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Cynthia Pickering is a retired electrical engineer with 35 years industry experience and technical leadership in software development, artificial intelligence, information technology architecture/engineering, and collaboration systems research.

In September 2015, she joined Science Foundation Arizona (SFAz) to lead the Girls in STEM initiative and translate her passion for STEM into opportunities that will attract, inspire and retain more girls in STEM to make it the new norm. She has also architected SFAz's enhanced Community College STEM Pathways Guide that has received the national STEMx seal of approval for STEM tools. She integrated the STEM Pathways Guide with the KickStarter processes for improving competitive proposal writing of Community College Hispanic Serving Institutions.

Throughout her career, Ms. Pickering has written robotics software, diagnostic expert systems for space station, manufacturing equipment models, and architected complex IT systems for global collaboration that included engagement analytics. She holds a US Patent # 7904323, Multi-Team Immersive Integrated Collaboration Workspace awarded 3/8/2011. She also has twenty-five peer-reviewed publications.

She has recently been accepted to the Human Social Dimensions PhD program in Arizona State University's School for the Future of Innovation and Technology in Society (beginning Fall 2020).

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Caroline VanIngen-Dunn is Director of the Science Foundation Arizona Center for STEM and Arizona State University, providing services for Maximizing the Educational and Economic Impact of STEM. Ms. VanIngen-Dunn oversees the programs and resources designed to assist community colleges, particularly rural and Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs), through a rigorous process leading to improvements in their capacity building, infrastructure, and proposal development efforts that support students in their STEM education and career pathways pursuits.

Ms. VanIngen-Dunn served as President of CVID Consulting, building on years of experience as engineer and project manager in human crashworthiness and safety design, development and testing, working for contractors in commuter rail, aerospace and defense industries.

VanIngen-Dunn has an MS degree in Mechanical Engineering from Stanford University and a BSE degree in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Iowa. She serves on the University of Iowa's College of Engineering Advisory Board, the Arizona Career and Technical Education Quality Skills Commission, and on the YWCA Metropolitan Phoenix Board of Directors whose mission it is to eliminate racism and empower women.

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Anita Grierson is a Program Manager, Research at the SFAz Center for STEM at ASU where she is Co-PI for several NSF funded programs that support STEM education at Hispanic Serving Institutions and at Rural Colleges across the nation. Prior to joining SFAz, she was the Director of the METS Center for Motivated Engineering Transfer Students in the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering at Arizona State University. Ms. Grierson has over twelve years of corporate experience in Program Management, Business Development, and Biomechanical Engineering, with products as diverse as air bag systems for helicopters, body armor, and orthopedic implants. She received her Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Michigan in 1990, her Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from Northwestern University in 1994, and a Master’s in Business Administration from Arizona State University in 2000.

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Anna Tanguma-Gallegos brings 10 years of STEM strategic planning and program management experience in higher education environments and initiatives. Anna has a history of promoting and increasing enrollment in the programs she manages, as well as developing collaborative relationships with corporate and community members. Anna has provided successful direction to federally funded programs within the higher education field. Anna spearheaded the relationship with Health Pathways Grossmont-Cuyamaca Community College District, and University of California-San Diego Moore’s Cancer Center to develop their first-ever nursing internship summer program and offering a value-added learning experience for the students.

In her role at Science Foundation Arizona (SFAz), Anna is working with Hispanic Serving Community Colleges as part of the National Science Foundation (NSF)-funded KickStarter Program. The goal of KickStarter is to enhance the enrollment of Latino students in STEM fields by helping colleges with their STEM planning and maximizing the competitiveness of their federal grant proposals to fund those plans. As a Program Officer for the Community College STEM Pathways Initiative, Anna works closely with all community college teams, guides them through the KickStarter process, and connects them to community and industry partners.

Anna brings a unique skillset to this position with Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Behavioral Science/Educational Counseling from National University; CA. Anna is pursuing her Ph.D. in Psychology with an Emphasis on Integrating Technology Learning. Prior to SFAz, Anna was the Manager of Alumni & Community Relations for National University. Anna developed partnerships within the community colleges and non-profit industry throughout San Diego and Los Angeles for National University.

Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez and State Senator Ben Hueso recently recognized Anna for her work in the MANA De San Diego Latina Success Leadership Program.

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