Dr. Frederic Bertley, affectionately known as “Dr. B.” is the President and CEO of the Center of Science and Industry (COSI), ranked America’s #1 science museum by USA Today.  Dr. B. is passionate about democratizing access to science, technology, engineering, arts and math (STEAM) and supports this through a myriad of innovative programs, commitment to outreach and ubiquitous engagement.  
 
Dr. Bertley is also the CEO (Interim) of the National Veterans Memorial and Museum NVMM where he is leading the national museum through a transformational phase to continue to honor and celebrate the lives of Veterans, their families, and our community. 

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Dr. Meister has more than 20 years of research experience in viral and/or bacterial pathogenesis, medical countermeasure discovery, testing, and animal model development. Prior to joining Battelle in 2005, he helped establish the anti-viral mechanism for a novel immunosuppressive agent against HCMV, HSV-1 and polyomavirus BKV using various in vitro and in vivo techniques. Since joining Battelle he has directed work focused on developing animal models and assessing the efficacy of vaccines and therapies against Bacillus anthracis, Francisella tularensis, Burkholderia pseudomallei and B. mallei, highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), monkey pox virus, West Nile Virus, Venezuelan Equine Encephalitis virus, Chikungunya Virus, filoviruses, MERS-CoV, Zika virus, and most recently SARS-CoV-2. Dr. Meister has experience with a variety of animal models including mice, hamsters, ferrets, New Zealand White rabbits, and nonhuman primates (Rhesus macaques, Cynomolgus macaques, and African Green monkeys). In addition to animal models, Dr. Meister has provided technical oversight and direction in the validation of various in vitro assays in support of evaluating pathophysiology of disease progression, immune response to vaccine, pharmacokinetic confirmation of therapeutic modalities, and correlate of protection analysis when assessing vaccine efficacy.

Dr. Meister currently serves as Principal Scientist or PI on various multi-study programs focused on developing animal models and assessing the efficacy of candidate treatments against biodefense agents and emerging infectious diseases. Under these programs Dr. Meister manages the execution of studies requiring over one hundred scientists, technicians, and support staff. Data from these programs have been submitted to the FDA for animal model development data packages and for evaluation of safety and efficacy supporting product licensure under the FDA “Animal Efficacy Rule.” Dr. Meister has attended multiple FDA-initiated product review meetings as a subject matter expert in animal model development and efficacy testing. Multiple studies Dr. Meister directed have been selected for directed FDA inspections resulting in no significant findings. The data Dr. Meister has generated over the past fifteen years has been presented at national and international meetings and will be part of licensure applications submitted to the FDA. Dr. Gabriel Meister holds a Ph.D. in Pathobiology.

 Chklovski is CEO and founder of global tech education nonprofit Technovation (formerly Iridescent). Prominently featured in the award-winning documentary Codegirl, Forbes named Chklovski “the pioneer empowering the incredible tech girls of the future” and Discovery Science Channel named her its first “CEO Science Super Star Hero” for her work encouraging the next generation of innovators, problem solvers, and game changers. A frequent advocate for STEM education, she’s presented at the White House STEM Inclusion Summit, SXSW EDU, UNESCO’s Mobile Learning Week, and led the 2019 education track at the UN AI for Good Global Summit. Since founding the organization in 2006, Technovation has welcomed more than 130,000 children and parents, and 14,000 mentors, to participate in its programs in 100+ countries.

Tara Chklovski is the visionary founder and CEO of Technovation, a global nonprofit inspiring girls to lead in tech and AI. Named by Forbes as “the pioneer empowering the incredible tech girls of the future,” she has led a movement impacting 450,000+ people across 120+ countries and with The AI Forward Alliance (TAIFA) is now working to prepare 25 million young women as leaders in AI and technology.

Natalie Taitano is the Senior Manager of Corporate Responsibility and Government Affairs at Qualcomm Incorporated, a global leader in semiconductor innovation and wireless technology. With over 14 years of experience in corporate responsibility, she leads Qualcomm’s STEM Education and Workforce Development initiatives, with a growing focus on AI literacy, career readiness, and future-ready skills.

