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Dayna currently serves as a Director of Research & Innovation at SHPE. In this role, she oversees the Equipando Padres program, pre-college program, graduate programming, faculty development, as well as different aspects of research and data analysis.

An industrial engineer by training, before joining SHPE, Dayna was a faculty member in the Mechanical and Industrial Engineering Department at Northeastern University in Boston, MA after working at their Healthcare Systems Engineering Institute (HSyE) as a post-doctoral research fellow.

Native from San Juan, Puerto Rico, Dayna graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering from the University of Puerto Rico, Mayagüez Campus (¡Colegio!) and then she completed a master’s and PhD degree in Industrial Engineering from the University of South Florida in Tampa.

Being Hispanic and an engineer herself, Dayna has a passion for increasing Hispanic representation in STEM. She currently lives with her husband Andrés, their two sons David and Sebastián, and their miniature schnauzer Lucca in Winter Garden, Florida.

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Esther González is a PhD student in the Price School of Public Policy at the University of Southern California (USC). Her research domains are organization behavior and diversity management with particular interests in diversity investment outcomes and the impact of executive level leadership diversity. Her research is multidisciplinary and applies methods and fields in public policy, management, political science, and sociology.

Upon completion of her Bachelors of Arts degree in International Development Studies at UCLA, she began a successful career in banking and finance at Bank of America, Merrill Lynch. She has completed various post baccalaureate certifications through UCLA Anderson and the Harvard Business School; most recently, she completed her MPA at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, and MBA at Cornell Tech. She is a leadership fellow in the Southern California Leadership Network’s Leadership LA program and recently completed her Diversity and Inclusion Certificate from eCornell.

She is a multifaceted servant leader, equity advocate, and researcher with research and work experience across the non-profit, public, and private sectors. In her roles in different sectors, she has found success through her ability to effectively communicate, think analytically, and execute strategy while always supporting her colleagues in their career aspirations.

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Andrea D. Beattie is a graduate from Texas A&M International University in Laredo, Texas, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts in Political Science in 2011 and 2012, respectively. Currently she serves as Manager, Research and Innovation at SHPE. In this role, she assists the organization with research, program evaluation, and data analytics.

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Ashleigh currently serves as a Director of Research & Innovation at SHPE. In this role, she leads the MentorSHPE, InternSHPE, ScholarSHPE, SHPE Academy, and professional development programs. She is passionate about helping college students form meaningful, goal-aligned connections with peers, professionals, and companies. To accomplish this, she uses a data-based approach to customizing best practices to fit the individual needs and goals of students and companies.
Ashleigh has worked for a variety of higher education institutions (large, public 4-year; small, private 4-year; community college) in a myriad of roles and offices. This varied experience has provided her with a first-hand understanding of the challenges and barriers college students face related to success, persistence, and degree completion. This understanding is key to the successful design and implementation of higher education adjacent programming at industry partners.
Ashleigh completed a BS in Biological Engineering at Kansas State University where she worked in the Women in Engineering and Science program. In this role, she witnessed the incredible impact targeted support and guidance can have for STEM students. She then completed an MEd in Higher Education Administration and a Graduate Certificate in Institutional Research at Pennsylvania State University.

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Over 25 years of experience as an engineering educator and administrator developing and funding programs for increasing the persistence and degree completion rates of STEM students. Particular expertise in creating mutually beneficial partnerships and pro

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