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2023 HENAAC Award Winners

VIEW 2023 HENAAC LUMINARY AWARD WINNERS
VIEW 2023 STEM MILITARY HERO AWARD WINNERS

Select the winners portrait to learn about about their astounding accomplishments.

Alfredo Ramirez

Engineer of the Year

Alfredo Ramirez
Engineering Vice President, Vehicle Development
Aeronautics Systems Sector

Northrop Grumman Corporation

Sal Barboza Rodriguez, II, Ph.D.

Scientist of the Year

Principal Member of the Technical Staff
Advanced Nuclear Concepts Group

Sandia National Laboratories

Yannis Christos Yortsos, Ph.D.

Chairman’s Award

Dean

USC Viterbi School of Engineering
University of Southern California

Ellen Rios de Acarón

Vanguard Award

Director of Engineering COOP Program

University of Puerto Rico – Mayaguez

Arnold Morales

Pioneer Award

KC-46 Systems Safety Manager

The Boeing Company

Sandra Milach, Ph.D.

Albert V. Baez Award

Retired Vice President

Corteva Agriscience

Juanita A. Tavares

Executive Excellence – Industry

Vice President Global Supply

Lockheed Martin Space

Azlin Biaggi, Ph.D.

Outstanding Technical Achievement – Government

Manager, Foundational Electrified Propulsion Subproject
Aeronautics Mission Office

NASA Glenn Research Center

Regina Ragan, Ph.D.

Outstanding Technical Achievement – Academia

Professor

University of California, Irvine

Humberto E. Garcia, Ph.D.

Outstanding Technical Achievement – National Laboratories

Directorate Fellow, Senior Technical Advisor

Idaho National Laboratory

Vanessa Vera

Professional Achievement I – Industry

Program Manager

RTX

Janette C. Briones, Ph.D.

Professional Achievement I – Government

Technical Lead, Cognitive Communication Systems
Communications and Intelligent Systems Division

NASA Glenn Research Center

Juanita Leal

Lifetime Achievement – Industry

Associate Technical Fellow/Senior Test & Evaluation Engineer

The Boeing Company

Carlos R. Fontanot

Lifetime Achievement – Government

International Space Station Center Imagery Manager

NASA International Space Station

Mauricio A. Salinas, Ph.D.

Professional Achievement II – Industry

Technical Fellow
Electro-Optic Mechanical Analysis

RTX

Alexsandra Paola Olaya-Garcia

Most Promising Engineer – Undergraduate Degree – Industry

Space Launch System (SLS) Launch Integration Manager

The Boeing Company

Melvin X. Soto-Barreto

Most Promising Engineer – Master’s Degree

Subsystems Lead Engineer
F22 Program Office

U.S. Air Force

Bryan Patricio Maldonado Puente, Ph.D.

Most Promising Scientist – Ph.D. – National Laboratories

R&D Associate Staff
Buildings and Transportation Science Division

Oak Ridge National Laboratory

Juan F. Callejas, Ph.D.

Most Promising Scientist – Ph.D. – Industry

Senior R&D TS&D Leader
Architectural Coatings, Dow Coating Materials

Dow

Manuel A. Jimenez-Cedeño, Ph.D.

Education

Professor
Electrical & Computer Engineering Department

University of Puerto Rico Mayaguez

Patricia A. Sullivan, Ph.D.

Community Service – Academia

Associate Dean, Outreach and Recruitment and Director, Workforce and Strategic Engagement

New Mexico State University

Suellen Cristina dos Santos Frank

Community Service – Industry

Senior Principal Investigator/ Systems Engineer
Commercial Airplanes Product Development,
Sustainability Technology Enablers

The Boeing Company

Alfredo Ramirez has had a distinguished 38-year professional career.  He is a subject matter expert across many fields and a gifted system technical architect. His contributions to aviation have had a significant impact on the industry, and he continue to enhance our country’s global security and humanitarian efforts. He currently leads an organization providing critical engineering products and services to a diverse and complex program portfolio. He’s one of just seven Hispanic vice presidents within the entire 98,000 Northrop Grumman employee population, and he is a champion of advancing Hispanic employees internally and externally by inspiring STEM outreach at the national level.

