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Ekundayo (Dayo) Shittu is an Associate Professor of Engineering Management and Systems Engineering at George Washington University. Professor Shittu conducts basic and applied research that take a systems approach to address the different dimensions of decision making under multiple and sequential uncertainties. His focus is on the economics and management of energy technologies, the design and impacts of climate change response policies, sustainability efforts, corporate social responsibility, and patterns of consumer behavior in energy consumption in the emerging era of smart grid technologies. Currently, he is exploring enhancement mechanisms for improved student engagement in the STEM fields and developing strategies to increase the count of underrepresented minorities in engineering education.

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Dor Hirsh Bar Gai is a PhD student in the Department of Engineering Management and Systems Engineering at The George Washington University. He obtained his double bachelor's degrees in systems engineering and philosophy, as well as his masters in energy and environmental management from the George Washington University. Dor's research areas revolve around the nexus of food, energy and water systems and how these relate to various socio-economic dimensions. His research focuses on the regional impact of cities and sustainability driven financial and political decision making. On the local level, his research also explores the influence of community energy projects, and how to overcome the challenges and barriers facing wide-scale community-centered energy independence. Dor is also passionate about improving undergraduate STEM education especially as it pertains to curriculum enhancements in engineering disciplines.   

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Dr. Saniya LeBlanc is an associate professor in the Department of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering at The George Washington University. Her research goals are to create next-generation energy conversion technologies with advanced materials and manufacturing techniques. Previously, she was a research scientist at a startup company where she created research, development, and manufacturing characterization solutions for thermoelectric technologies and evaluated the potential of new power generation materials. Dr. LeBlanc also served in Teach for America and taught high school math and physics in Washington, D.C. Dr. LeBlanc obtained a PhD in mechanical engineering with a minor in materials science at Stanford University where she was a Diversifying Academia Recruiting Excellence fellow, a Sandia Campus Executive fellow, and a National Science Foundation Graduate Research fellow. She was a Churchill Scholar at University of Cambridge where she received an MPhil in engineering, and she has a B.S. in mechanical engineering from Georgia Institute of Technology. In 2018, ASEE named Dr. LeBlanc one of its “20 Under 40 High-achieving Researchers and Educators,” and she received the National Science Foundation CAREER award in 2020.

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Inspired by decades of work alongside Indigenous artists and activists, Dr. Wortham brings a concern for diverse, complex cultural and social contexts to her work at the Innovation Center, SEAS, George Washington University. She has built an interdisciplinary practice spanning art, design, social sciences and engineering with faculty appointments across multiple schools. As a cultural anthropologist, Erica advocates learning from lived experience, the anchor for iterative design and problem-solving processes.
Erica is co-director of GW SEAS’s Innovation Center where she designs learning opportunities that emphasize critical cultural inquiry, storytelling, qualitative research methods, hands-on experimental pedagogies, and substantive community engagement.

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Annamaria Konya Tannon is the chief evangelist for innovation, entrepreneurship, and invention for the School of Engineering and Applied Science. She is also the executive director of the GW Innovation Center.
Annamaria is a technology entrepreneur and angel investor who has been involved in technology enterprise creation for more than 15 years, primarily in Silicon Valley. She also is the founder and CEO of Equita Accelerator, a non-profit corporation dedicated to advancing women and minority led technology companies. Prior to starting Equita, Annamaria served as a global data strategist for IBM with a focus on machine learning and data integration techniques for social media, and she served as national and global judging chair for Cleantech Open, the world's largest startup competition for emerging clean technology companies.
Annamaria mentors and judges in many startup competitions, including the Astia, Springboard, Startup Chile, and NYC Hackathons. She previously was a guest lecturer on innovation and entrepreneurship at Stanford University and served as an entrepreneur in residence at Stanford University's Technology Venture Lab. She has served on the boards of several companies and non-profit organizations, and she worked for the United Nations International Telecom Union, which focuses on sustainable green technology advances in telecom.

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