Meet the Speakers

Vice Chancellor for Research & Economic Development, Office of Research & Economic Development, Dean of the School of Graduate Studies, School of Graduate Studies, and Professor of Paleobiology & Paleoclimate Studies (Tenured), Department of Earth & Environmental Sciences, University of Missouri-Kansas City

Dr. Liu joined UMKC as its Vice Chancellor for Research & Economic Development in August 2019. Most recently Dr. Liu served as Associate Vice President for Research at California State University, Fullerton, the largest institution within the 23-campus California State University (CSU) System, where he was a tenured professor in the Department of Biological Science. He managed operations for the Office of Research and Sponsored Projects and administered two annual grants programs sponsored by NSF and NIH to enhance both STEM and non-STEM research, teaching and creative activities. Dr. Liu also served as Program Director at the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF), where he managed a core Earth Science program in the Directorate for Geosciences, and co-managed two cross-disciplinary programs in the Directorate for Biological Sciences. Dr. Liu has published more than 80 peer-reviewed journal articles and is an editorial member for an international peer-reviewed journal (Palaeontographica Abt. B).  

Laura Packer has been performing, coaching, writing, consulting, giving keynotes, and leading the storytelling field for more than 25 years and knows that the best way to the truth is through a good story. Whether folktale or true, epic or flash, her stories captivate, enlighten, and amuse audiences. She is the author of From Audience to Zeal: The ABCs of Finding, Crafting, and Telling a Great Story, and has won multiple awards for her performance, coaching, and leadership. Laura has published, told, taught, ranted, raved, consulted and considered storytelling around the world. For her story and more, go to www.laurapacker.com.

PI; Southeast Hub Lead; Campus Lead, Auburn University

Dr. Overtoun Jenda serves as Assistant Provost for Special Projects and Initiatives and Professor of Mathematics at Auburn University. Dr. Jenda has been the PI and Project Director for numerous US National Science Foundation grants focusing on STEM education, including the US-Africa Collaborative Research Network in Mathematical Sciences, Masamu Advanced Study Institute and Research Workshops, Research Experience for Undergraduates in Algebra and Discrete Mathematics, Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP) program, Alabama Alliance for Students with Disabilities in STEM, SEAPD-STEM, TAPDINTO-STEM, MAKERS Scholarships in STEM, GK-12 Fellows in Science and Mathematics for East Alabama Schools, Alabama Alliance for Graduate Education and the Professoriate, and the LSAMP Bridge to the Doctorate program.

Program Director, National Science Foundation

Chris has undergrad and masters degrees in geology from Wright State University, and a Ph.D. in Science Education from the Ohio State University. He is a Professor of Geoscience Education in the School of Education and Department of Geology at the University of Cincinnati, although he is on temporary leave from UC and working as a Program Director at the National Science Foundation in Alexandria, Virginia. His research focuses on the design and implementation of accessible and inclusive research and instruction for students, instructors, researchers, and geoscience practitioners with disabilities in the Earth science disciplines. He is the Founder of the International Association for Geoscience Diversity, a 501c3 organization working to break down barriers to the STEM workforce and enhance the future of scientific innovation.

Co-PI; Internal Evaluator

Dr. David Shannon is a Humana-Germany-Sherman Distinguished Professor in the Department of Educational Foundations, Leadership, and Technology. He joined the faculty after receiving his Ph.D. in Educational Research Methodology and Statistics from the University of Virginia in 1990. Dr. Shannon teaches graduate courses in measurement, evaluation, and statistics. Dr. Shannon’s areas of research include student and teacher assessment, teacher effectiveness, and research methodology issues. He is the Past-President for the Eastern Educational Research Association (EERA). He also serves as North American Regional Co-Editor for Educational Research and Evaluation. He has published four textbooks pertaining to educational assessment, quantitative analysis and using statistical software, as well as over 50 refereed articles in journals. In addition, Dr. Shannon has served as a PI and evaluation coordinator for statewide and federally funded projects. 

External Evaluator

June Gothberg worked for 12 years on the National Technical Assistance Center on Transition and taught research and evaluation courses at Western Michigan University. She is currently at Cornell University, serving as a Senior Evaluator/Data Associate with the Yang-Tan Institute on Employment and Disability. Gothberg has been an active advocate for disability inclusion in evaluation and is co-developer of the Universal Design for Evaluation Framework. 

Co-PI; STEM Faculty Mentor, Auburn University

Dr. Daniela Marghitu received her B.S. in Automation and Computing from Polytechnic University of Bucharest, and her Ph.D. degree in Automation and Computing from University of Craiova. She is a faculty member in the Computer Science and Software Engineering Department at Auburn University, where she has worked since 1996. Dr. Marghitu is an internationally published author, has a variety of teaching and research experience in Information Technology, Computing, and Software Engineering, has been PI of multiple grants, and has received multiple honors including seven awards for research and education projects from National Science Foundation.

STEM Faculty Mentor, Wichita State University

Dr. Nils Hakansson is an associate professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Wichita State University, where he researchers musculoskeletal biomechanics and assistive technologies for persons with disabilities. Nils obtained his PhD in Biomedical Engineering from the University of California, Davis. Prior to joining WSU, he worked at the University of Delaware as a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Mechanical Engineering.

Northeast Hub Lead; Campus Lead, Ohio State University

Andrew Buck joined Nisonger Center in 2013 and currently serves as a Research Scientist in the Transition and Adult Life Services department and on the Rehabilitation Research and Training Center project. He holds a Ph.D. in Educational Policy from The Ohio State University. Andrew’s career as an education specialist includes roles in academic research, professional development training, curriculum development, and teaching and advising students with ID/DD in secondary and postsecondary settings. He facilitates the RRTC’s panel of stakeholders with ID/DD and provides guidance to the RRTC researchers on knowledge translation activities and clear language product development.

