PLEN Women in STEM Policy: Full Schedule

Welcome to the Women in STEM Policy Seminar, here you can find more details about the schedule, speakers, and activities we have planned for you!

3:00pm EST

Check in to the Kimpton Carlyle Hotel (only mandatory for students staying at the hotel)

Checking in: The hotel rooms will be available at 3 pm on Sunday, January 5, 2020. You can check in anytime after 3pm on this date. If you arrive in D.C. before your room is ready, you may be able to store your luggage at the hotel and walk around the area until your room is ready. Upon check in, the front desk may ask for your credit card as a security deposit to cover any incidental charges to your room during your stay.

If you have any issues you can contact Mackenzie at mkuhl@plen.org or 563-663-2739

HELPFUL INFORMATION:
Room Setup: Each room has two queen beds, a closet, and one full bath. Triple rooms also have a roll-out bed.
Location: The Kimpton Carlyle is located at 1731 New Hampshire Ave NW. The closest metro station is Dupont Circle (on the Red line.) On the first morning of the seminar, PLEN Staff will meet students in the lobby of the hotel and they will go to the first session as a group.
Checking in: The hotel rooms will be available at 3 pm the evening before the seminar begins. If you arrive in D.C. before your room is ready, you may be able to store your luggage at the hotel and walk around the area until your room is ready. Upon check in, the front desk may ask for your credit card as a security deposit to cover any incidental charges to your room during your stay.

Speakers

Mackenzie Kuhl

Programs and Communications Manager, PLEN

Mackenzie Kuhl is the Programs and Communications Manager for PLEN, where her main focus is to plan the logistics of each seminar. She is also responsible for marketing, communications, and social media outreach. Mackenzie is originally from Dubuque, Iowa, a daughter of two teachers... Read More →

Sunday January 5, 2020 3:00pm - Monday January 6, 2020 12:00am EST
Kimpton Carlyle Hotel 1731 New Hampshire Ave NW, Washington, DC 20009

Hotel Information, Check-in

7:30am EST

Meet Mackenzie in the lobby of the Kimpton Carlyle Hotel (only mandatory for students staying in the hotel)

Speakers

Mackenzie Kuhl

Programs and Communications Manager, PLEN

Monday January 6, 2020 7:30am - 7:35am EST
Kimpton Carlyle Hotel 1731 New Hampshire Ave NW, Washington, DC 20009

Meeting time

8:30am EST

Day 1 Meeting Location: Amazon DC Headquarters

Monday January 6, 2020 8:30am - 8:30am EST
Amazon DC Headquarters 601 New Jersey Ave NW #900, Washington, D.C. 20001

Meeting time

8:30am EST

Breakfast provided by PLEN

Bagels and fruit

Monday January 6, 2020 8:30am - 9:00am EST
Amazon DC Headquarters 601 New Jersey Ave NW #900, Washington, D.C. 20001

Meals

8:30am EST

Registration: IMPORTANT INFORMATION

PLEN will provide breakfast. Please read through the below information:

1. Waiver ( If you've already emailed this to Mackenzie, you don't need to submit again.)
2. Student Handbook
3. How a bill becomes a law
4. Metro guide
5. Professional dress tips
6. Walking directions (attached below)
7. Pre-survey - STUDENTS PLEASE FILL OUT.

Speakers

Mackenzie Kuhl

Programs and Communications Manager, PLEN

Monday January 6, 2020 8:30am - 9:00am EST
Amazon DC Headquarters 601 New Jersey Ave NW #900, Washington, D.C. 20001

PLEN Information

8:45am EST

Pre-Seminar Survery

Pre-Seminar Survey

Monday January 6, 2020 8:45am - 9:00am EST

PLEN Information

9:00am EST

Activity: PLEN Basics + Icebreakers

Learn more about PLEN, expectations for the week and about your PLEN cohort.

