Steering Committee

Daniel Aguirre is a community organizer, educator and founder of Pueblo, an organization dedicated to fostering genuine inclusivity in institutions. Drawing from his work in and with cultural institutions, STEM professionals, science communication professionals, as well as formal and informal education, he focuses on identifying and dismantling systemic barriers that marginalize communities. Through Pueblo, Aguirre partners with organizations on a journey to transform their internal culture, moving beyond surface-level outreach to create meaningful, sustainable change and a culture that is inclusive in practice, not in promise.

Fanuel Muindi is a neuroscientist turned civic science scholar-journalist and entrepreneur. Currently, he is a Professor of Practice in the Department of Communication Studies at Northeastern University where he serves as co-lead of the Public Engagement with Science Hub (PESH). He is also the Director and Founder of the Civic Science Media Lab, which is journalistically mapping the civic nature of science to provide the latest insights to scholars and practitioners in civic science. Dr. Muindi received his Bachelor’s in Biology from Morehouse College, Ph.D. in Organismal Biology from Stanford University, and completed his postdoctoral training in Brain and Cognitive Sciences at MIT. His work has been published in numerous leading journals.

Sylvester James Gates Jr. is the Clark Leadership Chair in Science and joint Professor of Physics and Public Policy at the University of Maryland. Gates is a pioneering physicist known for his groundbreaking work in supersymmetry and supergravity. He earned his physics Ph.D. from MIT, co-authored the first comprehensive book on supersymmetry, and was the first African American to hold an endowed physics chair at a major U.S. research university. Gates has authored over 200 research papers, served as president of both the NSBP and the APS, on the PCAST for President Obama, is a member of the National Academy of Sciences, and is a recipient of the National Medal of Science.

Kathryn Jepsen is editor-in-chief of Symmetry, an online publication about particle physics and astrophysics published by two US national laboratories. She is also a member of the board of university research communication organization URMA. She works remotely for SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory and has previously worked in communications roles at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory and at CERN. She has a master’s degree in journalism with a focus on science writing from Northwestern University.

Liz Neeley is the founding partner of Liminal. She began her career in ocean conservation, where she learned the hard way that the data don’t speak for themselves. Ever since, she has focused on helping scientists find the courage and language they need to create change within themselves, their institutions, and the world. Liz is also a co-founder of SolvingFor.org, a member of the Openscapes core team, and the creator and lead of the USC Storymakers fellowship. She is an advisory board member to the Association of Science Communicators and the Institute for Diversity Sciences among others. She was previously the Executive Director of The Story Collider. Find her on Bluesky @LizNeeley.

Ryan Fitzgibbons has been a science video producer at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center since 2008. He produces popular videos for NASA Earth Science missions that study the changes in precipitation, ice sheets and ocean health seen on NASA’s website and social media channels, as well as in the press. Ryan received his B.S. in Wildlife Biology from the University of Maine and M.F.A. in Science and Natural History Filmmaking from Montana State University. In 2023, he executive produced, wrote and edited the NASA+ streaming series Leaders in Lidar, which looks at the long history of spaceborne laser altimetry in missions and instruments.

Sara K. Yeo (Ph.D., University of Wisconsin-Madison) is an Associate Professor in the Department of Communication and Director of the STEM Ambassador Program (STEMAP), and a faculty affiliate with the Global Change and Sustainability Center at the University of Utah. Her recent research interests include understanding humor as a tactic for strategic science communication, expanding audiences for science, and open science in communication. Originally from Malaysia, Dr. Yeo is trained as a bench and field scientist and holds a M.S. in Oceanography from the University of Hawaii at Manoa.

Susan Renoe is Associate Vice Chancellor at the University of Missouri, Executive Director of the NSF-funded Center for Advancing Research Impact in Society (ARIS), and an assistant professor of strategic communication in the MU School of Journalism. She serves on several advisory boards including the Committee on Equal Opportunities in Science and Engineering, the Network for Advancing & Evaluating the Societal Impact of Science, the Research Impact Assessment Advisory Board for the Centres de Recerca de Catalunya, and the University of Missouri Museum of Anthropology. She received her M.A. and Ph.D. in education from the University of California-Santa Barbara and B.A. and M.A. in anthropology from the University of Missouri.