Leadership – Industry:
Jilma Jimenez, Vice President, Jacobs; Hue Robinson, Microchip Implementation Program Manager, Ford Motor Company
Chrissy Thom, Senior Vice President, Global Growth, Strategy & Solutions, Jacobs
New Media/IT Leadership: Petronella Chola Sims, Vice President, Enterprise Technology, ICF
Ebony Rose Smith, Cybersecurity Technical Program Manager, Walmart Inc.
Outstanding Technical Contribution:
Tamara Goyea, Ph.D., Section Supervisor, Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory Ruchi Mahindru, Senior Technical Staff Member, IBM Research
President's Award:
LaTara Harris, Director of External Affairs, AT&T
Professional Achievement – Government:
Vanessa Espinoza, Deputy Fire Chief, Hill Air Force Base, Utah, United States Air Force Materiel Command, 775th Civil Engineering Squadron/Fire Department
Shawanta Leary, Noncommissioned Officer in Charge of Group Plans, 90th Security Forces Group, United States Air Force
Seana McNeal, Senior General Engineer, Aerospace Systems Directorate, United States Air Force Materiel Command
Professional Achievement – Industry:
Joy Johnson, Senior Financial Control Analyst, The Boeing Company
Da'Shaun Joseph, Portfolio Manager/Program Manager
Student Leadership – Undergraduate Level:
Cierra Williams, Target Digital Network Analyst, National Security Agency Georgia
Technical Innovation:
Carissa Pajel, Metalworking Production & Purchasing (MP&P) Engineer (Chemical Technology), The Boeing Company
Hui-ping Wang, Ph.D., Technical Fellow, General Motors LLC
Special Recognition:
Angela Butler, Capture Director, General Dynamics Information Technology (GDIT)
Aida Gonzalez-Lopez, Director, International Programs Products Division, Naval Air Warfare Center Training Systems Division
Candace Kenner, Manager, Talent Acquisition, Huntington Ingalls Industries
Ashley McQueen, Business Manager for the NASA SBIR/STTR Program Management Office, NASA Ames Research Center
Mai-Chi Nguyen, Engineering Specialist, Bell; Vernessa Noye, Computer Scientist, U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center
Agnes Ortega, DVP Global Compliance and Quality Operations, Abbott
Tuyet-Hanh Schnell, Lead Member Engineering Staff, Lockheed Martin
Antoinette Ward, Networking Performance & Reliability Engineer, Leidos
Whitni Wilson Wertz, Associate Director, High Rise Group, High Rise Contract Logistics Center (HRCLC), Otis Elevator
The Women of Color STEM Conference is produced by Career Communications Group, Inc. (CCG), the leader in workforce diversity, working with all types of companies to help support them in promoting multiculturalism and gender equity in STEM fields (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics).
For 27 years, the Women of Color STEM Conference has been a leading event for professional development, networking, and providing a resource for women to feel empowered. For more information about the 2022 Women of Color STEM DTX Conference, visit www.womenofcolor.net. Registration is now open
Source: Women of Color STEM Conference Announces 2022 List of Award Recipients