Speakers

Sujan Sedhai

Programs and Development Manager, PLEN

Sujan Sedhai is the Programs and Development Manager for PLEN. In this position, she is responsible for managing logistics for seminars and implementing fundraising goals, including grant writing, donor tracking, and alumni engagement. Prior to PLEN, Sujan served as the Program Coordinator... Read More →

Mackenzie Kuhl

Programs and Communications Manager, PLEN

Sarah Bruno

Executive Director, PLEN

Named one of Nonprofit HR’s “7 Inspiring Nonprofit Women to Watch in 2018,” Sarah Bruno is the Executive Director of the Public Leadership Education Network (PLEN.) As PLEN’s Executive Director, Sarah provides program and administrative oversight to the organization. Prior... Read More →

Monday January 6, 2020 9:00am - 10:00am EST
Amazon DC Headquarters 601 New Jersey Ave NW #900, Washington, D.C. 20001

PLEN Information

10:15am EST

Introduction to STEM Policy

As the first panel of the seminar, speakers will discuss their experience working at the intersection of STEM and policy and introduce you to typical careers, processes, topics, and jargon that will be helpful to know for the rest of the seminar.

Moderators

Marguerete Luter

Board Chair, STEMforHer

Marguerete Luter is President and owner of The Process Pro, an LLC fueling organization growth strategically and tactically through focus on strategic planning, business process, organization development and operations. Ms. Luter’s entire career has been focused on helping organizations... Read More →

Speakers

Sarah Akbar

Director, Government Affairs Education and Workforce, Oracle

Sara Akbar is a Director in Oracle’s Government Affairs office. She manages workforce and education policy issues and serves as Oracle’s representative on philanthropic efforts and several international task forces, including the OECD. She frequently represents Oracle on STEM... Read More →

Eileen Supko

President, Energy Resources International, Inc

Eileen Supko is a Principal Owner and President of Energy Resources International, Inc. (ERI), a Washington, D.C. based consulting company that specializes in nuclear fuel cycle market analyses. She provides consulting services associated with nuclear fuel management, nuclear waste... Read More →

Cory Malmgren

Executive Director, US Policy and Government Relations, Merck

Corey Malmgren has more than a decade of experience working in Washington, D.C. She is Executive Director of U.S. Policy and Government Relations at Merck. Before joining Merck, she served as Health Counsel to Senator Bill Nelson (D-FL), quickly rising to Deputy Legislative Director... Read More →

Monday January 6, 2020 10:15am - 11:45am EST
Amazon DC Headquarters 601 New Jersey Ave NW #900, Washington, D.C. 20001

Panel

10:15am EST

Networking 101

What is networking? How do I actually get out there and meet people in a meaningful way? This session will introduce you to what networking really is and provide tips for establishing and maintaining a supportive professional network.

Speakers

Allyson Perleoni

Senior Legislative Analyst, American Academy of Pediatrics

Allyson Perleoni is a Senior Legislative Analyst at the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) where she advocates on behalf of medical schools and teaching hospitals. At the AAMC, Allyson is engaged in Graduate Medical Education (GME), Medicare payment, and the physician... Read More →

Monday January 6, 2020 10:15am - 11:45am EST
Amazon DC Headquarters 601 New Jersey Ave NW #900, Washington, D.C. 20001

Professional Development

12:00pm EST

Lunch provided by PLEN

Sit back, relax, and save money! PLEN is providing you lunch today.

Monday January 6, 2020 12:00pm - 12:45pm EST
Amazon DC Headquarters 601 New Jersey Ave NW #900, Washington, D.C. 20001

Meals

2:45pm EST

Featured Speaker

Speakers

Elizabeth Lindsey

Executive Director, Byte Back

Monday January 6, 2020 2:45pm - 3:45pm EST
Amazon DC Headquarters 601 New Jersey Ave NW #900, Washington, D.C. 20001

Keynote

8:00am EST

Meet Mackenzie in the lobby of the Kimpton Carlyle Hotel (only mandatory for students staying in the hotel)

Speakers

Mackenzie Kuhl

Programs and Communications Manager, PLEN

Tuesday January 7, 2020 8:00am - 8:00am EST
NIH 9000 Rockville Pike Bethesda, Maryland 20892

8:00am EST

Day 2 Meeting Location: National Institutes of Health

Tuesday January 7, 2020 8:00am - 8:00am EST
NIH 9000 Rockville Pike Bethesda, Maryland 20892

Meeting time

8:30am EST

Day 3 Meeting Location: Capitol Hill

Wednesday January 8, 2020 8:30am - 8:30am EST
Rayburn House Office Building Room 2168 45 Independence Ave SW, Washington, D.C. 20515

