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Virginia received her B.S. in Industrial Engineering and a B.A. in Psychology while at Purdue University. She is currently the Director of Minority Engineering Programs in the College of Engineering. She assumed the position in 2004 after 18 years of manufacturing experience. Her last assignment was Lean Manufacturing Manager for the for the 3.7L and 4.7L Mack Engine facilities at Chrysler Corporation in Detroit, Michigan. Virginia has applied lean manufacturing concepts to identify and close the achievement gap between under-represented minority engineering students and the total engineering cohort. This was achieved focusing on first semester performance and first year retention through implementation of an aggressive transition program targeting first year engineering students from historically under-represented groups. She recently was called upon to serve as interim Executive Director for the National Society of Black Engineers from December 2013 through August 2014 during which time the organization experienced membership growth and strong metric focus towards goal attainment.

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Dr. Saundra Johnson Austin is the lead project coordinator at the University of South Florida for Florida Alliance for Graduate Education and the Professoriate (FL-AGEP) Transformation Alliance: Improving Pathways in the Professoriate for Minority Women in STEM. She is the project coordinator at the University of South Florida for Project Racism In School Exclusionary Suspensions (RISES), a mixed methods study that addresses the long-standing phenomenon of out-of-school suspensions for African American middle and high school adolescents. Dr. Johnson Austin also teaches math and pre-algebra to 7th grade girls and boys at Academy Prep Center of Tampa.

In 2007 she founded Charis Consulting Group, LLC as the President and CEO. Dr. Johnson Austin has held positions as: executive director of Curated PathwaysTM to Innovation in San Jose, CA; senior vice president for operations at the National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering, Inc. (NACME); president and CEO of St. Michael’s High School; executive vice president of the Community Partnership for Lifelong Learning; executive director of the National Consortium for Graduate Degrees for Minorities in Engineering and Science; and Minority Engineering Program director at The Pennsylvania State University. She began her career as a cost engineering at Bechtel Power Corporation.

In 1998, she was recognized with the National Society of Black Engineers’ (NSBE) Inaugural Golden Torch Award for Minority Engineering Program Director of the Year and Outstanding Contribution by a Minority Engineering Program Administrator Award by the National Association of Multicultural Engineering Program Advocates (NAMEPA). She was awarded the 2004-2005 Selected Professions Fellowship by the American Association of University Women (AAUW). Since 2014, Dr. Johnson Austin is a member of the United States White House endorsed initiative Algebra by 7th Grade. In April 2015, she was recognized by The Pennsylvania State University as Outstanding Engineering Alumnus for Civil and Environmental Engineering and she currently serves on the College of Engineering’s Industrial and Professional Advisory Council (IPAC). Since July 2020, Dr. Johnson Austin is serving as the president of AAUW Tampa, Inc. In addition, she currently serves as Member-At-Large for American Association for Engineering Education Minorities In Engineering Division (ASEE MIND), a member of the Smithsonian Science Education Center’s Advisory Committee for ‘Zero Barriers in STEM Education,’ and on the executive advisory board member for the Northeast STEM Starter Academy at Mount Vernon, NY.

Dr. Johnson Austin is a member of the editorial review board for the Caribbean Educational Research Journal (CERJ). She also served as a reviewer for the National Science Foundation’s CS for All Pathways, HBCU-Up, INCLUDES Conference and INCLUDES Launch Pilot.

She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering from The Pennsylvania State University, an MBA from the University of Notre Dame, and Doctor of Education in Organizational Change and Leadership from the University of Southern California.

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Renee Gibert is a driven and accomplished educator who thrives on building foundational knowledge for students to achieve excellence. She is a National Board-Certified Teacher in Early Adolescent Mathematics. Only 3% of the nation’s teachers have attained this prestigious certification. Also, she is also a certified Jump Start financial literacy teacher. Renee served as a mentor to teachers seeking National Board Certification for the Indiana Department of Education in 2017.
Her strength is analyzing data and using the results to modify instruction to meet the needs of special education and at-risk students. She is a former MATHCOUNTS coach and successfully led alternative education students to regional competitions in Upstate South Carolina for 4 years.
Moreover, Renee has utilized her skill set to develop engaging mathematics activities for grades 6-12. She has extensive knowledge in Common Core State Standards, National Council of Teachers of Mathematics Standards, and Literacy. Renee is founder of Get Lit Mathematics which infuses current events and culturally relevant pedagogy to teach math concepts. http://www.getlitmath.com
The School District of Oconee County recognized Renee for excellence in teaching as the Code Academy Teacher of Year in 2013. While a teacher in South Carolina, Renee facilitated district level workshops on literacy and comprehension in mathematics, historical connections to mathematics, and effective middle grades math and Algebra 1 practices. She is dedicated outreach and advocacy. Additionally, she served as lead teacher and mathematics curriculum coordinator for the Tri County Technical College’s Upward Bound program. Renee also is an experienced virtual educator and has taught undergraduate statistics courses online.

