2022 Leading Light Award Nominees and Student Applicants 

Women & Hi Tech is pleased to announce the nominees for the 2022 Leading Light Awards as well as the applicants for Women & Hi Tech and partner scholarships and grants. This year’s outstanding group of LLA nominees and scholarship and grant applicants come from all over the state of Indiana and have a wide variety of careers and educational pursuits in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and math.

Equity and Inclusion Champion Award Nominees

Anyone may be an Applicant/Nominee for this award. Nominees must have demonstrated a long-term commitment, sustainable efforts, and significant impact to mentor, recognize, champion, and/or promote diverse female students or personnel in STEM. Nominees of this award should have demonstrated notable action and/or provided visible advocacy to positively change professional or academic environments to be more equitable and inclusive such that more diverse women in STEM are recognized, promoted, and/or advanced to leadership positions. Exemplary nominees will have implemented programs, changed policies or procedures, and/or established considerations and metrics that have been utilized or implemented in a sustainable manner to ensure that more qualified diverse women are empowered to have a seat and a voice at the table. Special consideration will be given to nominees who have positively affected multiple or numerous diverse women in STEM via their efforts.

• Angel Henry, Sr. Director of Transformation Value Management Office & DEI Vice-Chair, Genesys
• Candy Gee, Chief Diversity Officer, Roche
• Holli Harrington, Senior Director of Supplier Diversity and Diversity Officer, Indianapolis Airport Authority
• Kristen Cooper, CEO and Founder, The Startup Ladies
• Sonal Sheth Zawahri, Founder, Tru You
• Stacey McCreery, Founder and CEO, ROI Search Group

OperationALL Male Allies Award Nominees

Applicants/Nominees must identify as male or with the pronouns he/him (“male nominees”). Male nominees must have demonstrated a long-term commitment, tangible efforts, and significant impact to mentor, recognize, champion, and/or promote female students, peers, or employees. Exemplary male nominees should hold or have held a supervisory, leadership, or managerial position that oversees one or more female STEM personnel or students. Special consideration will be given to male nominees who have exemplified dedication to being an ally for multiple women or girls in a way that is recognized to have positively changed the trajectory and/or opportunities provided by their STEM career.

• Glenn Keller, IT Director, Countrymark
• Luke Zhang, Data Scientist, Resultant
• Michael Hineline, CEO, Make Ripples LLC
• Michael Loggins, Global Vice President, Information Technology, SMC
• Ron Frankenfield, CEO, Bell Techlogix
• Scott Bess, Executive Director, Purdue Polytechnic High Schools

Mentor Me! Award Nominees

Applicants/Nominees must identify as female or with the pronouns she/her (“female nominees”). This award is presented to a female nominee who has exhibited a commitment to the encouragement and advancement of women in STEM in Indiana by fostering intellectual, creative, and professional growth. She has demonstrated success in providing career, leadership and education opportunities for women, and has served as a positive role model for others.

• Jaylan Fisher, Founder and CEO, Goal Fit, LLC
• Teresa Conroy-Roth, Senior Technology & Business Executive, AXIA Consulting
• Wendy Stein, SVP, Site Head Indianapolis, General Manager Roche Diagnostics Operations, Roche

Leadership Award Nominees

Applicants/Nominees must identify as female or with the pronouns she/her (“female nominees”). This award will recognize a female nominee who has increased the impact, representation, and effectiveness of women in STEM through outstanding leadership, advocacy, and social contributions in her organization and/or the broader community. She has demonstrated the ability to motivate and energize, to build successful teams, to create an inspiring vision of the future and to deliver on promises.

• Akilah Darden, President, The Darden Group LLC
• Christine Skaggs, Advisor in Analytical Pharmaceutical Design, Eli Lilly & Co.
• Danielle Shockey, Chief Executive Officer, Girl Scouts of Central Indiana
• Katherine Kiang, Sr. Scientist, Eli Lilly & Co.
• Linda Calvin, Tech Executive, Transcend Consulting
• Mariah Oliver, Founder & CEO, Boss Babe Network
• Melissa Lavella, Technical Support Supervisor, Roche
• Robyn Miller, Associate Director--Digital Health Application and Operations, Eli Lilly & Co.

