Association for Women in Science, MA (Boston) Chapter

LXCL:Enjoy the full program with access to all main activities.

AWIS Member Admission

LXCL:Priority entry, reserved seating, and access to VIP‑only areas.

Non-Member Admission

<span contenteditable="false" data-custom-variable="{{firstname}}" fr-original-class="fr-deletable styled-tag-chip" fr-original-style="" style="background-color: rgb(248, 248, 255); border: 1px solid rgb(191, 191, 255); border-radius: 4px; color: rgb(42, 42, 196); padding: 1px 8px; font-size: 11px; display: inline-block; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: anywhere; user-select: none; box-sizing: inherit;">First name, We are truly grateful for your commitment to our mission through your recent registration for the Give to Gain - International Women&rsquo;s Day Panel event. Your support helps the Association for Women in Science, MA Chapter, create impactful experiences that empower women in STEM fields by providing education, advocacy, and networking opportunities. We can&#39;t wait to share in this special event with you and continue to build a stronger community together! If you have any questions about the event, feel free to reach out. Thank you once again for being a vital part of our journey. 🎉 Warm regards, The AWIS MA Chapter Team

International Women's Day Panel Event: "Give to Gain" Hosted by TraceLink- Panel led by Denielle Caron (Principle People Success Partner, People Operations, Tracelink)What to Expect : Join us for an inspiring virtual event celebrating this year's IWD theme: "Give to Gain"—the power of reciprocity and support in STEM. Event Highlights: Distinguished Panel Discussion featuring leaders Joanne Kamens, Natanja Craig Oquendo, and Lydia Villa-Komaroff -Personal Stories of giving back to women colleagues and receiving pivotal support from women mentors -Practical Conversations on female leadership, gender equality, mental health, self-esteem, and closing the wage gap -Interactive Q&amp;A to explore building each other up in STEM workplaces Format: Moderated panel (45 min) + audience Q&amp;A (15 min) Come hear proven leaders share how generosity creates opportunity, and leave with actionable ideas for supporting women in your networks. When women thrive, we all rise! <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/hxn9dbuhd/image/upload/v1770843812/wysiwyg/wafhya5ywpznelwybfni.jpg" style="width:107px;display:block;vertical-align:top;margin:5px auto;text-align:center;position:relative;cursor:pointer;padding:0px 1px;user-select:none;box-sizing:inherit;max-width:100%" />Joanne KamensJoanne Kamens, PhDScientist and diversity, equity &amp;  culture consultant.Dr. Kamens received her PhD in genetics from Harvard Medical School and has had a varied career in academia, pharma, biotech and nonprofit. Over two decades ago, she founded the Boston chapter of the Association for Women in Science (MASS AWIS) after an entire week went by when she had no meetings with any other women. This led her on a journey as a scientist to understand the inequities that caused this disparity.  She currently brings this unique scientist perspective and background to her work as a consultant for teams and organizations working to develop processes and culture that support success. Joanne also serves as  Director of Alumni Programming at PharmStars, a digital health startup accelerator. Joanne was the Executive Director/CEO of the international biotechnology nonprofit, Addgene for a decade, realizing  single digit employee turnover and collaborated with dozens of inclusion organizations to make the company a Best Place to Work in Boston for 6 years running  (#1 Best Place in 2016). She serves on multiple boards including OpenBiome, National Association for Women in Science and Cohort Sistas (a mentoring community to support Black women and femme PhD scholars). Joanne is a leader in creating and supporting mentoring programs and has been nominated for the Presidential Medal of Honor in STEM Mentoring. <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/hxn9dbuhd/image/upload/v1770843882/wysiwyg/pog7ft3pchvhkyd97bqq.jpg" style="width:124px;display:block;vertical-align:top;margin:5px auto;text-align:center;position:relative;cursor:pointer;padding:0px 1px;user-select:none;box-sizing:inherit;max-width:100%" />Lydia Villa-KomaroffLydia Villa-Komaroff, Ph.D. is founder and President of Intersections SBD Consulting. She is a molecular biologist, a business executive, and a diversity advocate. She was among the early cadre of scientists who first joined DNA from animals or people to DNA from bacteria to make useful proteins and to study biological processes and human