Alfredo Ramirez has had a distinguished 38-year professional career.  He is a subject matter expert across many fields and a gifted system technical architect. His contributions to aviation have had a significant impact on the industry, and he continue to enhance our country’s global security and humanitarian efforts. He currently leads an organization providing critical engineering products and services to a diverse and complex program portfolio. He’s one of just seven Hispanic vice presidents within the entire 98,000 Northrop Grumman employee population, and he is a champion of advancing Hispanic employees internally and externally by inspiring STEM outreach at the national level.

Dr. Sal Rodriguez’s technological innovations touch fields from clean energy to improved crop production to cancer research, with an impact that spans the globe. His focus at Sandia has been on computational fluid dynamics, nuclear reactors, and advanced super alloys. His research resulted in many game-changing advances for modeling fluid dynamics, swirl, and turbulent flows which resulted in multiple patents and patents pending, including one for more efficient wind turbine blades that use turbulators and dimples for increased wind energy output. Sal has provided technical presentations in Estonia, Slovenia, and Armenia, and his nuclear reactor expertise has been leveraged twice by the Pentagon.

Dr. Sal Rodriguez’s technological innovations touch fields from clean energy to improved crop production to cancer research, with an impact that spans the globe. His focus at Sandia has been on computational fluid dynamics, nuclear reactors, and advanced super alloys. His research resulted in many game-changing advances for modeling fluid dynamics, swirl, and turbulent flows which resulted in multiple patents and patents pending, including one for more efficient wind turbine blades that use turbulators and dimples for increased wind energy output. Sal has provided technical presentations in Estonia, Slovenia, and Armenia, and his nuclear reactor expertise has been leveraged twice by the Pentagon.

Yannis C. Yortsos is the Dean of the USC Viterbi School of Engineering and the Zohrab Kaprielian Dean’s Chair in Engineering, a position he’s held since 2005. Between 2012 and 2017, he was the chair of the Diversity Committee of the Engineering Deans Council, where he spearheaded an engineering diversity initiative that’s been adopted by more than 250 universities nationwide. He was elected to the National Academy of Engineering in 2008, and since July 2017 he’s been a member of the NAE Council. Dr. Yortsos been Chair or Co-Chair of multiple HENAAC Award Selection Committees and he’s a tireless champion of STEM initiatives across southern California.

Yannis C. Yortsos is the Dean of the USC Viterbi School of Engineering and the Zohrab Kaprielian Dean’s Chair in Engineering, a position he’s held since 2005. Between 2012 and 2017, he was the chair of the Diversity Committee of the Engineering Deans Council, where he spearheaded an engineering diversity initiative that’s been adopted by more than 250 universities nationwide. He was elected to the National Academy of Engineering in 2008, and since July 2017 he’s been a member of the NAE Council. Dr. Yortsos been Chair or Co-Chair of multiple HENAAC Award Selection Committees and he’s a tireless champion of STEM initiatives across southern California.

Ellen’s work has transformed the lives of thousands of Hispanic engineering students, hundreds of engineering faculty, engineering professionals, co-workers, and communities across Puerto Rico. She has been the architect of a long list of initiatives to impact K-12 students and assist UPRM students with fundraising, networking, and skills development. Ellen created the Engineering Community Summit (ECoS), where engineering students, educators, and professionals that have convened on campus annually for nearly a decade to tackle engineering problems and challenges facing the island and its inhabitants.  Ellen and ECoS have been the catalytic agent for a long list of initiatives that have linked UPRM students and faculty with industrial partners, government agencies, and external organizations.

Ellen’s work has transformed the lives of thousands of Hispanic engineering students, hundreds of engineering faculty, engineering professionals, co-workers, and communities across Puerto Rico. She has been the architect of a long list of initiatives to impact K-12 students and assist UPRM students with fundraising, networking, and skills development. Ellen created the Engineering Community Summit (ECoS), where engineering students, educators, and professionals that have convened on campus annually for nearly a decade to tackle engineering problems and challenges facing the island and its inhabitants.  Ellen and ECoS have been the catalytic agent for a long list of initiatives that have linked UPRM students and faculty with industrial partners, government agencies, and external organizations.