Project Manager

Tamara Massey-Garrett serves as the Project Manager for the Office of Special Projects and Initiatives, where she is responsible for providing support for the TAPDINTO-STEM Alliance. Tamara retired from Auburn University at Montgomery (AUM) with 25 years of service in 2021. She served as the director for the Center for Disability Services at AUM and has 22 years of experience in disability support services, with an emphasis in providing accommodation and assistive technology services to college students with disabilities. She has also served as state president of the Learning Disabilities Association of Alabama (LDA AL) and as president of the Alabama Association on Higher Education and Disability (AL AHEAD).

Tamara received her Bachelor of Science degree with a concentration in Marketing, a Master of Arts in Agricultural Economics, and a Master of Science in Rehabilitation Services from Auburn University.

Student Activities Coordinator, Mountain Hub

Dr. Jade Metzger-Riftkin is a neuro-spicy research assistant at Northern Arizona University’s Institute for Human Development and a part time instructor in the School of Communication. She serves as the student activities coordinator for TAPDINTO-STEM at NAU. Her published scholarship can be found in Journalism Practice, New Media and Society, and Medien & Kommunikationswissenschaft.

STEM Faculty Mentor, University of Hawaii-Manoa

Maya Matheis, PhD, MSW, is a licensed clinical psychologist who specializes in supporting neurodiverse individuals across the lifespan. She is trained in a number of evidence-based therapeutic modalities and, as someone with an “invisible” disability that impacts all aspects of her life, strongly believes in cultivating wellness as daily practice. Dr. Matheis is a faculty member at the Center on Disability Studies at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, part of the Islands Hub.

SOAR Portal Oversight, Backbone, University of Missouri-Kansas City

Dr. Yugyung (Yugi) Lee is a full Professor in the Computer Science department at the School of Science and Engineering of the University of Missouri-Kansas City. She holds a B.S. in Computer Science from the University of Washington and a Ph.D. in Computer Science from the New Jersey Institute of Technology. Dr. Lee specializes in AI and Deep Learning, with a focus on medical informatics, software analytics, cybersecurity, and education. Her research output includes a list of over 200 peer-reviewed conference and journal publications. She has also been a Principal Investigator (PI) or co-PI for several grants, with a specific emphasis on education. Some of the notable grants she has received include NSF IUSE, NSF NRT, and NSF INCLUDES. Dr. Lee is a recipient of numerous awards for her outstanding contributions to computer science education and research. She is particularly known for her exceptional mentorship of computer science graduate students.

SOAR Portal Oversight, Backbone, University of Missouri-Kansas City

Dr. Ye Wang is Professor and the Chair of the Department of Communication and Journalism. Her publications focus on interactivity and engagement on websites and social media. She has published in leading journals like Journal of Business Research, Journal of Health Communication, Journal of Product & Brand Management, Health Education & Behavior, etc.. Dr. Wang has been collaborating with data scientists on human-AI approach to extracting consumer insights from unstructured text data such as social media content, using computational methods. She was awarded the Research Fellowship of the American Academy of Advertising twice (2017 and 2020). She is a co-PI of NSF’s Open Collaborative Experiential Learning (OCEL.AI) project. Dr. Wang is also an affiliate faculty member with UMKC’s Center for Digital and Public Humanities, the School of Science and Engineering.

SOAR Portal Developer, Alliance Backbone, University of Missouri-Kansas City

Ahmed Hamdan Alanazi is a Ph.D. candidate, researcher, and graduate teaching assistant at the School of Science and Engineering of the University of Missouri-Kansas City. He earned a B.S. in Information Technology with a concentration in Health Information Technology from Marymount University and an M.S. in Information Technology from the University of Glasgow. His research interests include AI, machine/deep learning, human-AI collaboration, human-robot interaction, digital twins, AR/VR, technology-enhanced learning, and disability-enhanced learning, with a focus on software development, health informatics, medical/health technology, and embedded systems. Mr. Alanazi has completed numerous academic and professional projects in the field of AI, technology-enhanced learning, and software development, among others. He has received three full scholarships to pursue his degrees. Currently, he is a full-time Ph.D. candidate under the supervision of Dr. Yugyung (Yugi) Lee at UMKC.

Backbone Lead, University of Missouri-Kansas City

Alexis Petri, EdD, director and associate research professor, is an educational leader passionate about social justice, inclusion, access, and public policy. Alexis has extensive experience with the transition to college and careers for non-traditional students as well as taking leadership roles in building and directing university-wide high-impact learning programs and the campus-community partnerships that are their foundation. Currently, Alexis directs the Office of Research Development and serves as senior director of faculty support and pillar lead of Research and Creativity at the Center for Advancing Faculty Excellence (CAFE). An experienced researcher, Alexis has participated in over thirty funded projects from federal, state, and local sponsors. Dr. Petri is also associate research professor in the School of Education, Social Work, and Psychological Sciences. Dr. Petri’s research focuses on access to postsecondary education, urban education, civic engagement, service-learning, storytelling, and broadening participation in STEM.

Backbone Associate, University of Missouri-Kansas City

Nichole Stahly is a Research Assistant in the Office of Research Development at the University of Missouri-Kansas City and the backbone associate for the TAPDINTO-STEM Alliance. With academic preparation in interpersonal and public communication and journalism, Nichole manages TAPDINTO-STEM’s backbone including written communication on the website, newsletter, alliance documents, and alliance branding. She most recently served as an AmeriCorps VISTA member with Clio Foundation, researching and writing about the history of Kansas City.