Natalie’s work ensures students and educators are equipped not only with strong STEM foundations but also with the tools to thrive in an AI-driven economy. Under her leadership, Qualcomm has expanded professional development in AI literacy for educators across the U.S. and committed to hands-on AI learning opportunities for students. These efforts contributed to Qualcomm signing the White House AI Education Pledge, where Qualcomm is working with it’s collaborators to provide access to free credentialing programs, software tools, hardware platforms, and curriculum.

She represents Qualcomm on several national platforms, including the Strategic Advisory Committee for the National STEM Ecosystem, the STEM Next Champions Roundtable, and the STEM Education Coalition, where she advocates for policies that position STEM and AI education as engines of innovation and economic growth.

Previously, Natalie served as an officer for the Qualcomm Foundation, leading global giving and volunteer initiatives. Her career spans both nonprofit and private sectors, driven by a passion for empowering communities through education and technology. She holds a B.A. in Psychology from Bethel University and a Professional Certificate in Corporate Social Responsibility from Johns Hopkins University.

Mekka Smith, Ed.L.D., is a PK-12 education strategist with a focus on developing leaders, building teams, and increasing organizational effectiveness. She is currently the Deputy Chief of Strategic Partnerships and Community at Digital Promise, where she focuses on expanding and sustaining networks, partnerships, and learning communities to support equitable, innovative, and scalable education practices. In her most recent role as senior policy advisor in the Office of the Deputy Secretary at the U.S. Department of Education, she provided strategic leadership and counsel to advance initiatives across educational technology, STEM, student supports, public-private partnerships, and external engagements.

Mekka brings over fifteen years of experience as an education practitioner with a passion for developing leaders and organizations. She has previously served as an administrator, educator coach, and elementary school teacher. Mekka holds a bachelor’s in Spanish and psychology from Amherst College, a master’s in education policy and management and a doctorate in education leadership, both from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. She is originally from Atlanta, GA.

Holly Hansen-Thomas is Vice Provost of Research, Innovation, and Corporate Engagement (VPRICE), and Professor of ESL and Bilingual Education at Texas Woman’s University in Denton, TX. As VPRICE, she leads the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs and provides oversight of the Center for Research Design and Analysis and the Center for Student Research; serves as the Human Protections Administrator on the Institutional Review Board, the Research Integrity Officer, and the Institutional Official in the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee; oversees all internal and external research initiatives and contract negotiations, as well as commercialization, tech transfer, intellectual property endeavors; and promotes engagement with corporate partners. A three-time Fulbright Scholar, she has worked in language education for several decades.

Dr. Hansen-Thomas is bilingual and biliterate in Spanish and English and has dedicated her academic scholarship to second language educational issues, with almost 85 peer-reviewed publications, and more than 100 peer-reviewed conference presentations. Some of her representative books she has authored/co-authored include Putting Critical Language Pedagogy in Action (Routledge); Innovative Approaches to Teaching Multilingual Students (IAP), Discourse Analytic Perspectives on STEM Education (Springer), Engaging Diverse Learners in the Mathematics Classroom (Brookes) and was the Series Editor for TESOL Press's Engaging Research series. She has served as a leader in higher education for multiple years as Graduate Dean, Associate Dean, Program Coordinator, and Interim Chair, as well as a successful grant writer/manager of over 10 million dollars in federal, state, and private funds.

Stacey Claessens [pronounced Class ∙ ens] joined 3M over 27 years ago and has held a variety of positions with increasing responsibilities across the company. For 10 years, she served as the executive assistant and office supervisor to two of 3M’s Chairman, President and CEO’s, also leading a team of executive assistants who supported the company’s top leadership. In 2018, she joined 3M Community Impact – the philanthropic arm of 3M – a position she feels has enabled her to find her purpose. 
  
Stacey’s current 3M responsibilities include community and volunteer engagement activities with 3M’s global sites - including both skills-based and general volunteerism, skilled trades investments, grants management, and disaster and humanitarian relief. 
 
Describing herself as passionate and quite serious about connecting people to social impact - while at the same time finding ways to advocate for people who are under-resourced - Stacey is a Social Entrepreneur, having recently completed certification through the University of Texas at Austin. 
 
