Past Ambassador Events

Catherine Stone grew up dreaming of becoming a professional ballerina. She studied ballet rigorously; however, in high school she was diagnosed with scoliosis, a curvature in her spine. After wearing a brace for two years, there was no other option besides spinal fusion surgery to correct her scoliosis. Three surgeries later, she was told that her dancing career would not be possible. This fueled her passion to dedicate her career to finding ways to help those with scoliosis and other spinal disorders.Catherine received her B.S. degrees in Engineering Science & Mechanics and Mathematics from Virginia Tech. She also received her M.S. in Biomedical Technology Development & Management from Georgetown University. She started out her career in research and development engineering, designing innovative spinal medical devices. In addition to R&D Engineering, Catherine has managed a team of quality engineers and specialists and now serves as the Director of Advanced Operations for Stryker Spine.Catherine loves to spend her free time with her husband, Adam, and her friends playing board games. She also is a passionate advocate for women in STEM through Alpha Omega Epsilon, a social and professional sorority for women in engineering and technical sciences. She loves encouraging and mentoring other young women to pursue their STEM dreams.

Dr. Gretchen Hein teaches engineering classes at Michigan Technological University. Her classes are Thermodynamics (where energy goes), Fluid Mechanics (where water goes) and Heat Transfer (how stuff warms up and cools down). She has three engineering degrees: Bachelors in Mechanical Engineering, Masters in Civil Engineering and a Doctorate in Environmental Engineering. This means that she enjoys engineering so much that she kept exploring different types. Prior to teaching engineering, she worked for a company that made helicopter engines. She has not only designed parts of those engines, but she has also taken a helicopter engine apart and put it back together. She is the Society of Women Engineers adviser at Michigan Tech, and advises, along with her SWE college members, a SWENext Club where the focus is on national science competitions.

She has three children, Ian, Siona and Jenna. Ian is working on becoming an electrical engineer and will graduate in the spring. Siona is in the 12th grade and planning on studying either computer engineering or computer science. Jenna is in 9th grade and is looking at animal science. Her family has a farm where they grow vegetables and fruit. They also have goats, sheep, alpacas, chickens, ducks, rabbits, dogs, cats and bees. At her session, you will get to meet one of her ducks and learn how ducks and heat transfer go together.

Although Dr. LaPat-Polasko was in school for a long time getting degrees in biology, environmental engineering and microbiology, some of the more fun facts about her include:

– She was bit by a shark at the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago while giving a lecture through a microphone in her scuba gear
– She has a bacterium name after her that biodegrades a harmful compound in our groundwater
– She lived on an island all alone for a month performing research
– She worked for Jacques Cousteau, the famous underwater photographer and inventor of scuba gear, at the Oceanographic Institute of Monaco

Now she spends the majority of her time cleaning up contaminated sites around the world, such as the BP Gulf Oil spill.

A 2018 graduate of the University of Virginia, Zoe has lived in Taiwan, Poland, and Singapore.  She is a Software Engineer on the Core team at Attentive, a software startup company in Manhattan, New York City that sends text messages.  Every message that is received by and sent from Attentive’s platform goes through her team’s systems.

Zoe is very involved in the Women in Tech networks she has built over the years. For example, she is still involved in her alma mater’s Women in Computing Sciences organization. Her current company, Attentive, helped her continue to support this organization and its mission by being a corporate sponsor for its annual “Hackathon” event.

In the past few months, Zoe’s company has switched to 100% remote work. The company has more than doubled in size since then! From a little over 200 people at the beginning of 2020 to over 650 employees now. Working from home has been interesting and has been a chance to try more cooking and start new hobbies like embroidery and punch needle. Another fun activity Zoe has started over quarantine is fostering dogs through a local animal rescue organization. It’s fun working from home and having a furry friend around!

Derya is a PhD student in Electrical Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University. She was born in Miami, FL and fell in love with math and science in middle and high school. She attended the University of Florida for her bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering. During her time there, she interned at NASA Langley, Los Alamos National Laboratory, and Stryker. She’s worked on projects involving 3D printing, embedded electronics, and autonomous systems. She is currently pursuing a PhD at Carnegie Mellon University and working on projects that involve designing external patches for biomedical applications (e.g. measuring heart rate).