Meeting time

9:15am EST

Careers on Capitol Hill

Moderators

Sharla Artz

Sharla Artz serves as the Vice President of Government Affairs, Policy and Cybersecurity of the Utilities Technology Council, where she focuses on bringing attention to cross sector interdependencies in critical infrastructure protection efforts. Ms. Artz was formerly the Director... Read More →

Speakers

Lila Nieves-Lee

Legislative Assistant, Office of U.S. Senator Tim Scott (R-SC)

Lila Nieves-Lee is Legislative Assistant to U.S. Senator Tim Scott (R-SC), a member of the SenateCommittee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs. She handles issues relating to Banking, Housing, & Urban Affairs; Commerce, Science, and Transportation; as well as trade. Prior to... Read More →

Sara Barber

Professional Staff Member, U.S.House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, U.S. House of Representatives

Sara earned her PhD in physics from the University of Oklahoma in 2015 where she studied remnant planetary systems around white dwarf stars. After graduate school, Sara moved to DC for a one-year AAAS/AIP Congressional Science Fellowship with the House Science Committee. During her... Read More →

Grace Graham

Health Policy Director, U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions

Priyanka Hooghan

Staff Director, Staff Director Subcommittee on Environment, U.S. Committee on Science, Space, and Technology

Priyanka Hooghan is the Subcommittee Staff Director of the Environment Subcommittee of the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology. Prior to her current role, she served as a STEM graduate fellow with the American Petroleum Institute and in the office of Senator Mazie K... Read More →

Wednesday January 8, 2020 9:15am - 10:15am EST
Rayburn House Office Building Room 2168 45 Independence Ave SW, Washington, D.C. 20515

Panel

10:30am EST

Data Security and Protection

Moderators

Heather Philpot

Senior VP, Nonprofit & Political, Infogroup

Heather Philpot is the Senior Vice President of Political and Public Affairs, Heather is responsible for the growth and strategic development of both practices, as well as working with nonprofit charities. Her vision of helping marketers acquire high value donors, advocates, and... Read More →

Speakers

Zuraya Tapia-Hadley

Manager of Public Policy, Facebook

Taylor Lemmons

Business Development and Co-Chair of Diversity & Inclusion Council, Quorum

Hannah Quay-de la Valle

Senior Technologist, Center for Democracy and Technology

Hannah Quay-de la Vallee is a Senior Technologist at the Center for Democracy & Technology. She brings her technical expertise to bear across CDT’s projects, with particular focus on advocating for robust encryption and on the Student Privacy project, dedicated to ensuring students... Read More →

Wednesday January 8, 2020 10:30am - 11:45am EST
Rayburn House Office Building Room 2168 45 Independence Ave SW, Washington, D.C. 20515

Panel

12:00pm EST

Lunch on your own

Wednesday January 8, 2020 12:00pm - 1:15pm EST
Rayburn House Office Building Room 2168 45 Independence Ave SW, Washington, D.C. 20515

Meals

2:15pm EST

Site Visits

Speakers

Sarah Bruno

Executive Director, PLEN

STEM20 Student Info Site Assignment UPDATED pdf

Wednesday January 8, 2020 2:15pm - 4:00pm EST
TBA

Site visits

8:45am EST

Day 4 Meeting Location: Microsoft Innovation & Policy Center

Thursday January 9, 2020 8:45am - 8:45am EST
Microsoft Innovation & Policy Center 901 K St NW 11th Floor, Washington, DC 20001

Meeting time

9:15am EST

Breakout Session A: Energy and the Environment

Moderators

Sarah Hunt

Co-Founder and CEO, Joseph Rainey Center for Public Policy

Sarah Hunt is a leader in conservative clean energy policy and a successful social entrepreneur. As co-founder and CEO of the Joseph Rainey Center for Public Policy, she leads public policy research and leadership development programs by and for women, minorities, and mavericks... Read More →

Speakers

Whitney Muse

Senior Consultant, Deloitte

Whitney Muse is a Senior Consultant at Deloitte. She currently supports domestic and international energy projects, providing policy and regulatory analysis, for US State Department, USAID, and US Department of Defense funded projects. She was previously the Senior Program Officer... Read More →

