THE GOVERNOR'S STEM SCHOLARS TEAM.
The Governor's STEM Scholars Team is comprised of industry, academic and government professionals who guide the organizational vision and mission.
GSS Advisory Council.
The Governor’s STEM Scholars Advisory Board is made up of STEM professionals from academia, government, and industry, who have made a commitment to the program’s mission: to mentor, educate, and inspire students in STEM in New Jersey. The primary role of the Advisory Board is to serve as an admissions committee, but Board members also participate in conferences and mentor Scholars throughout the year.
Qiana L. Brown, Ph.D., MPH, LCSW
Dr. Qiana L. Brown is an epidemiologist, social worker, translational scientist and Assistant Professor at the Rutgers School of Social Work and School of Public Health, Department of Urban-Global Public Health.
Michael W. Klein, J.D., Ph.D.
Michael W. Klein is a Richard P. Nathan Public Policy Fellow at the Rockefeller Institute of Government at the State University of New York, and an associated member of the faculty of the PhD in Higher Education Program at Rutgers University.
Kamana Misra, Ph.D.
A Neuroscientist by training, Dr. Misra has a deep interest in translational science and leads the R&D activities at her startup ContraRx.
Volha Tryputsen
Volha Tryputsen is a Statistician at Johnson & Johnson with 8+ years of pharmaceutical experience providing innovative statistical solutions for diverse array of projects spinning through all the phases of drug discovery and development across different therapeutic areas with the focus in Neuroscience and Oncology.
Nicole Wodzinski
Nicole Wodzinski is the Director of Project SUPER (Science for Undergraduates: A Program for Excellence in Research) and the Director of the Reilly Douglass Engineering Living-Learning Community.
Lucas Dorazio
Lucas Dorazio has been a practicing chemical engineer at BASF where he leads a team of scientists developing fluid catalytic cracking catalysts to support the refining industry.
Robyn LaTorre
Robyn LaTorre is now in her third year teaching STEM to Upper Township Middle School’s entire population in Cape May County utilizing a self created curriculum titled “Designing for the Unknown World”.
Alexandra Sun, Ph.D.
Alexandra Sun is a research chemist at Merck & Co., where she is designing innovative automation and high-throughput experimentation tools for drug development.
Natasha Velikoselskiy
Natasha Velikoselskiy is a Leadership Expert, Executive Coach, Founder of LEADING WHILE HUMAN Leadership Development Consultancy, and an Adjunct Professor at Columbia Business School.
Douglas Wong
Douglas Wong is a Chief Engineer, Systems Engineering Area Lead and Branch Chief for the Combat Capabilities Developmental Command – Armaments Center (CCDC-AC), Systems Engineering Directorate (ESIC-SED), Picatinny Arsenal. In this capacity he serves the Director of Engineering, Systems Engineering and Technology Integration (SETI), Project Manager for Maneuver Ammunition Systems (PM MAS).
Ricardo Garcia
Ricardo Garcia is the alumni representative on the Governor’s STEM Scholars Advisory Board. Ricardo was a member of the Governor’s STEM Scholars class of 2018-2019, and graduated in May 2019.
Siobhan McVay
Siobhan McVay is a science educator of 20 years, spending the past eight years teaching 10-12th-grade Chemistry and Physical Sciences at Delran High School.
Sindhu Suresh, Ph.D.
Sindhu Suresh is a senior project manager in the department of Business Analytics & Monitoring of Siemens Corporate, Corporate Technology.
Lu Wang, Ph.D.
Lu Wang is a Senior Scientist with the Small Molecule Process Research & Development group at Merck & Co.
GSS Science Advisor.
The Governor's STEM Scholars Science Advisor provides scientific and technical thought leadership and support to the Governor's STEM Scholars, specifically advising and mentoring the team research projects.
Michael Tocci, Ph.D.
Dr. Michael Tocci has more than 35 years of experience in pharmaceutical drug discovery and development and has held key leadership positions at Merck, Cell & Molecular Technologies, and Sanofi.
GSS Staff.
The Governor's STEM Scholars staff are career educational, organizational, and communications professionals who are committed to building stronger STEM ecosystems within New Jersey.
Anthony Cicatiello
President, Research & Development Council of New Jersey
Anthony Cicatiello is President of the Research & Development Council of New Jersey. Tony has served on the Rutgers University Board of Governors, as Chairman of the Commission on the Future of the State Colleges in New Jersey, and on the National Communications Advisory Council of The Ohio State University.
Kim Case, J.D.
Executive Director, Research & Development Council of New Jersey
Kim Case, J.D. serves as Executive Director of the Research & Development Council of New Jersey. As Executive Director, Kim assists in setting the Council’s agenda, advises its leadership on issues related to the Council’s mission of advancing R&D in the state, and runs the day-to-day operations of the organization.
Alise Roderer
Director, Governor's STEM Scholars
Alise Roderer is the Director of the Governor’s STEM Scholars (GSS) where she is responsible for all aspects of the program, including ensuring all elements are aligned with organizational mission and vision, Scholar recruitment and selections, event and conference implementation, and fundraising and donor management.
