Fostering More Women in STEM. Let’s Get Involved! 

Nvolve Newsletter Issue 5

A Warm Welcome to Nvolve’s New Corporate Sponsors

By Faye O’Brien

Nvolve is delighted to announce two new corporate sponsors:  The Emmes Company, LLC and United Therapeutics Corporation.

The Emmes Company, LLC, headquartered in Rockville, Maryland, is a global full-service clinical research organization (CRO). With offices throughout the U.S., Europe, Canada, and India, Emmes supports the advancement of global public health and biopharmaceutical innovation through disciplined science, rigorous research, fact-based decision-making, and operational excellence. Emmes is a recipient of the Workplace Excellence Seal of Approval from Alliance for Workplace Excellence (AWE), reflective of exemplary commitment to building innovative corporate culture and management practices, family-friendly policies and programs, employee growth and learning opportunities, and a commitment to corporate responsibility.

United Therapeutics Corporation is a publicly traded biotechnology company focused on developing novel, life-extending technologies for patients in the areas of lung disease and organ manufacturing. United Therapeutics is co-headquartered in Silver Spring, Maryland and Research Triangle Park, North Carolina. United Therapeutics has been recognized as one of the Top 10 Corporate Citizens in the field of U.S. drug manufacturing and was named on Fortune’s Best Workplaces in Health Care & Biopharma 2021.

These partnerships will provide Nvolve critical financial support for our scholar stipend fund. In addition, each of these companies will be promoting Nvolve within their employee base, providing a strong pipeline of Nvolve mentors, project coaches and volunteers with industry experience and passion for our mission. Corporate partnerships expand our community reach and provide us the resources to make an impact.

We welcome Emmes and United Therapeutics to the Nvolve family.

A Better World STEMs from Her.

Thank You to the Women of Agilent Technologies

By Sherri Boyd

We at Nvolve greatly appreciate our entire community of accomplished, compassionate, and generous mentors. This includes the women from Agilent Technologies, Inc. who have come together to donate their time and energy to support the program.

Heather Lustig, Director of Sales, was one the program’s original mentors and currently serves on Nvolve’s Advisory Board. In addition, seven women from Agilent are actively mentoring Nvolve scholars. They are introduced below, along with some advice they have shared with their mentees.

Linh Dinh-Nguyen, Online Technical Support
“Be proactive. In the end, you will only regret the things you didn’t do.”

Juliana Hagel, Customer Support Engineer, LC Team Lead
“If someone tells you “You can’t,” they’re showing you their limits, not yours!”

Elizabeth Ray, LC/MS Field Service Engineer
“Seek out advice from a diverse group of people with a broad range of experience.”

Kathleen Raymond, GC Curriculum Manager
“Be flexible. It is important to adjust quickly to change and to think creatively about your options if your original plan doesn’t work out.”

Maureen Sharon, Customer Service Organization Portfolio Manager
“Do not fear change. Change throughout life is inevitable, and you need to get comfortable with it.”

Suneetha Tippireddy, Services Business Operations Director
“Opportunities come in all different forms. Be open to take them on and take them seriously.”

Diluka Wijesinghe, Data Analyst – Global Quality and Regulatory Affairs
“Passion for learning and growth – make learning a habit and continue to grow in a positive way.”

Thank you all for mentoring and supporting the next generation of women in STEM.

Meet Professor Chatterjee: Nvolve Advocate at NVCC

By Michaela Strizencova and Judy Marouf, Nvolve Scholars

The advocacy for women in STEM has seen tremendous progression in recent years thanks to incredible opportunities and newly found initiatives. However, truly overcoming the inequities within both the work force and academia will require the effort of more than women alone. Men, too, must put forth a conscious effort to address the imbalances that exist in their scope of influence and promote inclusivity. At Northern Virginia Community College (NVCC), Professor Sumitava Chatterjee has done an exemplary job of this.

Professor Chatterjee has been a long-time advocate for women pursuing STEM degrees. As a mathematics professor, he has directly witnessed how drastic the ratio of male to female students in STEM courses can be, with one of his recent classes having zero female students. The experience he has gained while studying mathematics from childhood to graduate school, and ultimately as an educator, has allowed him to recognize the true importance of advocating for women and diverse backgrounds in STEM fields. By embracing different perspectives, the STEM community can more efficiently reach solutions and propel forward. He believes that if science and technology is to be entrusted to solve the most diverse challenges facing humanity, then problem-solvers and decision-makers should also be diverse. He stresses that it is “crucial that from our labs to our boardrooms, ideas emanating from [people with varied] backgrounds are heard and incorporated.” Today, he continues to show excellent support for his students and spoke to us about why Nvolve’s mission strongly resonates with him.

Professor Chatterjee was first introduced to Nvolve when a student of his requested a letter of recommendation for her application to the program. New to the United States, she was a driven and curious student who actively sought opportunities for growth. He recalls seeing her exhibit an incredible level of improvement after her experience with Nvolve, as she “had totally blossomed in her level of confidence and in her professionalism.'' He quickly realized just how crucial the “out-of-class experiences” that Nvolve provides to its scholars are in preparation for the real world. He explains, “[The professional world] is not as cuddly as it is in schools. You need to know what to expect. With Nvolve, you are getting a foothold in the world of non-school oriented work life…and [access to] highly intelligent mentors who are ready to help.” Considering how Nvolve values supporting underrepresented students, whether it be based on gender, socioeconomic status, or cultural background, Professor Chatterjee knew that a diverse community college was the perfect place to go about this. He passionately continues to recruit numerous NVCC students to Nvolve each semester, believing that these women will become the next “movers and shakers.”

My Interview with Board Member,
Kimberly Arrindell

By Aliyah Adegun, Nvolve Scholar

Last year I had the pleasure of interviewing Kimberly Arrindell, a member of Nvolve’s Board of Directors. Ms. Arrindell attended Spelman College for undergraduate studies where she majored in Economics and later went to Duke University on a full scholarship to earn her MBA in Marketing. In 2000 she took a leap of faith and started a consulting business called Harmony Works for professional coaching, an area that sparked her interest while in graduate school. She operated this business for ten years and currently works at Management Leadership for Tomorrow, maintaining her presence in the career development space.

Ms. Arrindell became connected with Nvolve when she met Faye O'Brien, the founder, as her professional coach. Ms. O’Brien had the idea, and Ms. Arrindell helped her to guide the vision and develop the plan to grow the seed that is now Nvolve. As a member of the Board of Directors, Ms. Arrindell meets quarterly with Nvolve and oversees the membership of women of color in the program and on the board. Some of her recruits from Howard University are currently active Nvolve scholars.

During our discussion, I asked Ms. Arrindell where she would like Nvolve to be in the next five years. She said that she first wants Nvolve to dominate regionally by building connections with sponsors that provide Nvolve scholars with opportunities for employment and internships. After that, she would like Nvolve to make its footprint nationally with quality sponsors to build its brand and fund the program. She also feels that it is important for Nvolve alumnae to play strong roles in the program as leaders and mentors.

Two things that Ms. Arrindell spoke about resonated with me. The first one was the importance of sisterhood and how, “what makes life worth living is the people you share it with.” The second was her faith, which was something she held close and used to get through tough times. I closed the interview by asking for any guidance she may have for students like me, who are about to embark on their professional journey. Ms. Arrindell left me with the sincere advice that “your professional career is a journey not a marathon.” With each new role you learn more about what you like and dislike. It was a pleasure to interview Ms. Arrindell, an accomplished professional who has dedicated much of her time helping to advance other women.