In just over a decade, Arnold Morales has gone from being a low-income warehouse worker with a GED to a first-line manager at Boeing with a master’s degree from one of the top-ranked engineering schools in the nation. He has made workplace contributions integral to airplane certification and been recognized with a safety award from the Boeing Commercial Airplanes
CEO and the Boeing Chief Engineer. He’s also created his own nonprofit to assist over 20,000 first-generation, low-income, minority engineering students like him land dream STEM jobs.
Arnold has made it his mission to share his formula for success with others by posting inspirational content across social media that has reached over 12 million views and gained over 21,000 followers.

In just over a decade, Arnold Morales has gone from being a low-income warehouse worker with a GED to a first-line manager at Boeing with a master’s degree from one of the top-ranked engineering schools in the nation. He has made workplace contributions integral to airplane certification and been recognized with a safety award from the Boeing Commercial Airplanes
CEO and the Boeing Chief Engineer. He’s also created his own nonprofit to assist over 20,000 first-generation, low-income, minority engineering students like him land dream STEM jobs.
Arnold has made it his mission to share his formula for success with others by posting inspirational content across social media that has reached over 12 million views and gained over 21,000 followers.

Sandra is an extraordinary scientist, business leader, mentor, and colleague whose contributions to Latin American agriculture and society have been nothing short of profound. Her ground-breaking work has enriched the lives of people in the field, on the farm, in the boardroom, and in classrooms, and she’s been a champion of nurturing public – private partnerships.  Her current team creates solutions to plant diseases by driving the development of predictive analytics, image-based product characterization, quantitative genetics, and statistics. She’s also at the forefront of applying artificial intelligence to gene editing in seeds, and her combined competencies are heavily impacting how Corteva develops products in the future. 

Sandra is an extraordinary scientist, business leader, mentor, and colleague whose contributions to Latin American agriculture and society have been nothing short of profound. Her ground-breaking work has enriched the lives of people in the field, on the farm, in the boardroom, and in classrooms, and she’s been a champion of nurturing public – private partnerships.  Her current team creates solutions to plant diseases by driving the development of predictive analytics, image-based product characterization, quantitative genetics, and statistics. She’s also at the forefront of applying artificial intelligence to gene editing in seeds, and her combined competencies are heavily impacting how Corteva develops products in the future. 

Juanita Tavares has more than 20 years of experience as an operations and supply chain management executive. In her current role, she oversees a complex production operation that covers 11 manufacturing sites across six states with a product portfolio that ranges from circuit cards to solar arrays, from antennas to hypersonic missiles, and from propulsion systems to additive manufacturing. She is responsible for an annual spend of more than $2 billion and international and contract negotiations totaling up to $150 million. She is a key adviser to Lockheed Martin Space’s senior executive leadership, providing analysis and recommendations on market conditions, hedging, sourcing strategies and inventory positions.

Juanita Tavares has more than 20 years of experience as an operations and supply chain management executive. In her current role, she oversees a complex production operation that covers 11 manufacturing sites across six states with a product portfolio that ranges from circuit cards to solar arrays, from antennas to hypersonic missiles, and from propulsion systems to additive manufacturing. She is responsible for an annual spend of more than $2 billion and international and contract negotiations totaling up to $150 million. She is a key adviser to Lockheed Martin Space’s senior executive leadership, providing analysis and recommendations on market conditions, hedging, sourcing strategies and inventory positions.

Dr. Azlin Biaggi-Labiosa Azlin leads Foundational Electrified Aircraft Propulsion at NASA’s Transformational Tools and Technologies Project. In this role, she conceives and manages advanced research and development efforts that will define the technology, methods, and tools for future aviation propulsion and power systems. Since joining NASA in 2009, she has distinguished herself as an extraordinarily talented research engineer and manager who first made her mark researching novel nano-scale materials and structures technologies – work which produced a patent. In 2019 she joined NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate where she led a NASA-wide project to develop advanced carbon-nanotube-reinforced composites technologies.

