Luis A. Palacio, P.E., PhD.
Luis Palacio is a Bio-Physicist and a Licensed Professional Engineer in the state of Indiana. He has a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Puerto Rico, Mayagüez, a B.S. and a M.S. in Physics from Purdue University (IPFW, IUPUI respectively). As an engineer, he worked for General Electric Power Conversion at their Global Engineering Headquarters for over 4 years and Alivio Medical Center for over 2 years. As a scientist, he is currently leading an investigation that studies the molecular structure of proteins that are associated with lung diseases and blood clotting. He has conducted research at Oak Ridge National Laboratories, Argonne National Laboratories, and IUPUI, where he earned his Ph.D. During his doctoral studies, he has accumulated more than 3 years of combined experience as an educator at the undergraduate level and at the high school level. Luis has been a consultant for GE Electric Power Conversion, Uncommon Engineering, National Institutes of Health, VoCare, and MedDiary. After 2 years of serving as Director of Programs & Research, Luis now serves as Executive Director. Luis is actively engaged in the community and as a mentor to students that are served by Health & Science Innovations.
Matt DeLoughery
Matt oversees the IDEAA (Innovation, Design, Engineering, Advanced-Manufacturing, and Automation) Initiative portfolio; talent development, and our work based learning programs. He is also an instructor for the Design & Rapid Prototyping Certification Program. Matt studied architecture at Ball State University and Arizona State University. Through his studies and travels, he became interested in how design and the built environment impact the daily lives of people as well as existing and past power structures. His work at Health & Science Innovations aims to improve lives through education and opportunity. He currently leads an education and workforce development program that focuses on Design and Rapid Prototyping.
Taylor Segally
Taylor is working on small-angle scattering data collected at Argonne National Laboratory and Oak Ridge National Laboratory to characterize protein structure in solution when placed in different environments. She presented this research at the 2019 Biophysical Society Meeting. Taylor is being mentored by Luis A. Palacio, P.E. and Horia I. Petrache, Ph.D.
Christelle Mutombo
Christelle Mutombo studied Interdisciplinary Sciences with a Chemistry concentration and a Minor in Sociology at Purdue University. She recently joined the HSI team working at Innovation Boulevard at Belzer and Fall Creek Middle Schools. While adjusting to her new life here in Indianapolis, she spends her time volunteering, trying new restaurants, and watching documentaries.
Noah Davis-Cheshire
Noah studied Creative Writing and Intermedia Art at Ball State University and brings a passion for communication and creative practice wherever he goes. He became involved in Health & Science Innovations when he volunteered to support their Tech Literacy program and subsequently was invited to be an official staff member. The opportunity to engage with and learn more about mentoring students has been invaluable to him, as well as the chance to get firsthand experience seeing the ins and outs of operating a nonprofit.
Samantha Kupiainen
Samantha Kupiainen gradauted from Ball State University in May 2019 with a Bachelor of Science in magazine journalism and a public health minor. While in college, she interned with the Indiana Hospital Association and Towne Post Network. Most recently, she served as a social media and content curator with Ascension St. Vincent before joining Health Science Innovations as its Community Engagement Coordinator. Samantha is passionate about all things digital media and storytelling and how it supports brand development.
Emily Baker
Emily graduated from IUPUI in May 2020 with a dual Bachelor of Science in Biology and Forensic and Investigative Sciences, alongside a minor in Chemistry. Emily is currently serving as the STEM Ed. Coordinator for DNOVA while pursuing her Master of Science in Forensic Science from Marshall University. She has previously held the following roles with DNOVA from 2017 to 2019; Grant Writing Assistant, YiQ Coordinator, and Executive Assistant. The various opportunities with the organization have allowed her to gain valuable skills and express her passion for STEM. In her spare time, Emily enjoys traveling to new places, spending time with family and friends, and getting lost in a great book.
Brittni Mays
Brittni Mays studied Liberal Arts at Ivy Tech Community College, completed a Salesforce Administration training course with PepUp Tech, and obtained her Salesforce certification. She was introduced to DNOVA thanks to sponsorship from Father’s and Families Center, and has since aspired to aid this organization in their attempts to better the community through STEM education!
Eric Van Gorp
Analytics & Artificial Intelligence Program Leader at Cummins, Inc.
A native Hoosier, Eric is an advocate of giving back to kids through STEM. He really believes that the children are our future and wants them to have every opportunity to be successful and make their futures as great as they can be. He has sought to find how he could give back to others using his engineering and science background and the right way he could do this. His work at Cummins in the EBU Six Sigma Team led him by chance to work with Luis Palacio and the Health & Science Innovations Organization on their 5 & 10 year strategy plan as a community based Six Sigma project back in 2016. Seeing what HSI did and their passion with working with the Indianapolis Near East Side Area Schools led to him finding a way for Cummins and HSI to develop the Tech Literacy Program that has been running at both the Urban Act Academy (formerly IPS 14 Washington Irving) and Thomas Gregg Neighborhood School (formerly IPS 15 Thomas Gregg) for the past several years. Eric is the current Vice-President of the Board of Directors and a member on the STEM Advisory Board for HSI.
