Where Does Your Journey STEM From?

Olivia Gonzalez is an economist at the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) in the Office of Strategic Management and Enterprise Integrity, where she conducts regulatory economic analysis, supports the evaluation of SBA programs, and leverages data and evidence as strategic assets to drive decisions. She co-leads the SBA’s Evidence and Evaluation Community of Practice which is intended to promote a culture of learning and evidence-based decision-making throughout the agency.

Celena Michaud is an Electrical Engineer at Avalanche Energy, a nuclear fusion startup developing a compact fusion device capable of providing clean, renewable energy for use in distributed and remote systems such as underwater vehicles and satellites. Her work includes designing experimental hardware, instrumentation, and data acquisition systems to support fusion research and experiments.

Dr. Daisy Rosas Vargas identifies as first generation indigenous (Mexica) and Latine born in what is called the United States. She is a chemist, science communicator, and educator who enjoys sharing the wonders of chemistry and science with the future generation. She used her voice to represent and advocate for the underrepresented students in the college classroom, as a former professor at a small liberal arts college.

Daryl is a seasoned product lead dedicated to simplifying complex systems and creating seamless online-to-offline experiences. Her career across 3 countries is rooted in banking and spanned sustainable energy and tech at Tesla and Twitter. She is now in healthcare after co-founding a chat-based health consultation service, which won a global award for its impact and creativity on healthcare accessibility.

Talis has spent the last 20 years co-founding and growing social enterprises focused in entrepreneurship education, youth leadership, and tech: FeelGood, Latiendo por Mexico, and Crew for All. She currently serves as an Associate Director at the ideaHUB in Dalhousie University, a deep-tech incubator committed to supporting founders to build physical products for a healthier world while becoming mindful leaders.

Danielle Cantrell-Sikstrom is the global gaming content strategist at Intel. In this role, she develops and executes the strategy for video and retail gaming content for Intel Core processors and Intel Arc graphics. In her free time, she builds PCs, plays and streams video games, and enjoys live music.

Kayla Bassett (she/her/hers) is the Head of Product at Ensis, a company developing AI-powered proposal software for responding to government RFPs, RFIs, and more. Prior to Ensis, she was a Director of Product Management by way of their acquisition of Limbix. Prior to her career in tech, Kayla was a Marine Corps intelligence officer and served in a variety of posts around the world. She co-founded a non-profit dedicated to improving mental health among veterans through peer support.

Sohnee Ahmed is a board-certified genetic counselor and variant analyst involved in genetic analysis and report writing for whole genome sequencing, whole exome sequencing, and panel tests. She graduated from the University of Toronto with an Honours Bachelor of Science, specializing in Genetics & Biotechnology with a minor in Anthropology. She then attended Wayne State University to achieve a Master of Science degree in Genetic Counseling.

Lainie Mataras is the Senior Director of the Consultant Architecture and Design Group at Planar, a global leader in visualization technology. In this role, Mataras leverages her extensive professional network to foster relationships with industry partners and further develop the company’s consultant and architecture and design programs.

Jason Garbarino is an experienced nurse educator, clinician, and leader whose 16-year career in nursing spans across various speciality areas. Jason remains clinically active within primary care nursing, overseeing patient Annual Wellness Visits while teaching undergraduate and graduate nursing students. He taught nursing full-time for 11 years as a Clinical Associate Professor at the University of Vermont (UVM). At inSpring, Dr. Garbarino's primary objective is to contribute to the growth, diversification, and global advancement of professional nursing practice. He resides in Vermont with his wife and two children.