Dr. Azlin Biaggi-Labiosa Azlin leads Foundational Electrified Aircraft Propulsion at NASA’s Transformational Tools and Technologies Project. In this role, she conceives and manages advanced research and development efforts that will define the technology, methods, and tools for future aviation propulsion and power systems. Since joining NASA in 2009, she has distinguished herself as an extraordinarily talented research engineer and manager who first made her mark researching novel nano-scale materials and structures technologies – work which produced a patent. In 2019 she joined NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate where she led a NASA-wide project to develop advanced carbon-nanotube-reinforced composites technologies.

Less than 2% of engineering faculty nationwide are underrepresented minority women, and Professor Regina Ragan proud to be among them.  In her research, she’s deployed machine learning and nanotechnology to develop applications that defy common design principles. She’s made tremendous advances in the self-assembly of molecular-scale components into nanodevices – technologies which show tremendous promise to address the global health threat of antibiotic-resistant bacteria and water security issues in response to climate change and industrialization.  Her dedication to the advancement of women and underrepresented minority students in STEM ensures that the next generation will continue her important work.

Less than 2% of engineering faculty nationwide are underrepresented minority women, and Professor Regina Ragan proud to be among them.  In her research, she’s deployed machine learning and nanotechnology to develop applications that defy common design principles. She’s made tremendous advances in the self-assembly of molecular-scale components into nanodevices – technologies which show tremendous promise to address the global health threat of antibiotic-resistant bacteria and water security issues in response to climate change and industrialization.  Her dedication to the advancement of women and underrepresented minority students in STEM ensures that the next generation will continue her important work.

Dr. Humberto Garcia’s tremendous 28-year career at Idaho National Laboratory has meaningfully impacted the world’s energy future and helped secure our nation’s critical infrastructure. He is the technical lead and senior advisor with expertise in systems modeling, simulation, control, analysis, and optimization, and his work covers a range of areas that includes nuclear energy, renewable energy, hybrid energy systems, and national security. He also supports existing national and international programs to develop and advance new projects that push the state-of-the-art across applicable technologies. As a committed role model, he makes it a point to work closely with INL’s graduate students and postdoctoral researchers.

Dr. Humberto Garcia’s tremendous 28-year career at Idaho National Laboratory has meaningfully impacted the world’s energy future and helped secure our nation’s critical infrastructure. He is the technical lead and senior advisor with expertise in systems modeling, simulation, control, analysis, and optimization, and his work covers a range of areas that includes nuclear energy, renewable energy, hybrid energy systems, and national security. He also supports existing national and international programs to develop and advance new projects that push the state-of-the-art across applicable technologies. As a committed role model, he makes it a point to work closely with INL’s graduate students and postdoctoral researchers.

Vanessa is a domestic production program manager for Raytheon’s AN/TPY-2 Program, which is currently valued at $251.5M and is set to deliver the 13th version of the technology to the United States Navy’s fleet. She also has extensive program management experience on multiple systems including the Patriot, NASAMS and HAWK. She works closely with her counterparts at the Missile Defense Agency and briefs them weekly on the program’s status.  In addition to executing her program efficiently, Vanessa has driven growth by winning a $4.5M contract to deliver Digital Receiver Exciter upgrade kits.  In addition to excelling in her career, Vanessa makes time to mentor, attend Employee Resource Group events, and guest speak.

Vanessa is a domestic production program manager for Raytheon’s AN/TPY-2 Program, which is currently valued at $251.5M and is set to deliver the 13th version of the technology to the United States Navy’s fleet. She also has extensive program management experience on multiple systems including the Patriot, NASAMS and HAWK. She works closely with her counterparts at the Missile Defense Agency and briefs them weekly on the program’s status.  In addition to executing her program efficiently, Vanessa has driven growth by winning a $4.5M contract to deliver Digital Receiver Exciter upgrade kits.  In addition to excelling in her career, Vanessa makes time to mentor, attend Employee Resource Group events, and guest speak.