Joerg Schreiber, Ph.D.
President, White Arrow Consulting, LLC
Dr. Schreiber joined Roche Diagnostics (previously Boehringer Mannheim Germany) in 1986 and moved to the US in 1994. He held several functions in R&D (analytics, process development) and Operations (quality system, purchasing), before he assumed responsibility for the diabetes care business unit R&D in the US organization in 1996. In 2001 Dr.Schreiber accepted the position of VP R&D and Business Development for a newly created business, MyDoc.com, wherein Roche Diagnostics built an internet-based medical practice.
After his retirement from Roche, Dr. Schreiber works as Business Development consultant and entrepreneur in the Life Sciences. He has founded and uses as his business platform White Arrow Consulting LLC (www.whitearrowconsulting.com). From 2005 to 2007 he worked with Quadraspec Inc. as Chief Operating Officer. From 2007 to 2010, he worked with Physical Logic AG as VP R&D, CEO, and Director of its Diabetes Business Unit. After that, he served as CEO of Access Health Wealth and of the Indiana Biodefense Consortium, which he founded. Dr. Schreiber was the CEO of Indiana BioPharma LLC to build up a biotech Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization. In addition, he was advising Head of Business Development of MedeoLinx LLC.
In 2015, Dr. Schreiber founded The Executive Consortium, and since 2017 he has served as VP R&D of AgenDx Biosciences, commercializing a fast and affordable diagnostic test for pancreatic cancer.
Dr. Schreiber is a faculty member of IUPUI and Butler University in Indianapolis, Indiana, teaching in Engineering and Business.
Dr. Schreiber holds a Ph.D. in physics from Giessen University, Germany, specialized in biophysics and was a post doc at the National Institute for Environmental Health Sciences in Research Triangle Park, NC, USA.
Dr. Schreiber is a Board Member of the Ensemble Music Society of Indianapolis and chairs the Board of Health Science Innovations.
Jen Weber, JD
Jen Weber has been a licensed attorney in the state of Indiana since 2003, who most recently practiced law at the Office of Judicial Administration, Indiana Supreme Court. She has spent her legal career predominately practicing within the judicial branch in the state of Indiana. She also completed a clerkship with Judge Thomas G. Fisher at the Indiana Tax Court. She is active in the Indiana State Bar Association, a graduate of the Leadership Development Academy in 2017, as well as currently serving as a member Ambassador.
After retiring from her full-time legal work in 2019, Ms. Weber now dedicates her time in the nonprofit sector. Specifically she is President of Comfort Finders Inc, a nonprofit she founded in 2016 to support adults with cystic fibrosis. She has recently completed a term as the adult board representative on the Indiana Chapter of the CF Foundation, concluding in 2020. She continues to support the CF Foundation mission by serving as a chapter state ambassador, as well as at the national level on several advisory committees. She continues advocacy and volunteering for the Indiana Donor Network as well as the IU Health Congregational Care Network.
Jen has been a cellist in the Carmel Symphony since 1997, and completed a 2-year term as the orchestra board rep from 2017-2019. She holds a BS in Sociology from Bradley University – Peoria, IL, and a JD from Maurer School of Law – Indiana University Bloomington, IN.
John G. Perez
Mr. John Perez is an assistant professor teaching Visual Communication classes at Ivy Tech Community College of Indiana in Indianapolis, IN. for the last 20 years. Presently, Mr. Perez is the Visual Communications program chair and the former state chair for Visual Communications. Mr. Perez holds a M.S. in Media Arts and Science from the School of New Media at Indiana University and a B.S in Environmental Design from the School of Architecture at Ball State University.
From 2008-2015, John was an instructor for a private photo instruction business, Indy Photo Coach. He was the owner for 2 years.
From 1988 to 2000, John Perez worked and played at The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis designing exhibit graphics and preparing exhibit elements. He also taught and mentored youth in visual arts, various art methods, computer graphics, robotics, photography, and video technologies in the Eli Lilly Center for Exploration gallery within the museum.
John presently volunteers his time and media talents to his church and local businesses. John loves to create STEM/STEAM curriculum and activities for children. A few times a year, he serves as a juror in small art shows and displays his photography and media art.