Melissa Lavinson

Senior Vice President of Government and External Affairs, Pepco Holdings

Alexis McKittrick

Environment and Energy Program and Policy Specialist, Institute for Defense Analyses

Alexis McKittrick, Ph.D., works as a research staff member for the IDA Science and Technology Policy Institute (STPI) in Washington, D.C. In this role, she conducts objective, non-partisan research and analysis supporting a variety of tasks for the White House Office of Science and... Read More →

Lauren Linsmayer

Professional Staff, U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Science, Space, and Technology

Lauren Linsmayer is a professional staff member with the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Science, Space, and Technology where she works on climate, weather, and ocean policy for the majority. She joined the Committee at the beginning of 2019 after completing a year-long... Read More →

STEM20 Student Info Site Assignment UPDATED pdf

Thursday January 9, 2020 9:15am - 10:45am EST
Microsoft Innovation & Policy Center 901 K St NW 11th Floor, Washington, DC 20001

Panel

9:15am EST

Breakout Session B: Cybersecurity and National Defense

Moderators

Allie Brandenburger

Founder, TheBridge

Allie Brandenburger is Co-founder & CEO of TheBridge, a non-partisan organization connecting tech, innovation, policy, politics, focused on building understanding and collaboration among these cultures. Allie has organically grown the community of leaders and expanded into cities... Read More →

Speakers

Afua Bruce

Director of Engineering, Public Interest Technology

Afua Bruce has spent her career developing and applying technology in service of the public interest. She is currently the Director of Engineering for New America's Public Interest Technology program. At New America, Afua oversees a team of technologists working with state and local... Read More →

Lauren Courchaine

Cyberspace Officer, U.S. Air Force

Lieutenant Colonel Lauren A. Courchaine is an Operations Officer in the Cyberspace and Electronic Warfare Operations Division under the Directorate for Global Operations on the Joint Staff. In this position she supports the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff as the principal military... Read More →

Amelia Estwick

Global Cybersecurity Director, National Cybersecurity Institute

Dr. Amelia Estwick is the Program Director at the National Cybersecurity Institute at Excelsior College (NCI) and is a Thought Leader for Excelsior College’s cybersecurity research, training, and academic initiatives. Prior to her position at Excelsior College, she worked for the... Read More →

Anjelica Dortch

Technology Policy Executive, IBM

Anjelica Dortch is a Technology Policy Executive within the Government and Regulatory Affairs team at IBM where she focuses on the company’s policy priorities for responsible artificial intelligence, cloud computing, cybersecurity, and blockchain technology. Prior to joining IBM... Read More →

STEM20 Student Info Site Assignment UPDATED pdf

Thursday January 9, 2020 9:15am - 10:45am EST
Microsoft Innovation & Policy Center 901 K St NW 11th Floor, Washington, DC 20001

Panel

11:00am EST

Breakout Session A: Inclusion in Technology Innovation

Moderators

Samantha Lasky

Senior Vice President, Berlin Rosen

Samantha is a senior vice president in Berlin Rosen’s national division where she leverages her two decades of experience working with nonprofits and major corporations to develop communications strategies that help her clients engage core stakeholders and make an impact. Her most... Read More →

Speakers

Heather Matranga

Senior Director, Strategic Innovations, Village Capital

Heather is the Senior Director of Strategic Innovations at Village Capital, where she identifies and incubates innovative approaches to support and catalyze more investment into early-stage, high impact entrepreneurs. Prior to joining the team, Heather worked as an attorney advisor... Read More →

Emily Jennings

Software Engineer, GetUpside

Emily Jennings was a teacher before she changed careers. She taught in South Korea for 5 years and now works at GetUpside as a software engineer. She also has experience helping others change careers into tech through coding bootcamps, and is particularly passionate about helping... Read More →

Francella Ochillo

Executive Director, Next Century Cities

STEM20 Student Info Site Assignment UPDATED pdf

Thursday January 9, 2020 11:00am - 12:30pm EST
Microsoft Innovation & Policy Center 901 K St NW 11th Floor, Washington, DC 20001

