Science ATL Leadership

Jess Hunt-Ralston

Board Member since 2022

Jess Hunt-Ralston is director of communications for the College of Sciences at Georgia Tech, home to 3,000 students and 500 faculty and researchers across six internationally ranked schools. A Georgia Tech alumna, Jess previously led communications for Atlanta BeltLine Partnership and the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Georgia Tech, and served as a consultant for an international slate of non-profits, start-ups, and small businesses.

Alvaro McRae

Volunteer Manager

Alvaro McRae joined the Science ATL team in 2022 as the Volunteer Manager. Volunteers are vital to Science ATL’s vision of making Atlanta a science city and cultivating an equitable community through the wonder of science. Alvaro leads in developing a robust volunteer program at Science ATL with over 7+ years of experience in volunteer management and building community partnerships across Atlanta. He developed a passion for service to the community after serving as an AmeriCorps NCCC volunteer, where he completed service projects dedicated to hunger relief at the Utah Food Bank, disaster relief in St. Bernard’s Parish, Louisiana and an after-school education program at Pacific Elementary in Sacramento. His other interests include serving as a poll worker for Dekalb County, exploring new hiking trails, indulging in Revolution Doughnuts, and enjoying time with his growing family and friends.

Dana Buskovitz

Public Events Manager

Dana is a scientist by training, and an educator by heart. Since starting her career in STEM education in 2015, Dana has always had a love for sharing science with anyone who will listen through teaching, programming, community outreach, and sharing with science lovers everywhere. Dana is a Clemson grad (Go Tigers), a dog mom, and a lifelong learner! Catch her out and about at one of ScienceATL’s many public events, or taking her dogs for a walk in the park.

Crystal Lazarus

Board Member since 2022

Crystal Lazarus is a Senior Director of Planning & Strategy at Goodwill of North Georgia. She serves as the Controller for HealthMPowers, a nonprofit, promoting healthy habits to build a better future for all children. She has an extensive career working in various financial leadership capacities at Georgia EMA/ Homeland Security, Atlanta Regional Commission, Emory University, and Union City Government. Crystal has managed hundreds of millions of dollars by implementing transparency, innovation, and best practices to comply with GAAP, Federal Acquisition Regulations, and other ordinances/regulations. Her educational endeavors include a Master’s degree in Government and Nonprofit Accounting from Rutgers University, a Bachelors of Science in Accounting from Georgia State University, a Finance Officer Certification from the University of Georgia and other certifications. Crystal currently serves as the President of a chartered stock group and a volunteer tax preparer for the IRS. Crystal was instrumental in helping her former employer earn the coveted Certificate of Achievement in Financial Reporting from the GFOA.

Vince Ho

Board Member since 2022

As a Project Leader at Boston Consulting Group, Vince leads project teams focused on supply chain improvements and optimization for retail, CPG, and food and beverage clients. His scope of work aims to create efficiencies and streamline planning and delivery capabilities to ensure high levels of customer service while managing costs. Before his time with Boston Consulting Group, Vince worked in the Beverage division at Nestle USA, leading planning and forecasting efforts for a variety of products in the portfolio. As a native of Los Angeles, Vince holds degrees in Biomedical and Industrial Engineering from USC. He also earned his MBA from USC Marshall School of Business. He and his wife, Natalie, have a daughter and two cats here in metro Atlanta. Outside of work and family, Vince enjoys playing golf, watching sports, and cooking.

Brooke Rose

School & Youth Programs Facilitator

Brooke Rose is a dedicated, life-long learner who is passionate about STEAM education. Brooke is a proud Metro Atlanta Teach for America alum and was appointed as a Science Ambassador for the Georgia Department of Education in 2019. She has a background in teaching middle school and high school gifted Math and Science with 10 years of experience. Brooke has a Master’s in Education from Kennesaw State University in Instructional Technology which inspired her to expand her reach beyond the classroom, impacting even more students. She currently coaches teachers on the effective use of instructional technology. In addition to teaching and coaching in the public school system, she has successfully tutored hundreds of kids all over the world for the SAT and ACT, helping them go to the college or university of their dreams. Brooke’s teammates describe her as a dependable leader, a hard worker, and their favorite Harry Potter Nerd.