Dr. Janette C. Briones is the project manager and principal investigator for the Cognitive Communications Project supporting NASA’s Space Communication and Navigation Program at the NASA Glenn Research Center. Since joining NASA n 2005, she has enjoyed an exemplary career demonstrating a comprehensive knowledge of cognitive communication systems, artificial intelligence and machine learning. She has performed innovative research and development for software-defined radios, and she designed and tested the first on-orbit neural network power estimator to check the communications link performance on the SCaN Testbed flown on the International Space Station from 2012 to 2019.

Dr. Janette C. Briones is the project manager and principal investigator for the Cognitive Communications Project supporting NASA’s Space Communication and Navigation Program at the NASA Glenn Research Center. Since joining NASA n 2005, she has enjoyed an exemplary career demonstrating a comprehensive knowledge of cognitive communication systems, artificial intelligence and machine learning. She has performed innovative research and development for software-defined radios, and she designed and tested the first on-orbit neural network power estimator to check the communications link performance on the SCaN Testbed flown on the International Space Station from 2012 to 2019.

Over the course of her remarkable career, Juanita Leal has had a substantial impact on over 20 Boeing programs as an expert in integration, test and evaluation of advanced systems. She first joined Boeing as a test engineer working on communications systems for the Space Shuttle program. She also made significant contributions to Sea Launch, a Boeing-managed program that provided the first commercial launch capability from sea. In 2019, Juanita became one of the first Hispanic women inducted into the Boeing Technical Fellowship when she was named an Associate Technical Fellow.  She’s also among the first Fellows recognized for her expertise in integration, test and evaluation.

Over the course of her remarkable career, Juanita Leal has had a substantial impact on over 20 Boeing programs as an expert in integration, test and evaluation of advanced systems. She first joined Boeing as a test engineer working on communications systems for the Space Shuttle program. She also made significant contributions to Sea Launch, a Boeing-managed program that provided the first commercial launch capability from sea. In 2019, Juanita became one of the first Hispanic women inducted into the Boeing Technical Fellowship when she was named an Associate Technical Fellow.  She’s also among the first Fellows recognized for her expertise in integration, test and evaluation.

Over his multi-decade career with NASA, Carlos Fontanot has established himself as a key contributor in the fields of communications, outreach, and imagery management for the Agency’s human spaceflight programs. A successful 15-year career as TV producer let to an opportunity to join NASA in 1990 to oversee the management, distribution, and recording Space Shuttle mission footage. This began what’s grown into two-decade-plus of leadership over the acquisition, downlink, processing, distribution, and archiving of imagery obtained from ISS missions. Born in Mexico, Carlos is passionate about expanding outreach regarding human spaceflight achievements and opportunities with the global Hispanic community.

Over his multi-decade career with NASA, Carlos Fontanot has established himself as a key contributor in the fields of communications, outreach, and imagery management for the Agency’s human spaceflight programs. A successful 15-year career as TV producer let to an opportunity to join NASA in 1990 to oversee the management, distribution, and recording Space Shuttle mission footage. This began what’s grown into two-decade-plus of leadership over the acquisition, downlink, processing, distribution, and archiving of imagery obtained from ISS missions. Born in Mexico, Carlos is passionate about expanding outreach regarding human spaceflight achievements and opportunities with the global Hispanic community.

As a member, and now Section Manager, of the Mechanical Analysis Section, Dr. Mauricio Salinas has made significant contributions to major programs in all Raytheon divisions and enhanced Raytheon’s thermal design and analysis capabilities. He is a Subject Matter Expert in heat transfer and aerodynamic design with extensive experience in numerical methods including finite difference, finite element, and computational fluid dynamics. He also has extensive experience in gas dynamics which has been used to predict the stratification of gas mixtures within optical collimators. He’s active with Raytheon’s Hispanic Organization for Leadership and Advancement, and he is an active mentor for 5 Raytheon engineers.

