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
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