Dr. Cari Corrigan is the curator of Antarctic meteorites at the Smithsonian. She studies meteorites from the Moon, Mars and asteroids in order to understand how the Solar System — particularly its rocky planets –formed,  and to learn how the impact cratering process affects these planetary materials.

She was previously involved in the Mars Exploration Rover project, processing images that come down from the Opportunity Rover. She has been to Antarctica twice to collect meteorites with the Antarctic Search for Meteorites program (ANSMET) and would go back again in a heartbeat! She is currently working with ANGSA, which stands for Apollo Next Generation Sample Analysis – a project that is examining rocks collected on the moon by the Apollo missions that remained sealed until 2019.

Dr. Corrigan earned her Ph.D. in planetary science from Case Western University. Her dissertation focused on Martian meteorites! She earned her master’s and bachelor’s in geology from Michigan State University, East Lansing, Mich.

Dr. Hawkins is Chief of the Severe, Fire, Public, and Winter Weather Services Branch at the National Weather Service department of the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). She provides programmatic leadership for the nation’s severe, public, and winter weather services, as well as weather-support response services for wildland fires in support of NWS land management partners. Dr. Hawkins also works with health partners such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to advance our understanding of weather-related impacts on human health.
Dr. Hawkins moved to Washington D.C. from Chicago to major in chemistry at Howard University.  As an undergraduate, she participated in a NASA sponsored program focused on terrestrial and extraterrestrial atmospheres. Dr. Hawkins had always been fascinated by Chicago’s severe storms and winter weather and the NASA program solidified her trajectory into meteorology. “I feel like a kid in a candy store here in the National Weather Service,” Dr. Hawkins explains. “There is always an exciting science problem to solve and as someone who has always loved the weather, this is the place you want to be.
B.S. Chemistry, Howard University
Ph.D. Atmospheric Sciences, Howard University

Sabrina Thompson performs orbit design studies and develops trajectory and mission designs for CubeSat missions and technology development efforts.

Sabrina received a B.E. in Mechanical Engineering from SUNY Stony Brook while playing four years of NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball; M.S. in Aerospace Engineering from Georgia Institute of Technology; and is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Atmospheric Physics at University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC).

She is passionate about innovation, space exploration and having a positive impact on society. Apart from participating in outreach activities through NASA, Sabrina uses art to inspire the next generation of girls to be confident in their abilities and know they are more than capable of breaking down barriers they will encounter as they pursue their dreams. Under her artist name, Nefertiti- Pokahontas, she is creating a collection of paintings and books, called “Girl in Space”.  Ultimately, she hopes young ladies will see themselves in these works of art and be encouraged to pursue careers in S.T.E.A.M. Her artwork can be found at www.nefertiti-pokahontas.com

Molly Bloom, Marc Sanchez and Sanden Totten are the creators of Brains On! They became friends while working at Minnesota Public Radio and decided to make a show for kids, because kids are awesome. They’ve had all sorts of jobs in public radio, but making Brains On! is their favorite. In their free time, they attend punk shows, run half marathons, and make swiss meringue buttercream (but you’ll have to guess who does which activity).  Get a preview on YouTube here.

Dr. Astrid Layton is a Mechanical Engineering Assistant Professor at Texas A&M University. She is originally from Pittsburgh, PA where she got her BS in Mechanical Engineering with a minor in Studio Arts. She then moved to Atlanta for her PhD in Mechanical Engineering at Georgia Institute of Technology. After Atlanta, she spent 2 years as a visiting lecturer in Metz, France at Georgia Tech Lorraine. Now living in Texas, Dr. Layton researches how we can better design our human networks, things like power grids and water distribution and supply chains, to be more sustainable and resilient by looking at networks like food webs in nature! In addition to learning about nature, Dr. Layton also enjoys painting, whitewater kayaking, hiking, and mountain biking.