Stacey is a member of the Austin Texas-area Yaya’s, a group from the Austin tech industry that shares a common goal of corporate social responsibility, and a member of the Austin Texas Corporate Engagement Council, a group formed by Austin’s Mayor to bring civic leaders together with corporate funders to do good.  
  
Stacey and her husband, Pete, live in Austin, Texas - and have two grown children, as well as two Bichon’s, who affectionately run their home and their lives.  
 
Outside of 3M, Stacey serves as a committee member of the Duke Employees’ Assistance Fund, and in her spare time she never misses an opportunity to sing, swim, volunteer, or spend time with family, and she loves to do things that will evoke lots of laughter. 

Lynn is a Talent Acquisition professional, passionate about emerging STEM talent and early career students, having worked at Abbott for more than 32 years. Lynn’s responsibilities include creating STEM partnerships with high schools and recruiting about 50 high school students annually at 11 sites around the United States for Abbott’s internship program. She also develops, maintains and presents career development coursework for high school interns. Lynn is instrumental in development and execution of best practices that have been shared and used to launch Abbott high school STEM internships at the company’s locations in other countries. She works with internal and external leaders to continuously innovate and create additional STEM opportunities for young students.

Lynn holds a bachelor’s degree in human resources and general business from Columbia College of Missouri. She is on the leadership team of the Abbott disABILITIES network, and is an active participant in the local community of students with disabilities. Lynn also serves Council President at her church. When she’s not travelling for work, she spends time with her husband and 4 adult children.

Potoula Stavropoulos is the Senior Director, Social Impact at Regeneron. She has spent her 20+ year career connecting purpose-driven companies and people with causes important to them. For over the last decade, Potoula has led Regeneron’s societal investment strategy galvanizing philanthropy, partnerships and employee-volunteerism to create positive social impact and business value. Under her leadership, Regeneron has been recognized on the Civic 50 among America’s most community-minded companies for the last nive years, and in 2020 was named healthcare sector leader.

As Senior Director, Social Impact at Regeneron, Potoula leads the company’s STEM education outreach initiatives that support a pipeline of future innovators. Potoula and her team lead Regeneron’s flagship programs, the Regeneron Science Talent Search and Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair, prestigious pre-college science and mathematics competitions produced by the Society for Science. 

Potoula joined Regeneron in 2012 as its inaugural community relations manager to build the company’s corporate philanthropic and community engagement strategy. Prior to Regeneron, Potoula spent most of her career in the nonprofit sector in various corporate relations roles advancing social progress in the areas of health and economic development.

Potoula is a strong advocate for STEM education and corporate community involvement, previously serving on the board of directors for Yonkers Partners in Education, YWCA White Plains & Central Westchester, and the Westchester-Putnam Workforce Investment Board. She is a frequent speaker on topics related to the role of business in society.

Potoula was named a 2013 Rising Star/40 under 40 and was recognized as Volunteer New York’s Leadership Westchester Alumna of the Year in 2014. Potoula graduated summa cum laude from Mercy College with a BS in Organizational Management. 

Katherine Sutton is a workforce development specialist with a deep background in STEM education, curriculum design, and program management. She holds a Master of Arts in Secondary Education and a Bachelor of Science in Marine Biology with a minor in International Development from the University of Rhode Island.
Katherine currently serves as a Workforce Development Specialist at General Dynamics Electric Boat, where she leads program management and institutional design efforts focused on expanding the maritime STEM pipeline. She specializes in building scalable, high-impact education and training initiatives that align with long-term workforce development strategies. Her work plays a central role in the design and implementation of K–16 outreach programs—including Boat for Kids, Boat for Explorers, and educator engagement through ANCHOR—translating the evolving needs of the shipbuilding industry into sustainable, cross-sector educational partnerships.

Previously, Katherine worked as a STEM Education Specialist with the Ocean Exploration Trust, where she oversaw the development and dissemination of standards-aligned STEM learning modules, professional development content, and digital classroom resources. She collaborated with scientists, engineers, and educators worldwide and sailed on expeditions aboard the E/V Nautilus.