Risk Taker Award Nominees

Applicants/Nominees must identify as female or with the pronouns she/her (“female nominees”). Female nominees must have demonstrated courage in promoting purposeful change for which success was not guaranteed. The winner will have pursued innovation focused on STEM-related products, services or ideas in the face of personal or professional sacrifice.

• Brei Cecil-Satchwell, Director of Foundation Operations, TechPoint Foundation for Youth
• Faith Rainey, Manager, Customer Support Center, Roche Diagnostics

Rising Star Award Nominees

Applicants/Nominees must identify as female or with the pronouns she/her (“female nominees”). This award will honor a female nominee who has demonstrated exceptional and substantive achievements early in her professional STEM career, and who shows promise for future contributions.

• Jakki Kielty, Area Manager, Endress + Hauser
• Jamie Inskeep, Director of Programs, TechPoint Foundation for Youth
• Katie Obbagy, Senior Specialist - Technical Functional Excellence, Cummins Turbo Technologies
• Maria Hult, Subchapter Lead- Complaint Investigation Resolution, Roche Diagnostics
• Mariah Oliver, Digital Marketing Professional and Founder of Boss Babe Network, TeeSnap, BBN, Behind the Screen
• Maria Hendrickson, Senior Software Engineer II, Sallie Mae Bank
• Michelle Sharon, Manager, Roche Support Network Customer Support Center - Systems & Compliance, Roche Diagnostics
• Pallavi Satsangi, Global Customer Quality Engineer and North America Warehouse Quality Operations Management, Cummins Inc
• Sonal Sheth Zawahri, Founder, Tru You
• Stephanie Sponsel, Chief Operations Officer, netlogx

You Inspire Us! Award Nominees

Applicants/Nominees must identify as female or with the pronouns she/her (“female nominees”). Female nominees must have demonstrated success in inspiring others in STEM to look beyond their own horizons and set professional and personal goals that exceed those originally conceived. Based on her advocacy, leadership, presence, and/or visibility in the community, she has advanced STEM in Indiana and inspires us all to push the limits.

• Akilah Darden, President, The Darden Group LLC
• Jessica Baker, Consultant Scientist, Eli Lilly & Co
• Katherine Kiang, Sr Scientist, Eli Lilly & Co
• Katie Obbagy, Senior Specialist - Technical Functional Excellence, Cummins Turbo Technologies
• Sonal Sheth Zawahri, Founder, Tru You
• Terri Trabue, Contract Analyst-Gross to Net, Roche Diabetes Care 

Outstanding Educator in STEM Award Nominees

Applicants/Nominees must identify as female or with the pronouns she/her (“female nominees”). Female nominees must have made a significant impact on the lives of their students, and have demonstrated excellence in teaching engaging programs that promote student interest, success, and leadership in STEM. Special consideration will be given to those who have implemented programs to teach these disciplines in a hands-on environment and to those who have demonstrated a commitment to young women in these areas. Female nominees must be an educator at a K-12 school or an institution of higher learning in Indiana and must have a primary academic focus in STEM.

• Genevieve McLeish Petty, Computer Science Teacher, Cold Spring School
• Megha Juneja, School Support and Coach Manager, Purdue Polytechnic High Schools
• Sarah Mundy, Science Teacher, Purdue Polytechnic High Schools
• Sharita Ware, Engineering and Technology Educator, East Tipp Middle School
• Susan Elliott, STEM Teacher, Lowell Elementary

Outstanding Achievement in STEM Award Nominees

Applicants/Nominees must identify as female or with the pronouns she/her (“female nominees”). Female nominees have positively promoted or provided significant value or innovation in a STEM field. The winner will have made noteworthy contributions in areas that may include but are not limited to research & development, design, engineering, operational efficiency, process improvement, sustainability, logistics, legal, human resource management, marketing, information technology, or supply chain management.

