FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Shelley O’Brien
202-588-8175
obrien@awis.org
Association for Women in Science Announces New Board Members
WASHINGTON DC, June 21, 2024 – The Association for Women in Science (AWIS) is pleased to announce that Iris Yuning Ye and Melora Zaner will join the AWIS National Governing Board beginning July 1, 2024. They will replace Dr. Karen Bjorkman and Dr. Patrice Yarbough who have completed their board terms. Dr. Venkat Sethuraman and Dr. Brittany Parker Kerrigan, who also completed their first terms, chose to run for a second term.
Neelima Rao, AWIS Board Chair-Elect and Vice President of Human Resources, Global R&D and North America Hub Leader at AstraZeneca, led the AWIS Nominating and Governance Committee through the board member selection process. “We received many strong applications this cycle,” said Rao. “We were delighted to recommend a slate of four candidates to complement the perspectives and competencies of the full board.” The slate included:
- Iris Yuning Ye is a Product Manager at Microsoft.
- Melora Zaner is the Chief Design Officer at TIAA.
- Venkat Sethuraman is Head of Global Biometrics and Data Sciences at Bristol Myers Squibb.
- Brittany Parker Kerrigan is the Chief Operating Officer for the Lindonlight Collective.
Votes were tallied during the AWIS Member Town Hall Meeting yesterday and the recommended slate was approved. All four individuals will serve until June 30, 2027.
At the Member Town Hall, Rao recognized the departing board members saying, “I’d like to thank Dr. Karen Bjorkman and Dr. Patrice Yarbough for their service to AWIS and their decades of loyal membership. Thank you both for helping AWIS to empower more women to success in STEM.”
Rao will begin her two year term as Chair of the Board of Directors on July 1, 2024. While Dr. Isabel Escobar, the Paul W. Chellgren Chair Professor and Director of the Chellgren Center for Undergraduate Student Excellence at the University of Kentucky, completes her term as AWIS Board Chair on June 30, 2024. Escobar will continue to serve the board with the title of Past Chair for the next year. Elections for the other officers will occur at the July board meeting.
To see the complete list of AWIS board members, please visit awis.org/about-awis/governance.
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About AWIS: Founded in 1971, AWIS is the leading organization that advocates on behalf of women in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) professions to achieve business growth, social change, and innovation. AWIS’ mission is dedicated to driving excellence in STEM by achieving equity and full participation of women in all disciplines and across all employment sectors.