Helaine Becker is the bestselling author of more than 90 books for children and young adults, including An Equal Shot: The Story of Title IX, The Law That Changed America Forever; the international bestseller Counting on Katherine: How Katherine Johnson Saved Apollo 13; and the #1 Canadian national bestseller and “enduring Canadian Christmas classic” A Porcupine in a Pine Tree (Scholastic Canada) Other (new!) titles include Pirate Queen: A Story of Zheng Yi Sao; Emmy Noether: The Most Important Mathematician You Never Heard Of; and Alice and Gert: An Ant and Grasshopper Story.  Helaine’s a multi-time winner of the Silver Birch Award and the Lane Anderson Award for science writing for children. Her books have been recipients of Picture Book of the Year Award, The Cook Prize, the Giverny Prize, Bank Street Best of the Year, Red Cedar Award, Eureka Award, and JLG. 

Amy Griffin is a Professional Civil Engineer in California.  She graduated from California State University Fullerton and has over 15 years of Construction and Engineering experience.  She is the Engineering Manager at Ortiz Enterprises, Inc, a highway and bridge Contractor.  She currently oversees engineering staff and operations on all projects including a $110 million dollar project to widen the 5 freeway in Orange County.  Amy works in the field, so in addition to calculations and drawings, she gets to spend some of her time stomping around in the mud and getting her hands dirty.

When she’s not building bridges, Amy enjoys biking with her husband and three children and is an avid reader.  Amy is passionate about inspiring the next group of women construction engineers that will inevitably revolutionize the industry and volunteers time to various organizations.

Leia Akre is a Chemical Engineer that has taken a nontraditional career path with roles in Quality and Process Engineering supporting manufacturing of cell phones and fighter jets before joining Johnson & Johnson.  At Johnson & Johnson, Leia is currently Director of Supplier Quality where she manages and improves reliability with suppliers of active ingredients, chemicals, and materials used in biologic and vaccine manufacture.  She joined Johnson & Johnson 15 years ago at the Neutrogena plant and has taken on roles of increasing responsibility during that time. In Supplier Quality she builds relationships with strategic suppliers and fosters continuous improvement in production of materials that go into almost every Johnson & Johnson product from Personal Care brands like Aveeno, Listerine, and Clean & Clear, Over the Counter Drugs like Tylenol and Zyrtec, Medical Devices like Acuvue contact lenses and sutures, Pharmaceutical Products that treat conditions like cancer, HIV, diabetes, and high blood pressure and the COVID vaccine candidate.

Leia grew up in Southern California, earning her B.S. degree in Chemical Engineering from University of California, San Diego.  She moved from San Diego to Los Angeles and then to New Jersey in her career and has had the opportunity to travel all over the United States and internationally for business.  She currently lives near Princeton, New Jersey with her husband, Rob, children, Weston (9) and Kaitlyn (7), and enormous puppy Crosby.  When she’s not working, she enjoys exercising by riding the Peloton or walking the dog, puzzles, cross-stitching, crafting, and playing games with her kids.v

An emerging leader in Technology, Nisha is a visionary technologist and passionate change agent. Nisha joined Capital One in 2015 in Finance Tech, moved on to Small Business Tech and is now the Vice President of Software Engineering in Card, where she is leading the transformation of Core Modernization.

At Capital One, she leads the enterprise Women in Tech Task Force, focusing on retention, development and leadership through empowerHER. Nisha also has a big heart for her associates and desires for them to feel valued, engaged and psychologically safe so they can bring their whole selves to work. Nisha’s passion is empowering others and, in that vein, is a mentor to many and volunteers her personal time with CodeVa, which focuses on STEM education for K -12.

Nisha is an avid learner who made the jump from microbiology to the tech world after teaching herself programming. She voraciously continues her life-long pursuit of soaking up knowledge every step of the way by reading, listening to podcasts and doing internal & external speaking engagements whenever possible.

