The Women of Color STEM Conference is marking 25 years of promoting the significant achievements of women in science, technology, engineering, math, and medicine (STEM).

The 2020 Awards gala, which is being held virtually, has winners across 15 categories. This year, more than 40 women will be recognized.

Rear Admiral Sylvia Trent-Adams, Ph.D., RN, FAAN will receive the top honor as Technologist of the Year. The award represents recognition of high merit, the broad effect on people in many disciplines, and value to society as a whole.

Among her many achievements in the field of nursing and public health, Rear Admiral Trent-Adams has had a direct impact on building systems of care to improve public health for marginalized populations domestically and internationally.

Meet the 2020 Women of Color STEM Award Recipients

Technologist of the Year

RADM Sylvia Trent-Adams, Ph.D., Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Health, U.S. Department of Health & Human Services

Other notable award recipients include Adrienne Somerville of the Naval Air Systems Command, who will be receiving the President’s Award.

President’s Award

Adrienne Somerville, Acquisition Group Head, Commander Fleet Readiness Center

Other award categories include career achievement, community service, corporate responsibility, diversity leadership, educational leadership, managerial leadership, new media/IT, outstanding technical contributing, professional achievement, technical innovation, and student leadership.

Career Achievement – Government

• COL Antoinette Gant, Commander, Louisville District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
• Chavonda Jacobs-Young, Ph.D., USDA Agricultural Research Service, Administrator, and USDA Acting Chief Scientist, USDA Agricultural Research Service

Career Achievement – Industry

• Tonya Noble, Director, International Defense Training, The Boeing Company
• Karen Rodriguez, Ph.D., Divisional Vice President; Corporate Engineering
  Abbott

Community Service – Government

Priscilla Ford, Workforce Development Specialist, Fleet Readiness Center Southwest

Community Service – Industry

• Demetria Hall, Hardware Engineer Staff, Lockheed Martin Aeronautics
• Jasmine LeFlore, Sr. Project Engineer, Collins Aerospace

Corporate Responsibility

Karen Bradford, Director, Strategic Partnerships, NASA Ames Research Center

Diversity Leadership

Tamberlin Golden, Plant Director, General Motors

Educational Leadership – College-Level Promotion of Education

Bushra Ahmad Saeed, Ph.D., Associate Professor, University of the District of Columbia

Educational Leadership – Corporate Promotion of Education

Claudia Morales, Supplier Quality Assurance Systems Staff Specialist, Bell Textron Inc.

Each year the Women of Color STEM Conference hosts several award ceremonies and a forum of leaders from Fortune 500 companies, government agencies, colleges, and universities to discuss key issues in the scientific and technical workforce, share best practices, and showcase opportunities for professional development, networking and recruiting.

Managerial Leadership – Government

Shitarria Battle, Chief Engineer, C2 Systems Development, Missile Defense Agency

Managerial Leadership – Industry

• Beethika Khan, Ph.D., Program Director, National Science Foundation (NSF)
• Shanique Smith, Director, Raytheon Missiles & Defense

New Media/IT Leadership – Government

Barbara Pilate, Computer Scientist, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Engineer Research and Development Center

New Media/IT Leadership – Industry

Rachel Smith, Assistant Vice President – Technology, AT&T

Outstanding Technical Contribution – Government

• Antonella Alunni, Aerospace Engineer, NASA Ames Research Center
• Trena Jackson, Operations Research Analyst, NAVAIR

Outstanding Technical Contribution – Industry

• Carol Brevett, Ph.D., Principal Scientist, Leidos
• Vanessa Michelini, IBM Distinguished Engineer, IBM

Professional Achievement – Government

• Monique Brisson, Research Electrical Engineer, Air Force Research Laboratory
• Jasmine Gilliam, Physical Security Inspector, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Region III
• Tekia Govan, Project Manager, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Office of Nuclear Regulation

Professional Achievement – Industry

• Xiomara Calderón-Colón, Ph.D., Materials Scientist/Project Manager, Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory
• Rayna Matsuno, Ph.D., Epidemiologist III, Leidos
• Jenine Patterson, Principal Systems Engineer, The MITRE Corporation

Student Leadership – Undergraduate Level

Michelle Dominguez, Engineering Student, NASA Ames Research Center

Technical Innovation – Government

Candice Hatcher-Solis, Ph.D., Team Leader, Neurobiology of Cognitive Performance, 711th Human Performance Wing, Air Force Research Laboratory

Technical Innovation – Industry

• Yufang Hou, Ph.D., Research Scientist, IBM Research – Ireland
• Evelyn Moore, Director of Engineering and Chief Engineer, F-18 Program Engineering, The Boeing Company

The theme for the 2020 Annual Conference “The World is Counting on Us: Reset to Rise,” is focused on giving attendees the expert insights and tools that they need to shape growth in a changing landscape, and address the underrepresentation of women in engineering (15%) and computer and mathematical sciences (26%).

Special Recognition

• Yevette Bratten, Executive Vice President & Chief Strategy Officer,
  DigiFlight, Inc.
• Inderpal Deol, Director and Chief Engineer, Fossil Generation, DTE Energy
• Stacey Dixon, Deputy Director, National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency
• Sheronda Jeffries, Technical Leader Quality Engineering, Cisco
• Latitia McCane, Ph.D., Director of Education, Huntington Ingalls Industries
• Kavita Vigneau, Vice President, Engineering, Quicken Loans
• Sucheta Walimbe, Executive Vice President, Information Technology, Ford Motor Credit Company
• Stephanie Watson, Senior Engineer III, Consumers Energy
• Cindy Woods, Operations Division Chief, National Weather Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

The Women of Color STEM Conference has been the venues where women and men from diverse backgrounds have come to recognize outstanding achievements in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM), celebrate excellence in STEM-related fields, and create a career learning and networking environment.