Renee holds a B.S. Industrial Engineering and M.A.T in Middle Grades Mathematics Education from Clemson University. She is currently pursuing a PhD in Curriculum and Instruction at Purdue.

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Dr. Carol S. Stwalley, PE joined the Minority Engineering Program team in the fall of 2007 as Recruitment and Retention Analyst. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Agriculture and Biological Engineering (ABE), MSABE, and PhD ABE from Purdue University. Carol has more than 14 years in diversity work with considerable background working with the Women in Engineering Programs at Purdue. In her current capacity as Recruitment and Retention Analyst for the Minority Engineering Program and the Purdue Office of Institutional Assessment, Dr. Stwalley collects, analyzes and manages data pertaining to the outreach, recruitment, retention and graduation of engineering students from historically underrepresented groups.

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Lesley Berhan is currently the Associate Dean of Diversity, Inclusion, and Community Engagement for the College of Engineering and an Associate Professor in the department of Mechanical, Industrial, and Manufacturing Engineering at The University of Toledo. Her research interests are in the areas of composites and fibrous materials and engineering education. She received her B.Sc. in Civil Engineering from the University of the West Indies in St. Augustine, Trinidad, her M.S. in Civil Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and her Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. She joined the faculty at the University of Toledo in 2004. As the Associate Dean of Diversity, Inclusion, and Community Engagement she leads the development and execution of initiatives and programs to facilitate the recruitment, retention, and success of women, students from underrepresented groups and first generation students. These duties are well aligned with her current research interests and external funding in engineering education.

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Tamara Markey is an innovative, passionate, and dynamic educator. She draws from and applies to her work in education nearly a decade of professional experience as an Engineer with Amoco Oil and BP Pipelines. Mrs. Markey is a Woodrow Wilson STEM Teaching Fellow and a certified Project Lead the Way (PLTW) Instructor. She has taught high school Pre-engineering and served as a STEM Instructional Coach in the Lawrence Township Metropolitan School District in Indiana.

Tamara presently teaches high school physics at Columbus Academy in Columbus, OH. Additionally, she works with the Purdue University Minority Engineering Program, championing an elementary-level math initiative designed to address performance gaps in mathematics for underrepresented students and increase minority interest and program eligibility in STEM majors.

Tamara was honored by Purdue University’s School of Industrial as a 2021 Outstanding Industrial Engineer for demonstrating exemplary achievements and leadership throughout her career. Additionally, she is the 2019 Teacher of the Year for the state of Indiana. Tamara holds a B.S. in Industrial Engineering and an M.S. in Engineering Technology Education, both from Purdue University.

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Cynthia Murphy-Ortega is currently Manager of University Partnerships and Association Relations of Chevron Corporation. Her organization manages Chevron’s relationships with universities and professional societies and institutes throughout the world. Cynthia joined Chevron in 1991 as an engineer with the Richmond Refinery in the San Francisco Bay Area. She held various engineering, maintenance, operations, financial, business planning and process safety management positions within the refinery.

Cynthia then went on to work in the technology arena with the Chevron Energy Technology Company in 1998. She developed and managed Chevron’s technical competency development programs for new hires in refining and exploration & production roles. She also worked in the Process Planning Group and performed process modeling on large-scale projects. In her role as Organizational Capability Manager with the Process, Analytical and Catalysis Dept, she supported technical competency management, staffing/recruitment, new hire and competency development, and business planning. Cynthia graduated from the University of California, Davis, where she earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemical Engineering.

Cynthia participates on various Boards and Committees in support of higher education and diversity, equity and inclusion -- including the Engineering Dean’s Advisory Committee, the Chemical Engineering Advisory Committee, the Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Advisory Committee, the Leadership in Engineering Advancement Diversity and Retention Advisory Committee (LEADR) and the Avenue E Community College Transfer Program Advisory Board at University of California, Davis; the Engineering Dean’s Advisory Board and the International House Board of Directors at University of California, Berkeley; the Engineering Dean’s Advisory Board at University of California, Los Angeles; the Broadening Opportunity through Leadership and Diversity Advisory Committee (BOLD) at University of Colorado, Boulder; the Viterbi Dean’s Corporate Advisory Board and the Viterbi Center for Engineering Diversity Industry Advisory Board at University of Southern California; the Industry Advisory Council for Minority Education at Massachusetts Institute of Technology; the Diversity, Inclusion and Access Advisory Board and the President’s Council on Diversity, Inclusion, and Access (past) at Colorado School of Mines; the Women’s Engineering Program Advisory Board at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo; the Corporate Membership Council of American Society of Engineering Education (ASEE); the Inclusion, Equity and Affinity Committee of National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) (past); the Postsecondary Pathways Innovation Lab Co-Chair of STEMconnector (past); the National Council on STEM and Technology for INROADS (past); the Women in Chemical Engineering Committee (WIC), Minority Affairs Committee (MAC) and Societal Impact Operating Council (SIOC) for the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE); and the Petroleum Geosciences Advisory Board and Petroleum Engineering Advisory Board at Chulalongkorn University/Thailand (past).

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