Earlier in her career, Katherine spent over a decade teaching high school science courses, including biology, geology, and astronomy, before transitioning into career and technical education as a Biomanufacturing Technology Instructor and Mechanical & Robotics Pre-Engineering Instructor at William M. Davies, Jr. Career & Technical High School. There, she led curriculum innovation, managed a biosafety lab, and mentored new educators, while fostering industry partnerships and growing student engagement in STEM pathways.

With a proven ability to bridge the gap between education and industry, Katherine is committed to preparing the next generation of skilled professionals through impactful, equitable, and future-facing STEM programs.

Mr. Stephen White, Esq. works to inspire others to dream more, do more, and become more.  He serves as the Chief Strategy Officer and General Counsel at the Center for Science and Industry (COSI), a science center named number one in the nation by USA Today four years in a row, and a museum named as the IMLS National Medal in 2023.  During his career, he founded the theory of “Servant Learning” as an engagement strategy to help bridge the “Skills Gap Canyon” and workforce education gaps.  In his role at COSI, he is oversees the development of optimizing the entrepreneurial business model for the organization, creating and implementing a global strategy for public partnerships at the city, state, and federal levels, and leading the execution of COSI’s Strategic Plan.
 
A signature initiative during his career was the creation of the Learning Lunchbox Model of Engagement, which seeks to, among things, help “feed hungry lives and feed hungry minds.”  Stephen serves as the executive lead for the Learning Lunchbox model of science, technology, engineering, arts, and math (STEM), an innovative program of informal learning through community partnerships to help bridge the education gap and digital divide for underserved youth by delivering educational kits to the most vulnerable alongside critical human services, such as foodbanks.  These STEM kits are developed in partnership with the White House, NASA, U.S. Department of Energy, and more, with over 350,000+ being distributed across the globe.  Stephen is the recipient of several awards, including Harvard’s Young American Leadership Program, American Alliance of Museum’s Nancy Hank’s Leadership Award, U.K. Global Blooloop 50 Influencer, Midwest Museum Association Promising Leadership Award, 40 Under 40, Elite Lawyer, Columbus CEO Future 50, the John Glenn Young Alumni Achievement Award, and more.  He has over a decade experience in partnerships and policy, including serving as General Counsel in the U.S. Senate, where he worked on critical areas of public policy to help address issues such as workforce development and education. 
 
As a first-generation student, Mr. White earned three degrees, all from The Ohio State University, including his B.A. in English and Political Science, J.D. from the OSU Moritz College of Law, and his M.A. in Public Policy and Management from the OSU John Glenn College of Public Affairs, and holds a Certificate in Advanced Education Leadership from the Harvard Graduate School of Education.  He has served as an adjunct professor at the OSU Moritz College of Law covering nonprofit law and leadership, as well as several state and federal boards including as current Chair of the International Space Station User Advisory Subcommittee on Education and board member with the Association of Children’s Museums.  He has served as a speaker at the White House, Statue of Liberty, SXSW EDU, U.S. Department of Education, TEDx, Ecsite, and more, examining innovative strategies on partnerships to help address workforce development and education equity.  Reach him at Linkedin at www.linkedin.com/in/stephenmauricewhite, on Twitter at @StephenWhiteOH, and via email at swhite@cosi.org.

Kevin Duff is the Executive Vice President of Ohio Excels, where he leads the organization’s work related to policy, advocacy, research, special projects, and operations. Kevin's career has been guided by a single north star: All students should be prepared for success after they graduate.

Before joining Ohio Excels, Kevin was a consultant and senior analyst with Education First Consulting from 2015 to 2018. In that role, he led project teams conducting research, provided direct support to education policymakers in seven states, and developed high-profile guidance on federal policies and stakeholder engagement.

Before Education First Consulting, Kevin served in the Ohio Department of Education (now called the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce). Starting as an intern in 2008, he rose to the position of senior policy analyst for his final three years. Kevin worked with policymakers to create and implement of a wide range of major policy initiatives, including Ohio’s graduation requirements, academic standards, assessments, report cards and accountability, the third grade reading guarantee, and school improvement efforts.

Kevin earned his Master of Public Administration from the John Glenn College of Public Affairs at Ohio State University. He also earned a Bachelor of Science in Economics and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Ohio State University. He currently lives in Columbus, Ohio.