Voices From R-RIGHTS  Community

Dr. Miles unravels the intricate layers of what it means to be a STEM education researcher and the pivotal role they play in the broader ecosystem.

Dr. Nehemiah Mabry is a highly requested STEM Speaker, Engineer, Educator and Entrepreneur based in Raleigh, North Carolina. His technical experience includes 15+ years as a NASA Researcher, Bridge Design Engineer, and Adjunct Professor. Dr. Mabry is Founder and CEO of STEMedia Incorporated; which he started as a PhD student in 2012. STEMedia is a digital media company that provides educational and entertainment content for the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) community. Since its inception, they have won international awards, engaged thousands through lectures and presentations, and partnered with several corporations, organizations and academic institutions in STEM outreach.

Ayesha Boyce began her career earning a BS in psychology from Arizona State University, an MA in research psychology from Cal State Long Beach, and a PhD in educational psychology with a program evaluation specialization from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC). Prior to pursuing her doctorate, she was a research associate for the Arizona Department of Education. After earning her PhD, she completed a one-year postdoctoral scholar position with the UIUC Illinois STEM Education Initiative. Boyce then joined the University of North Carolina at Greensboro's Department of Educational Research Methodology from 2015-2021 as an assistant professor. Currently, Boyce is an associate professor in the Division of Educational Leadership and Innovation at Arizona State University. She also co-directs the STEM Program Evaluation Lab. Boyce's scholarship focuses on attending to value stances and issues related to diversity, equity, inclusion, access, cultural responsiveness, and social justice within evaluation especially multi-site, STEM, and contexts with historically marginalized populations. She also examines teaching, mentoring, and learning in evaluation. She has evaluated more than 50 programs funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF), US Department of Education, National Institutes of Health, and Spencer and Teagle foundations. In her teaching and mentorship, Boyce encourages students to develop a strong methodological foundation, conduct studies based on democratic principles, and promote equity, fairness, inclusivity and diversity.

Dr. Amon Millner is an Associate Professor of Computing and Innovation at the Olin College of Engineering in Needham, MA. There, he serves as the Strategic Lead for College and K-12 Engagement. As an Advisor to the President, he is working to shape an "Engineering for Everyone" Initiative. Millner also directs the Extending Access to STEM Empowerment (EASE) Lab, where he develops technologies, community programs, and resources to facilitate learners (typically ages 9 to 12) incorporating computing into the way that they play, learn, prepare to fully participate in society, and uplift their communities.

Dr. Renetta Garrison Tull is the University of California Davis inaugural Vice Chancellor for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI), which houses Academic Diversity, the Office of Campus Community Relations, four centers, and Health Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (DEI within the medical school, nursing school and health center). She also serves on the Chief Diversity Officers Council for the University of California, and has several programs and boards within her portfolio including HSI initiatives, the Police Accountability Board, Diversity and Inclusion Education and strategic planning, 4 centers, and more. She formerly served as Assistant Dean for Graduate Student Development and later, Associate Vice Provost for Strategic Initiatives at UMBC. She had a detail within the University System of Maryland’s headquarters (for 12 institutions), serving as the Director for Pipeline Professional Development Programs, and she has been either Co-PI or PI on National Science Foundation grants within the Alliances for Graduate Education and the Professoriate (AGEP), ADVANCE, and Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP) programs. At Davis, she is PI of the PROMISE Engineering Institute, a collaboration between UC Davis and UMBC, with connections to engineering schools within the UC, and engineering schools in Maryland (UM College Park, Morgan State, and Johns Hopkins) to form an engineering “East-West” collaboration. Her degrees in electrical engineering and speech science are from Howard University and Northwestern University, and she has had faculty roles at UW-Madison, University of Maryland College Park, UMBC. She was inducted into Tau Beta Pi, the engineering honor society, and participates in faculty activities as an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at UC Davis, and a faculty affiliate in the Interdepartmental Program on Human Rights Studies.

"Dr. Beronda L. Montgomery, is a writer, researcher, and scholar who pursues a common theme of understanding how individuals perceive, respond to, and are impacted by the environments in which they exist. She is a Michigan State University Foundation Professor in the Departments of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology and of Microbiology & Molecular Genetics. She is also a member of the MSU-DOE Plant Research Laboratory. Her primary laboratory-based research is focused on the responses of photosynthetic organisms (i.e., plants and cyanobacteria) to external light cues. In Addition, Beronda pursues this theme in the context of effective mentoring and leadership of individuals, and the role of innovative leaders in supporting success."

Dr. Terrell R. Morton (@DrTRMorton) is an Assistant Professor of Identity and Justice in STEM Education at the University of Missouri-Columbia, where he works in the Learning, Teaching, and Curriculum Department of the College of Education. He is an alumnus of North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry. He also obtained a Master of Science in Neuroscience from the University of Miami, and a Ph.D. in Education, concentration Learning Sciences and Psychological Studies from the University of North Carolina at Chapel-Hill.

Monica F. Cox, Ph.D., is a disruptor, trailblazer, change agent, and leader who believes in living an authentic life even if it makes people uncomfortable. She grew up an only child in rural southeast Alabama, where she was raised by her educator parents to persist in the face of personal and professional adversity. As a coach, she guides clients in areas of career development; business strategy; and diversity, equity, and inclusion. A Distinguished Professor and entrepreneur, Dr. Cox's inquisitive nature contributes to her passion for educating others and sharing what she has learned via her experiences.