Panel

11:00am EST

Breakout Session B: Health Access and Technology

Moderators

Libby Prescott

Director of Programs, National Academy of Medicine

Speakers

Erin Kelley

Senior Population Health Specialist,, Whitman Walker Health

Libby O’Hare

Partner, Lewis-Burke Associates

Stephanie Begley

Public Health Advisor, Office for the Advancement of Telehealth, Federal Office of Rural Health Policy

STEM20 Student Info Site Assignment UPDATED pdf

Thursday January 9, 2020 11:00am - 12:30pm EST
Microsoft Innovation & Policy Center 901 K St NW 11th Floor, Washington, DC 20001

Panel

12:30pm EST

Lunch and Free Time (Extended break)

Thursday January 9, 2020 12:30pm - 4:10pm EST
Microsoft Innovation & Policy Center 901 K St NW 11th Floor, Washington, DC 20001

Meals

4:30pm EST

Resume Review and PLEN Taught Me

Please bring your PRINTED resumes to this session. You will get 7 minutes one-to-one with a resume reviewer.

Thursday January 9, 2020 4:30pm - 6:00pm EST
Microsoft Innovation & Policy Center 901 K St NW 11th Floor, Washington, DC 20001

Professional Development

6:00pm EST

Networking Reception

Thursday January 9, 2020 6:00pm - 7:30pm EST
Microsoft Innovation & Policy Center 901 K St NW 11th Floor, Washington, DC 20001

Professional Development

8:30am EST

Day 5 Meeting Location: Airbus Group

Friday January 10, 2020 8:30am - 8:30am EST
Airbus Group 1101 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington, DC 20004

Meeting time

8:30am EST

Breakfast provided by PLEN

Bagels and Fruit

Friday January 10, 2020 8:30am - 9:00am EST
Airbus Group 1101 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington, DC 20004

Meals

9:15am EST

Launching Your Career in STEM Policy

Moderators

Kate Stoll

Senior Policy Advisor, MIT

Kate Stoll is Senior Policy Advisor at the MIT Washington Office since 2014. Prior to MIT, she served as an American Chemical Society Congressional Fellow with the U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce. From 2011-13 Kate was an American Association for the Advancement of Science... Read More →

Speakers

Laura Paquin

PhD Student, University of Maryland Aerospace Engineering Department

Laura Paquin is a PhD student in the aerospace engineering department at UMD. She is a National Defense Science & Engineering Graduate fellow and also an ARCS scholar. She received her bachelors in aerospace engineering from the University of Notre Dame, and during the summers completed... Read More →

Stefanie Reeves

Executive Director, Maryland Psychological Association

Stefanie Reeves is the Executive Director of the Maryland Psychological Association (MPA) in Columbia, MD. In this role, she manages the day to day operations of a small staff association representing psychologists and other mental health professionals in the state of Maryland. Stefanie... Read More →

AnneMarie Horowitz

Director, STEM Rising and Department of Energy

AnneMarie Horowitz has been with the Energy Department since 2009, and is the Director of STEM Rising, a priority Departmental initiative to highlight the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) programs and resources of the agency. AnneMarie also leads the Interagency... Read More →

Amanda Field

Association of American Medical Colleges

Amanda Field earned her PhD in molecular and cellular biology at the University of Maryland, College Park. Her doctorate work focused on the transcription factor network in the fruit fly, giving insight into how transcription factors guide embryonic development. During her doctorate... Read More →

Friday January 10, 2020 9:15am - 10:15am EST
Airbus Group 1101 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington, DC 20004

Panel

10:15am EST

Post-Seminar Survey

Friday January 10, 2020 10:15am - 12:30pm EST
Airbus Group 1101 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington, DC 20004

10:30am EST

Skills: Salary Negotiation

An essential way of decreasing the pay gap is negotiating for a higher salary - and knowing how much you're worth - starting with your very first job. Learn and practice the skills that will help you negotiate for what you want and deserve.

Speakers

Sarah Bruno

Executive Director, PLEN

Friday January 10, 2020 10:30am - 12:00pm EST
Airbus Group 1101 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington, DC 20004

Professional Development

12:00pm EST

Debrief with PLEN staff

As our final debrief together, we'll ask you about your overall experience, any tips you have for PLEN to improve, and share ways to stay involved with PLEN.

Speakers

PLEN Information