As a member, and now Section Manager, of the Mechanical Analysis Section, Dr. Mauricio Salinas has made significant contributions to major programs in all Raytheon divisions and enhanced Raytheon’s thermal design and analysis capabilities. He is a Subject Matter Expert in heat transfer and aerodynamic design with extensive experience in numerical methods including finite difference, finite element, and computational fluid dynamics. He also has extensive experience in gas dynamics which has been used to predict the stratification of gas mixtures within optical collimators. He’s active with Raytheon’s Hispanic Organization for Leadership and Advancement, and he is an active mentor for 5 Raytheon engineers.

Alexsandra Olaya-Garcia is a bright young engineer and manager who has overcome daunting odds to achieve her dream of contributing to the US space program.  In her five years at Boeing, she has risen through the ranks to manage a 21-person team that plays a critical role in the Artemis program, which successfully launched an uncrewed spacecraft around the moon and will one day send humans back to the lunar surface. Alexsandra was born in Lima, Peru, and came to the United States with her parents and sister to find a better life. Leanne Caret, then CEO of Boeing Defense, Space & Security, saluted Alexsandra as a trailblazer during Women’s History Month 2022.

Alexsandra Olaya-Garcia is a bright young engineer and manager who has overcome daunting odds to achieve her dream of contributing to the US space program.  In her five years at Boeing, she has risen through the ranks to manage a 21-person team that plays a critical role in the Artemis program, which successfully launched an uncrewed spacecraft around the moon and will one day send humans back to the lunar surface. Alexsandra was born in Lima, Peru, and came to the United States with her parents and sister to find a better life. Leanne Caret, then CEO of Boeing Defense, Space & Security, saluted Alexsandra as a trailblazer during Women’s History Month 2022.

Melvin Baretto-Soto is a standout engineer with the F-22 Program Office, and he’s proven to be a great asset for the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Engineering Directorate at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base since the beginning of his career.  He currently serves as the subsystems subject matter expert for the United States Air Force F-22 Program, where he plays a crucial role in the design, development integration, and maintenance of advanced aerospace systems. He’s been noted for his ability to quickly investigate and analyze complex issues and provide accurate and actionable recommendations, and he’s an exceptional leader and mentor leading to a great deal of respect by his colleagues and subordinates.

Melvin Baretto-Soto is a standout engineer with the F-22 Program Office, and he’s proven to be a great asset for the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Engineering Directorate at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base since the beginning of his career.  He currently serves as the subsystems subject matter expert for the United States Air Force F-22 Program, where he plays a crucial role in the design, development integration, and maintenance of advanced aerospace systems. He’s been noted for his ability to quickly investigate and analyze complex issues and provide accurate and actionable recommendations, and he’s an exceptional leader and mentor leading to a great deal of respect by his colleagues and subordinates.

Dr. Bryan Maldonado has already demonstrated distinguished innovation, impact, and leadership that far exceed what many highly successful engineers and scientists will accomplish in their entire careers. He has multiple successes in cross-cutting neutron sciences, high-performance computing, artificial intelligence, and nonlinear dynamics to develop and demonstrate new approaches to improving the efficiency of propulsion systems and building envelopes for retrofits and new construction. His leadership and research have also been crucial in strengthening two US Department of Energy user facilities to better support the global decarbonization of energy by improving transportation and building technologies.

Dr. Bryan Maldonado has already demonstrated distinguished innovation, impact, and leadership that far exceed what many highly successful engineers and scientists will accomplish in their entire careers. He has multiple successes in cross-cutting neutron sciences, high-performance computing, artificial intelligence, and nonlinear dynamics to develop and demonstrate new approaches to improving the efficiency of propulsion systems and building envelopes for retrofits and new construction. His leadership and research have also been crucial in strengthening two US Department of Energy user facilities to better support the global decarbonization of energy by improving transportation and building technologies.

Dr. Juan Callejas is highly respected scientist driving progress in both fundamental and applied research. He joined Dow in 2016 and quickly grew into established himself as a technical leader in efforts to enhance the performance of paint in harsh exterior environments.  He’s led or contributed to programs that resulted in over $27 million in profits for Dow, and he’s contributed to 22 internal technical reports and 14 accepted peer reviewed publications with a remarkable 2800+ citations. He also has 5 filed patent applications with more to come, and it is at the forefront of Dow’s innovation in profitable products for architectural paints. He is widely sought for his subject matter expertise and his wife breadth of knowledge.

