Suzzanne Douglas Cobb
Distinguished Guest Speaker & Daughter in Law of Dr. Jewel Plummer Cobb
Actress
Suzzanne Douglas is an award-winning actress whose work has taken her from stage to screen. Suzzanne is best known for her co-starring role in Parent ‘Hood. Look for Suzzanne in Five, the Netflix limited series directed by Ava DuVernay and the feature film Really Love.
Imbolo Mbue
Keynote Speaker
Novelist and Short Story Writer
Imbolo Mbue is the author of the New York Times bestseller, BEHOLD THE DREAMERS, which won the PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction, the Blue Metropolis Words to Change Award, and was an Oprah’s Book Club selection.
Cierra Kaler-Jones
Featured Speaker
Teaching Artist, Writer, and Rising Scholar
Cierra Kaler-Jones has been recognized internationally for her social justice work with students and was a guest speaker at the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for African Americans and the United States Department of Education. Her speaking credits also include the 2015 Mark Conference and most recently she gave a TED talk at the 2018 TEDxFoggyBottom conference.
S.T.E.A.M. Empowerment Session Speakers
Carole Sampson-Landers, M.D.
Session Title: Women of Color R Physicians
Recently retired, Director
Global Clinical Development Primary Care & Women’s Health Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals.
Bianca Calderon, MD, FAAP
Session Title: Women of Color R Physicians
Assistant Professor, Department of Pediatrics at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Attending physician at the Comprehensive Health Care Center, Montefiore Medical Group
The University Hospital for Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Brenda Aiken, M.D., FACP
Session Title: Women of Color R Physicians
Assistant Clinical Professor of Medicine Columbia University
Director, Medical Services
COLUMBIA HEALTH
Columbia University
Phyllis Anderson-Wright, D.O.
Session Title: Women of Color R Physicians
Staff Physician
Hudson County Correctional Center
Kathi Love
Session Title: How to Negotiate Your Salary
CEO of Motherwell Resources LLC
A company devoted to management consulting and she is executive coaching and the author of The Crone in the Corner Office, a blog devoted to her management experience.
Dr. Melanie Hill
Session Title: She Lives in Music: Reimagining Black Women Preachers’ Sounds of Justice and Freedom Visions
Post-Doctoral Associate
Department of English at Rutgers University—New Brunswick, working on her upcoming book project.
Sondra Denise Roberts
Session Title: Be a Brand That’s Known To Do Good, Be Great
Communications Executive, Certified Life Coach, and Author
Founder and chief strategist of GLOBALGOOD Public Relations.
Janet Conroy-Quirk
Session Title: Finding Empowerment Through Body Positivity
Actor and Writer
Cast member of Realize Your Beauty, an educational theater troupe.
Henah Parikh
Session Title: Living Your Life With Purpose
Development and Communications Manager
She’s the First, a nonprofit that supports girls who are the first in their families to graduate high school across 11 low-income countries.
Juhanna Rogers, Ph.D.
Session Title: Behind the Woman: Turning Loses into Lessons & Leadership
Director of Community Engagement and Empowerment at CenterState CEO
In her role, she creates economic inclusion strategies and leads initiatives that foster economic inclusion principles within the Central New York community.
Steff Gallante
Session Title: Programming Your Mind For Success
Fitness and Class Program Coordinator
Steff Gallante is a Fitness and Class Program Coordinator and part-time Lecturer at Rutgers University.
Jessica Tuazon
Session Title: Honing in on Your “Ah-Ha” Moment
Rutgers University Senior
Jessica Tuazon is a senior majoring in mechanical engineering with a concentration in aerospace engineering and minors in business administration and mathematics.
Jeanne Fox
Session Title: Climate Change in Today’s World
Adjunct Professor, Columbia University’s
Since 2015, Fox has served as an adjunct professor at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs.
Lisa Lovell and Maddie Brooks
Session Title: Transitioning To The Workplace
Financial Services
Lovell is a licensed financial associate while Brooks has been with the Prudential Insurance Company of America since 2012.
Kathy Meyer
Session Title: Preparing for Life After College as a STEM/Healthcare Professional
Johnson and Johnson MLD Program
Kathy Meyer is a Rutgers 2017 graduate, majored in Marketing and minored in South Asian studies. She currently works for Johnson & Johnson in the Marketing Leadership Development program.