diseases. She is a board member of Cytonome (and served as CEO and CSO before Cytonome was acquired by STGen), a member of the Preventive-Personalized Medicine Advisory Group of the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center and serves on several academic advisory boards. Villa-Komaroff held faculty positions at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center, Children's Hospital (Boston), and Harvard Medical School. As an administrator, she served as Vice President for Research at Northwestern University (Illinois) and Vice President for Research and Chief Operating Officer of the Whitehead Institute (Cambridge, MA). She has served on advisory committees for the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation, the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine, and the AAAS and ATTC board of directors. She served on the board of Transkaryotic Therapies and as Chair led negotiations with Shire that led to the sale of TKT to Shire. She is co-founding member of SACNAS (Society for the Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans in Science), a fellow of American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and the Association for Women in Science (AWIS). Her awards include the 2013 Woman of Distinction from the American Association of University Women, the 2016 Elting Morison prize from the MIT Program in Science and Technology, and the 2021 SACNAS Presidential Award. She received her BA from Goucher College, her PhD from MIT, and a certificate in executive management from Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management. <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/hxn9dbuhd/image/upload/v1770843982/wysiwyg/bukopo1qehpfskxfhgxy.jpg" style="width:124px;display:block;vertical-align:top;margin:5px auto;text-align:center;position:relative;cursor:pointer;padding:0px 1px;user-select:none;box-sizing:inherit;max-width:100%" />Natanja Craig Oquendo Natanja Craig Oquendo has spent her career centering the voices of Black and Brown people. Ata young age, Natanja was inspired by activists defending her community from systemic injustice.Their success spurred her strong belief in grassroots organizations’ power to drive change.However, after entering the sector and discovering that those most impacted by foundationinvestments were absent from the decision-making tables, she was determined to changephilanthropy. And she did just that by creating a comprehensive grassroots strategy from theground up for one of the largest community foundations in Massachusetts. She brings anunwavering passion for community solutions, her unique lived experience, and over 20 years ofnonprofit and philanthropic expertise to her work as Executive Director of the Boston Women’sFund.Since joining Boston Women’s Fund in 2020, Natanja has advanced the organization’s mission toinvest in, advocate for, and uplift women, girls, and gender-expansive individuals. UnderNatanja’s leadership, in less than three years, the Boston Women’s Fund tripled theirgrantmaking dollars and more than doubled their grantees. She built a diverse team ofpassionate, innovative people dedicated to liberation, and along with the board and staff, shesupported the development of the fund’s five-year strategic directions, strengthening the fund'scommitment to equitable philanthropy.Prior to the Boston Women’s Fund, Natanja held positions at The Boston Foundation, FidelityInvestments, The Partnership, Inc., The Possible Project, and the Urban League of EasternMassachusetts. Natanja is highly involved in the larger non-profit and philanthropic communityin Boston as she advises and consults several aligned organizations and leaders. Natanja was afellow of the UMass Center for Women in Politics and Public Policy and the Black LeadershipInitiative. Natanja was also a YW Boston 2023 Academy of Women Achievers honoree, namedone of 2023’s Most Influential Bostonians by Boston magazine, and recently awarded the LarsenDanforth Foundation Award from Visions Inc. for her lifelong career centering the voices ofBlack and Brown people.Natanja has found a home in the Boston Women’s Fund. She enjoys singing 80s love songs atkaraoke, spending time with family and friends, and traveling. However, Natanja’s greatest workis that of a mother and grandmother to her three daughters, two sons, and granddaughter Mila,all of which she could not do without her loving husband Jason

Association for Women in Science, MA (Boston) Chapter

Give to Gain- International Women’s Day Panel (collaboration between Tracelink and AWIS)

AWIS Member Admission

Free

Non-Member Admission

Free

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