Dr. Juan Callejas is highly respected scientist driving progress in both fundamental and applied research. He joined Dow in 2016 and quickly established himself as a technical leader enhancing  the performance of paint in harsh exterior environments.  He’s led or contributed to programs that resulted in over $27 million in profits for Dow, and he’s contributed to 22 internal technical reports and 14 accepted peer reviewed publications with a remarkable 2800+ citations. He also has 5 filed patent applications with more to come, he’s at the forefront of Dow’s innovation in profitable products for architectural paints. He is widely sought for his subject matter expertise and his vast breadth of knowledge.

Throughout his impactful career in education, Dr. Manuel Jimenez-Cedeno has served at various times as professor, an administrator, a director of the Research and Development Center, and as a researcher. His impact on the recruitment and retention of Hispanic students from low-income communities has been particularly impressive, as has his visionary leadership as Dean, and his prolific research in the area of embedded systems and mixed signals systems. His work has enabled him to lead over two dozen externally funded projects in roles as PI or Co-PI, and he‘s been the adviser and mentor to more than three dozen masters and Ph.D. students and hundreds of undergraduate students.

Throughout his impactful career in education, Dr. Manuel Jimenez-Cedeno has served at various times as professor, an administrator, a director of the Research and Development Center, and as a researcher. His impact on the recruitment and retention of Hispanic students from low-income communities has been particularly impressive, as has his visionary leadership as Dean, and his prolific research in the area of embedded systems and mixed signals systems. His work has enabled him to lead over two dozen externally funded projects in roles as PI or Co-PI, and he‘s been the adviser and mentor to more than three dozen masters and Ph.D. students and hundreds of undergraduate students.

With over 39 years of experience at New Mexico State University, Dr. Sullivan has focused her career on ensuring access and fostering opportunity for under-represented students and communities. She is a recognized expertise in the integration of advanced energy technologies and energy policy, particularly as they impact rural and remote communities. In the area of STEM education, Dr. Sullivan has led institutional and statewide efforts to expand access and opportunity to the state’s remote, rural, and Tribal communities. A valuable asset not only to NMSU, but to the entire state of New Mexico, Dr. Sullivan is often called upon for policy advise on a wide variety of energy, economic and workforce development, and STEM education initiatives.

With over 39 years of experience at New Mexico State University, Dr. Sullivan has focused her career on ensuring access and fostering opportunity for under-represented students and communities. She is a recognized expert in the integration of advanced energy technologies and energy policy, particularly as they impact rural and remote communities. In the area of STEM education, Dr. Sullivan has led institutional and statewide efforts to expand access and opportunity to the state’s remote, rural, and Tribal communities. A valuable asset not only to NMSU, but to the entire state of New Mexico, Dr. Sullivan is often called upon for policy advise on a wide variety of energy, economic and workforce development, and STEM education initiatives.

Suellen dos Santos Frank has made her mark in engineering as a skilled technical contributor, while her commitment to diversity and community service extends worldwide. She knew from an early age that she wanted to use science to benefit people, and she overcame cultural and financial obstacles to become an industrial chemical engineer before turning her focus to sustainability. Along the way, she developed a passion for providing opportunities in STEM, especially to those of Hispanic background. She also established a nonprofit in her hometown to provide essentials to families in need, and she’s impacted lives around the globe by encouraging students and young professionals to reach for their dreams.

Suellen dos Santos Frank has made her mark in engineering as a skilled technical contributor, while her commitment to diversity and community service extends worldwide. She knew from an early age that she wanted to use science to benefit people, and she overcame cultural and financial obstacles to become an industrial chemical engineer before turning her focus to sustainability. Along the way, she developed a passion for providing opportunities in STEM, especially to those of Hispanic background. She also established a nonprofit in her hometown to provide essentials to families in need, and she’s impacted lives around the globe by encouraging students and young professionals to reach for their dreams.