• E. ZeNai Brooks, Controller, Corporate Responsibility and Foundation, Cummins; Chief Strategy Officer, Mind Your Business Accounting and Consulting; First Lady, New Liberty Missionary Baptist Church
• Kristen Cooper, CEO and Founder, The Startup Ladies
• Rabia Khan, President, Managed System Solutions
• Sonal Sheth Zawahri, Founder, Tru You

Change the Landscape Award Nominees

Developed in honor of Women & Hi Tech’s founding member, Jo Basey, Applicants/Nominees must identify as female or with the pronouns she/her (“female nominees”). The female nominees for this award have demonstrated notable action, provided visible advocacy, and/or made significant impact to positively change the landscape of one or more institutions or workplace environments to more easily recognize, promote, and/or champion women in STEM to leadership positions. Exemplary nominees will have implemented programs, changed policies or procedures, and/or established equitable considerations and metrics that have been utilized or implemented in a sustainable manner to ensure that qualified female candidates have a seat and a voice at the table. Special consideration will be given to those who have positively affected multiple or numerous women or girls in STEM via their efforts.

• Akilah Darden, President, The Darden Group LLC
• Christine Krull, Program Director, Roche
• Dawn Rosemond, Firm Diversity Partner, Barnes & Thornburg LLP; Published Author (Boss Presence), Speaker and Founder, Reign Today
• Deborah Pollack Milgate, Partner, Barnes & Thornburg
• Sarah Burns, Senior Director, Global Scientific Communications, Eli Lilly & Co.
• Stacey McCreery, Founder and CEO, ROI Search Group

Women & Hi Tech Scholarship and Grant Applicants

Women & Hi Tech is honored to be awarding several scholarships and grants this year at our gala. We want to recognize all of our annual corporate sponsors, who contribute 20% of their annual sponsorships to Women & Hi Tech's Scholarship Fund. We'd also like to acknowledge our STEM partners and friends who've chosen to sponsor a scholarship or grant this year. Without your support, we couldn't change the landscape of women represented in STEM to be equally inclusive to all. Thank you! View the full list of scholarships and grants that will be awarded on October 6.

Undergraduate Scholarship Applicants

• Alivia Fields, Cellular, Molecular, and Developmental Biology, Purdue University
• Courtney Mummert, Interior Design Science, Ball State University
• Jaden Soller, Cybersecurity, Anderson University
• Jazlyn Collyear, Cybersecurity, Indiana Tech
• Jordan Clark, Engineering, Taylor University
• Odessa Lyon, Biology, Indiana University
• Rebecca Boyd, Chemistry, Purdue University
• Zoe Barnsfather, Integrative and Organismal Biology, Indiana University
• Allie McClure, Mechanical Engineering, University of Indianapolis
• Amerti Guta, Cellular and Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, DePauw University
• Audrey Harrison, Neurobiology and Physiology, Purdue University
• Corissa McClammer, Biotechnology, Ivy Tech Community College
• Danielle Cook, Information Systems, Indiana Institute of Technology
• Ella Virt, Cybersecurity, Purdue University
• Evie Iles, New Media and Informatics, IUPUI
• Gracie Hicks, Biomedical Engineering and Chemistry, Marian University
• Hannah Ruppert, Engineering, Indiana Wesleyan University
• Jadelynn Logan, Biology & Computer Science, Ball State University & Ivy Tech Community College
• Jessica Djessa, Engineering, Hanover College
• Kimeesha Graham, Electrical Engineering and Chemistry, Marian University & IUPUI
• Lauren Davis, Chemistry & Spanish, Saint Mary’s College
• Lily Woeste, Biomedical Engineering and Biology, Marian University
• McKenna Stahl, Kinesiology, Purdue University
• Rashi Tyagi, Computer Science, IUPUI
• Samantha Schick, Biology with a focus in Pre-Veterinary Medicine, Franklin College
• Sara Lake, Nursing, Manchester University
• Summer Sexton, Informatics, Media Arts, and Science, IUPUI
• Stephanie Lawrence, Computer Science and Mechanical Engineering, Marian University & Purdue University

Graduate Scholarship Applicants

• Anusuya Das, Law. IU McKinney School of Law
• Jalynn Gorman, Occupational Therapy, Huntington University
• Kelly Orze, Physician Assistant Studies, Franklin College
• Kimberly Wheaten, Epidemiology - Concentration in Diabetes and Cancer, IUPUI
• Lovette Coston, Information Systems, Indiana Wesleyan University
• Mariah Judy, Physical Therapy, University of Indianapolis
• Michiko Jackson, Information and Communication Sciences, Ball State University

Professional Development Grant Applicants

• LaJoi Robinson, Startup Ladies Membership
• Dinah Allen, UX/UI Design Certificate