2025 Pittsburgh NextGen Women in STEM™ Group Workshop facilitator, STEM panelists and Mentors

Thank you to all panelists, presenters, and mentors for sharing their experience and insights with our NextGen Women in STEM™ in Pittsburgh!

 From the STEM-UP Network Team

Saturday, October 11, 2025
CMU, Mill 19 | 4501 Lytle Street, Bldg.  A | Pittsburgh, PA 
9:00 AM to 3:00 PM (Eastern)
Key Takeaways from Attendees

“The future of STEM is so bright!”        “Stay plugged in with a community.”

     “Take control of your future.”      “I have a renewed passion for what I am doing.”

“Mentorship matters and support is available.”     “Empowering women was amazing!”

      “We need to be confident, speak up, know our value and build our network.”

“There are so many inspiring women in STEM here in Pittsburgh to connect with.”

Video Featuring: Erin Melcher a Science/Biology Student from Slippery Rock University and Shaista Shaiba a Mid-Career Woman in Technology and Graduate of Harrisburg University of Science and Technology 

Agenda

     9:00 am to 10:00 am     Registration, Coffee and Conversation

     10:00 am to 11:15 am  STEM Panel Discussion

     11:15 am to 11:30 am   Networking Break

     11:30 am to 12:15 pm   Group Workshop

     12:15 pm to 1:15 pm     Lunch and Networking

     1:15 pm to 2:45 pm       Speed Mentoring

     2:45 pm to 3:00 pm       Key Takeaways from the Day

Click on each individual’s photo (panel members, facilitator, mentors) to view their brief bio!

STEM Panel Discussion – 10:00 AM to 11:15 AM 

 

Sunnie Fenk

Operations Supervisor

solutions4networks

MODERATOR

RaNaja Kennedy

Senior Community Engagement Coordinator

UPitt Clinical & Translational Science Institute

SCIENCE

Cheroc Slater

Senior Customer Success Account Manager

Microsoft

TECHNOLOGY

Autumn Miller

Senior Engineer

ATI

ENGINEERING

Carrie Linz

Manager of Analytics and Insights

F.N.B. Corporation

MATHEMATICS

 

Group Workshop – 11:30 AM to 12:15 PM 

 

Kristen Goodell
Senior Consultant, Organizational Development
Catalyst Connection
Topic:  “From Vision to Victory: Career Goals That Propel You Forward

This interactive, self-reflective workshop is designed to help you gain clarity on your career direction and leadership potential. You’ll explore how your passions and skills align with your current or future path, uncover your natural leadership tendencies, and reflect on meaningful actions you can take to grow. Through guided exercises and personal insight, you’ll leave with a clearer career vision and a personalized plan to develop your leadership skills with confidence and purpose.

Learning Outcomes:

    • Clarify your career vision
    • Assess your career passion & skill alignment
    • Discover your innate leadership tendencies
    • Reflect on actions you can take to develop your leadership skills
    • This workshop is interactive & self-reflective

Mentors for Speed Mentoring – 1:15 PM to 2:45 PM

Nicole Allison

Operational Excellence Manager, Service Center Division

Mitsubishi Electric Power Products, Inc.

Andrea Barber

Co-Director of Technology

getWITit

Julianne Baron, PhD, CPH, RBP

President and Owner

Science and Safety Consulting

Rachael Dodaro, MBA

Transportation Analyst II

Thermo Fisher Scientific

Sunnie Fenk

Operations Supervisor

solutions4networks

Dr. Stacy Hrizo

Chairperson and Professor of Biology

Slippery Rock University

Anastasia July

Product Engineer

ATI

Chinar Kaul

Senior Associate, Full-Stack Engineer

BNY

RaNaja Kennedy

Senior Community Engagement Coordinator

UPitt Clinical & Translational Science Institute

Katrina Knight, Ph.D.

MWRI BIRCWH Scholar, Assistant Professor, Department of Bioengineering

University of Pittsburgh

Lesli Kunkle

Director of Food Safety and Quality

Wolfgang Confectioners

Carrie Linz

Manager of Analytics and Insights

F.N.B. Corporation

Chelsea Marsh, Ph.D.

Head of Hardware Engineering

BAYER Pharmaceuticals

Autumn Miller

Senior Engineer

ATI

Sahar Mokhtari, Ph.D.

R&D Manager

Vesuvius

Mwamba Rebecca Mvula, M.D.

Urogynecology & Reconstructive Pelvic Surgery Fellow, PGY-6, Dept. of Obstetrics, Gynecology, & Reproductive Sciences

University of Pittsburgh Medical Center

Michelle Montgomery

Senior Chemist

Covestro

Simona Partinova

Program Engineer

InCap US

Amorié Patrick

Regional Development Manager – Americas

Vesuvius

Nicole Perry

NE Regional Quality Manager

Trulieve

Mica Pitcher, Ph.D.

Research Chemist

PPG

Melissa Sinemus

Manager, Process Engineering

ATI

Cheroc Slater

Senior Customer Success Account Manager

Microsoft

Natalee Smith, Ph.D.

R&D Lab and Technical Product Manager

Covestro

Helena Spencer Mancini

Software Developer

fivestar*

Alexandra Stanton, Ph.D.

Research Scientist

Vitro

Joanna Yang

Research Engineer

PPG

Michelle Yang, Ph.D.

Data Scientist, Project Lead

Vitro