Mr. Perez believes “Life is too short to be ordinary” and that “We are all Connected by Design”
Janeth Castano Jimenez
I am an International Medical Graduate (MD) from Colombia, with a Masters degree in Health Care Management, currently working as Clinical Research Technician at Indiana University School of Medicine with the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology. I also work with the Department of Pediatrics at Indiana University Health. I currently serve as both member of BOD of the Medical Organization for Latino Advancement (MOLA) in Chicago and as Co-Chair of International Health Graduate Committee of this Non-profit Organization. During my career I’ve held positions in many different areas within the medical field, being able to experience many ways to serve the community, not only as Primary care Physician (which I’ve being able to practice back in my home country for more than 15 years), but also in leadership positions as Medical Director, health management and Health Commissioner. It was in this last one where I discovered the power of Public Health, and it became my passion, seeing the impact one person can have in a community and the importance of collective work towards a common goal. “In all those years, what I’ve enjoyed the most is working with and for the people, and this is the opportunity I see on being part of HSI . I believe working with those who are coming in the younger generations can help them develop their potentials to levels they did not even know it existed. Many times it only takes one person who believes in them, and that is HSI.”
Agile CFO Solutions
Bookkeeping and accounting services.
For more information visit Agile CFO Solutions.
Right Tactic
Right Tactic is a Marketing & Media Agency with talent and expertise in online marketing and multimedia production.
For more information visit Right Tactic.
Intesa Consulting
Intesa Consulting is an independent human resources consulting firm.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/intesa-consulting-llc
Better Youth Outcomes
Better Youth Outcomes engages local employers in order to identify and develop pathways or collaborations to pair talent with employment or support talent development and career pathways.
For more information visit BYO.
Peripecia Studios
Peripecia Studios provides filming and photography services for marketing of our programs and services.
For more information visit Peripecia Studios and Agustin Montoya.
Steve Jones, CPA
Owner at FMR CPA’s & Advisors.
The STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) Advisory Board provides recommendations to the Executive Director, and the Board of Directors on matters related to STEM programs, accreditation, competition awards, and scholarship awards. They also serve as direct mentors to our students and as a search committee for project advisers and mentors.
We are currently searching for three additional volunteers with complimentary STEM backgrounds to serve on this board.
Anusuya Das, Ph.D.
Anusuya Das got her PhD in Bioengineering at Massachusetts Institute of Technology where she worked on computational modeling of angiogenesis and experimental validation via microfluidic experiments. After that, she worked on several tissue engineering and regenerative medicine projects at the University of Virginia. She has also worked on many global health endeavors in Africa, India and the United States. Currently, she is a Patent Agent at Barnes and Thornburg. In addition, she is developing and teaching new courses that combine bioengineering principles as applied to global health challenges at Indiana University Purdue University- Indianapolis (IUPUI).
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anusuyadas/
Eric Van Gorp
Analytics & Artificial Intelligence Program Leader at Cummins, Inc.
A native Hoosier, Eric is an advocate of giving back to kids through STEM. He really believes that the children are our future and wants them to have every opportunity to be successful and make their futures as great as they can be. He has sought to find how he could give back to others using his engineering and science background and the right way he could do this. His work at Cummins in the EBU Six Sigma Team led him by chance to work with Luis Palacio and the Health & Science Innovations Organization on their 5 & 10 year strategy plan as a community based Six Sigma project back in 2016. Seeing what HSI did and their passion with working with the Indianapolis Near East Side Area Schools led to him finding a way for Cummins and HSI to develop the Tech Literacy Program that has been running at both the Urban Act Academy (formerly IPS 14 Washington Irving) and Thomas Gregg Neighborhood School (formerly IPS 15 Thomas Gregg) for the past several years. Eric is the current Vice-President of the Board of Directors and a member on the STEM Advisory Board for HSI.
Stacey Pearson
Stacey Pearson started teaching High School Algebra I in Elkhart, Indiana in 2002 after graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education with an Endorsement in Mathematics Grades 1-9 from Goshen College. Teaching led her through an interesting path of many careers as she taught at a technical high school where she went into 27 different vocational classes to teach the math skills the learners would need in their fields. When moving to Indy in October of 2003, she was privileged to join Indianapolis Public Schools as a Mathematics Instructional Coach. She transitioned back to the classroom with Thomas Gregg School #15 when her daughter entered Middle School in 2012. For the last 7 years, she has taught fifth grade and served on committees at the school to work with the community in creating the Model for Thomas Gregg Neighborhood School to become an “A” rated school in the last 3 years. She has been married to her field supervisor husband, Michael for 19 years and they have a high school graduate who begins classes at Ivy Tech in the Spring with a focus on criminal justice. They also entertain a 15-year-old basset hound /golden retriever, a 3-year-old bearded dragon, and 4 guinea pigs.
Stephen L. Farris
Patent Agent at Ice Miller LLP and Member of the DirectEmployers Institute Board of Directors.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephen-l-farris-6a64a54/