Leadership Team
Our leadership team is driven by firsthand experience and a deep commitment to closing the opportunity gap in STEM.
Shawn SN
Founder & CEO
Shawn founded STEMpathize to address the exact gaps he experienced firsthand growing up in Baltimore, MD. As a First-Generation Low-Income (FGLI) student managing the public school system while reliant on public assistance, Shawn confronted the reality of systemic attrition early on. He built this organization as a structural bridge to ensure that the next generation of innovators doesn't have to fight the same institutional friction he faced.
Elena R.
Chief Operating Officer
Growing up in a predominantly Hispanic, working-class community in Texas, Elena experienced the stark realities of underfunded public schools. With a background in urban education administration, she now leads the scaling of our chapter network across all 50 states, ensuring that logistical hurdles never stand in the way of a student's access to STEMpower programs.
Khalid M.
VP of Worldwide Partnerships
A former refugee who navigated the complexities of international relocation as a child, Khalid deeply understands the power of worldwide connection. He spearheads the STEMpathize Pen Pals initiative, building partnerships with refugee hospitals and international NGOs to ensure that scientific curiosity is nurtured regardless of geopolitical borders.
Andre L.
Director of Data & Impact
Andre left a lucrative career in tech after witnessing how algorithms and systemic resource allocation often disenfranchise Black and Brown communities. Now, he weaponizes data for good. His rigorous analysis provided the cornerstone evidence used in our congressional testimonies, directly leading to the $72M restoration of the Educator Equity Fund.
Jackson C.
Director of Mentorship
As a first-generation college graduate from the rural Deep South, Jackson knows that having a mentor who understands your background is critical to persistence in STEM. He manages our nationwide volunteer network, focusing heavily on recruiting diverse professionals who can provide culturally responsive guidance to our students.
Mei T.
Chief Financial Officer
Mei brings 15 years of nonprofit financial strategy to STEMpathize. Having grown up in a low-income immigrant household in New York, Mei ensures that our $10,000 annual scholarship fund remains sustainable and that 100% of donations are transparently allocated to direct student impact.
Sam P.
Chief Technology Officer
Sam leads our digital infrastructure, ensuring that remote chapters have access to our curriculum platform. As an Indigenous engineer who had to leave their reservation to find high-speed internet, Sam is dedicated to bridging the digital divide for marginalized youth.
David W.
VP of Curriculum Development
A former public school science teacher in Chicago, David saw firsthand how outdated textbooks failed to engage students of color. He now designs the culturally responsive STEMpower curriculum, ensuring that lessons reflect the realities and innovations of diverse communities.
Laura G.
Director of Public Policy
Laura leads our advocacy efforts on Capitol Hill. Raised in a displaced community in Appalachia, she fights for legislative changes that mandate equitable STEM funding, utilizing the grassroots data gathered from our 50-state chapter network.
Tariq H.
Head of Diversity & Inclusion
Tariq ensures that our internal operations and external programming remain fiercely equitable. With a background in civil rights advocacy, he develops training for all our volunteers to recognize and dismantle implicit biases in educational settings.
Rosa B.
Regional Director (East Coast)
Based in Philadelphia, Rosa manages chapters from Maine to Florida. As an Afro-Latina community organizer, she specializes in partnering with local community centers to host cost-free tutoring clinics in historically redlined neighborhoods.
Nina K.
Regional Director (West Coast)
Nina oversees our expansion across the Pacific seaboard. A first-generation Asian American who struggled with the 'model minority' myth, she focuses on creating mental health and wellness support systems within our rigorous STEM programs.
Chloe D.
Regional Director (South)
Chloe grew up in a heavily segregated school district in Louisiana. Now leading our Southern chapters, she works tirelessly to integrate STEMpower programs into rural schools that have historically been excluded from advanced technology grants.
Fatima A.
Director of Alumni Relations
Fatima was one of the first students to receive cost-free tutoring from STEMpathize in East Baltimore. Now a graduate with a degree in bioinformatics, she returns to lead our alumni network, connecting past students with early-career opportunities.
Javier L.
Director of Grants & Philanthropy
Javier secures the funding that makes STEMpower possible. Having experienced housing insecurity as a youth, he approaches philanthropy with a strict ethical lens, ensuring we only partner with organizations aligned with our mission of genuine equity.
Victor S.
STEMpower Program Coordinator
Victor manages the day-to-day operations of our flagship program. A former social worker, he ensures that every student in our program has their basic needs met—coordinating our annual donation of 520+ meals and clothing before focusing on academics.
Brian O.
Head of Volunteer Training
Brian developed the comprehensive onboarding program required for all STEMpathize mentors. Growing up in a working-class neighborhood in Detroit, he knows that effective mentorship requires significant empathy and cultural competence, more than subject matter expertise.
Marcus C.
Director of Chapter Expansion
Marcus identifies and launches new chapters in underserved regions. He uses demographic mapping to prioritize outreach to communities that fall in the bottom 10% of federal education funding.
Paola R.
Director of Communications
Paola amplifies the voices of our students on a worldwide stage. A bilingual storyteller whose parents were migrant farmworkers, she ensures that our narratives focus on student brilliance and potential, strictly avoiding pity marketing.
Zachary F.
Lead Curriculum Designer
Zachary builds the hands-on experiments used in our after-school programs. With a Ph.D. in applied physics and a background in disability advocacy, he ensures every module is fully accessible to neurodivergent and less-abled youth.
Hassan Y.
Community Engagement Lead
Hassan is the bridge between STEMpathize and the parents of our students. He organizes community town halls and ensures that families have a democratic voice in how our programs are run in their neighborhoods.