Sonny Franckel is a software engineering manager at Google. She leads a team that builds products for kids and parents in the Google Play Store. Her team most recently launched the Teacher Approved section on Google Play. All apps found in this section are rated highly by teachers and meet government regulations around data collection and advertising.
Currently living in San Francisco, Sonny previously worked in Baltimore, New York, Munich, Krakow, and San Jose on topics ranging from visualizations to robotics to AI. She has a BA in Computer Science from the University of Maryland (go Terps!). Sonny spends all her free time wrangling a 4-month Goldendoodle named Izzy, being outdoors, and building furniture.

Dr. Claire Wemp is an engineer who works with thermal materials at DuPont in Sunnyvale, CA. She did her undergrad, masters, and PhD in Mechanical Engineering and focused on designing special surface coatings that would make power plants more efficient. At DuPont she works with Bay Area tech companies to find materials that help ensure that electronics don’t get too hot and get damaged. Her engineering passions are renewable energy, thermal management, and electric vehicles. Outside of engineering, Claire is an avid musician, outdoors-woman, and cook, especially Thai food!

Dina Venezky is the first executive director for nondegree programs (Exec Ed, Precollege, and Business Prep) where she brings Smith’s long experience in women’s education and leadership to broader audiences across the lifespan.  Education and STEM, in particular, have been passions throughout Dina’s life and she has more than 20 years of advocating for and communicating technical and business concepts in startups, government, and academia.

Dina received her AB in Geology from Smith College and her Ph.D. in Geological Sciences from Brown University. In July 2008, Dina worked the night shift at the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory helping to monitor the new Halema’uma’u vent, she also co-founded a just-in-time offset and digital printing company, and was lucky enough to co-discover and name a few rooms at Wind Cave.

About Smith College

Since its founding in 1871, Smith College has provided women of high ability and promise an education of uncompromising quality. A world-class faculty of scholars are fully engaged in your intellectual development, and an open curriculum encourages you to explore many fields of knowledge. Mentors for scholarship, leadership and service help you observe different models of achievement so you can set your own course with conviction and confidence.

Brittany Travis is a senior project engineer for the aircraft components team at Moog.  Her team works on several engine/aircraft platforms including the F135 engine project.  She enjoys making an impact on the world in particularly the aerospace industry.

Marissa Evans Alden is a seasoned technology entrepreneur and founder with more than a decade of experience in startups. She currently serves as CEO and Co-Founder of Sawyer, which uses technology to connect parents and providers of the best enriching childhood experiences to ensure every child has the opportunity to discover their own love of learning.
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Prior to starting Sawyer, Marissa founded the consumer fashion application Go Try It On. After being acquired in 2014, Marissa led the Growth Team at Rent the Runway until starting Sawyer. She holds a BS in Human Development from Cornell University and an MBA from Harvard Business School. She currently lives in Brooklyn with her husband Ben and their daughters Blake and Hayes.

Julie is a BS student in Bioengineering at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC). She was born in Chicago, IL, and developed an interest in the fusion of medicine and engineering in high school, when she participated in a program called Junior Research Scientists (JRS). It was in JRS where she assembled her first solar panel, built sensor-integrated robots, and developed STEM workshops for grades K-12.
Knowing her passion for engineering would not stagnate, she decided to pursue bioengineering in college, a rigorous major that would continue to teach and amaze her.
During her time at UIC, Julie has worked as an undergraduate research assistant for LaDu Research Lab, where she investigates the interactions between Alzheimer’s disease and the gut microbiome. She has also worked on projects involving machine learning, biostatistical analyses, and animal dissection. She also works as a teaching assistant for a class at UIC; CS 109, or Programming for Engineers with MatLab, where she introduces program design and problem-solving using MATLAB, a commonly used language for engineers.Ultimately, Julie hopes to inspire other young women to pursue careers in engineering and share her experiences of competing in a male-dominated field. Besides her academic pursuits, Julie also plays on the women’s ultimate frisbee team at UIC and is a member of the Society of Women Engineers!

Innovative Change Agent
Experienced Systems Engineering Manager with a demonstrated history of working in the consumer goods industry. Skilled in Agile Methodologies, Process Engineering, Value Stream Mapping, Data Mining, Business Process Improvement, and Cross-functional Team Leadership. Strong engineering professional graduated from Virginia Tech and Wilmington University, with over 15 years of management experience.

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