Tania M. Guaman, MPA
Session Title: Preparing for Life After College as a STEM/Healthcare Professional
Project Manager, United Way of Greater Union County
Tania M. Guaman is a Project Manager at the United Way of Greater Union County. Tania holds a Bachelor of Science in Public Health from Rutgers University and a Master’s Degree of Public Administration from Baruch College (CUNY).
Michelle Boyland
Session Title: Preparing for Life After College as a STEM/Healthcare Professional
Johnson and Johnson Finance
Michelle Boyland is a Rutgers 2017 graduate and majored in Accounting and minored in labor studies. She currently is working for Johnson & Johnson Finance in the Finance Leadership Development program.
Ismanie Guillaume, MD
Session Title: Preparing for Life After College as a STEM/Healthcare Professional
Resident Physician
Dr. Ismanie Guillaume is Resident Physician in a combined Internal Medicine and Pediatrics Program at Christiana Care in Delaware.
Motunrayo (Becky) Adu
Moderator: Women of Color R Physicians
RWJ Medical School Student
Medical school was a longtime dream for Motunrayo (Becky) Adu. Her parents had immigrated here from Nigeria to give their children a better life, instilling in them hard work and determination and encouraging them to aim for their dreams.
Carly Conroy and Suzanne Schafer
Session Title: Rutgers University and Honors College Information Session
New Brunswick Undergraduate Admissions
Carly Conroy is the Coordinator for Admissions and Student Affairs Support for the Rutgers University Honors College.
Nidhi Jha
Session Title: Preparing for Life After College as a STEM/Healthcare Professional
Practice Leader at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
Nidhi Jha is a Practice Leader in the Department of Ambulatory Care. As a member of the administrative team, she assists with the facilitation of daily clinical operations.
Eugenia Boye-Codjoe
Session Title: Preparing for Life After College as a STEM/Healthcare Professional
Senior Research Coordinator/Project Manager
Eugenia Boye-Codjoe is a Senior Research Coordinator/Project Manager at Northwell Health’s Feinstein Institute for Medical Research, where she conducts clinical research.
Carolyn Andia B.S
Session Title: This is a Man’s World, or is it?: The Experiences of Women of Color in Male Dominated Fields
Continuous Process Improvement Engineer
Carolyn Andia is a Peruvian immigrant who graduated from Rutgers University as a Mechanical & Aerospace Engineer in 2014. Carolyn works at Johnson & Johnson as an engineer.
Dr. Andrea Osei, PharmD
Session Title: This is a Man’s World, or is it?: The Experiences of Women of Color in Male Dominated Fields
Pharmacist, Pharm.D
Dr. Andrea Osei serves as a Pharmacist by day and Fashion Designer by night at Osei en Rose. In 2008, Andrea received her Doctor of Pharmacy degree (PharmD) from the Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy at Rutgers University.
Funmi Ladigbolu, M.P.A., M.A., PMP, ITIL
Session Title: This is a Man’s World, or is it?: The Experiences of Women of Color in Male Dominated Fields
IT Change Control Administrator
Funmi Ladigbolu, is an IT Change Control Administrator at Columbia University Medical Center. A role she has held for the past six years. In her role she manages and oversees enterprise wide change requests and the risks they pose to the university community.
Nancy Andia, B.S.
Session Title: This is a Man’s World, or is it?: The Experiences of Women of Color in Male Dominated Fields
Logistics Technology Manager
Nancy D Andia is a first generation Peruvian American who graduated from the Rutgers School of Engineering in 2013 as an Electrical & Computer Engineer. She joined Johnson & Johnson as part of their Technology Leadership Development Program.
S.T.E.A.M. Hot Topics Talks Speakers
Marlise Correa
Marlise Correa, Community Police Officer, Rutgers University Police Department.
Mannal Babar
Mannal Babar is a first-generation Pakistani American. She is an undergraduate student here at Rutgers University studying History, Political Science and Journalism with a minor in Women & Gender Studies.
Emily Kafas
Emily Kafas is a college senior at Rutgers University with a Major in Communication specializing in Public Relations.
Alexis Etes
Though Alexis is young in age, she has still managed to earn numerous awards and recognition for her many roles in leadership and her academic performance throughout the years.
Dr. Jewel Plummer Cobb, an influential educator, trailblazer and scientist who served as the sixth Dean of Douglass from 1976 to 1981.
For more information about the conference please contact Karima Woodyard karima.woodyard@rutgers.edu