Isabela Galoustian

Data Management Intern

Isabela Galoustian is a 3rd year undergraduate student at Emory University majoring in Materials Science and minoring in Applied Math. Science education aimed to excite has had a profound impact on their childhood and life, and they’re passionate about fostering the spirit of curiosity in younger students. They’ve worked on previous projects related to educational outreach including Citizen Science and Emory Science Olympiad, and are currently a member of the Weeks Soft Matter Physics lab at Emory studying characteristics of random close packing! In their free time they like to lift and take walks in nature.

Paula Garcia Todd

School & Youth Programs Facilitator

With a steadfast desire to help patients through pharmaceutical technologies, Paula Garcia Todd has made significant contributions in drug delivery through her work at Dow Chemical, DuPont, and now IFF (International Flavors & Fragrances) for the past 18 years. As a Global Applications, Development & Innovation leader, she leads a team of 40 scientists and engineers to research and create patented polymer innovations to solve critical formulation issues for pharmaceutical companies around the world. Paula is passionate about introducing STEM to children. She has volunteered on boards and organizations focused on increasing the number of female and under-represented students in STEM fields, especially engineering, for the past decade. She has been active in diversity, equity, and inclusion advocacy within industry, working through women’s and Latinx employee resources groups to create awareness and improve company cultures. In 2019, she was named a AAAS IF/THEN® Ambassador by the American Association for the Advancement of Science for her devoted work in STEM outreach and was featured in a life-sized statue exhibit of outstanding women in STEM fields at the Smithsonian Museum in Washington DC. Paula collaborated with Science ATL in 2021 to co-create the STEM Professional School Partnership program. Recently, she was named “Woman of the Year in Engineering” by Women in Technology and received a “Luminary Award” by Great Minds in STEM.

Mya Finley

Youth Ambassador Program Intern

Mya Finley is currently a senior at Georgia State University, getting her bachelors in Computer Information Systems with a concentration in data analytics. She is originally from Memphis, TN but decided to permanently call Atlanta, GA home. Her dream career is to work as a Data Analyst within the healthcare field. In her spare time she likes to go to movies and is an avid horror fan. As a Youth Ambassador Intern, she hopes to encourage young students within the Atlanta area to find a passion for STEM.

Tiffany Jones, EdD

School & Youth Programs Facilitator

Dr. Tiffany Jones is an educator passionate about connecting students with the amazing world of STEM. For almost 10 years, Tiffany has worked in the field of science education, teaching by day and volunteering on weekends to help students find their love of STEM. Tiffany currently teaches at South Cobb High School, serves as an assessment writer for the Georgia Science Olympiad, and volunteers to judge at many metro-Atlanta events at all levels. She also serves the Cobb-Paulding Regional Science Fair as a judge and assists with elementary science fairs as needed. Tiffany is involved with Science ATL’s Georgia Chief Science Officers (CSO) program as a site advisor and lead advisor to support CSOs and their teachers as they learn how to project their voice into the STEM conversations in Atlanta. Tiffany is also a proud Mom who does many of the items listed above from beside a softball field or dance studio. Her absolute greatest joy in life comes from watching her daughter discover the wonders of science and engineering from her worldview.

Zaid Irfan

Storytelling Intern

Zaid’s curiosity for science began at a young age when he was exposed to the concept of a
human cell and the intricacies associated with it; he has since committed to unveiling that
curiosity for over a decade and is currently pursuing a B.S. in Neuroscience at Georgia State University. Zaid extends and promotes his interest in science and health disparities through the three organizations for which he is an executive officer at his academic institute, one of which he Co-Founded. Besides his affinity toward science, he enjoys cooking, traveling and spending time with his family and friends in his free time.

Julia Regeski

Storyteller

Julia Regeski is a writer and content strategist who believes that everyone’s story deserves to be told in a way that’s intentional, compelling, and authentic. Her work experience has been focused on advancing meaningful social causes, and includes advocating on behalf of Georgia’s environmental resources and bringing together nonprofits in the wake of natural disasters. When she’s not using her communications skills to try to make the world a better place, you’ll likely find her reading, practicing yoga, or adventuring in the great outdoors.

Emma Palmer-McVey

Board Member since 2022

Emma Palmer-McVey is the Director of Operations for the Economic Development Division at the Metro Atlanta Chamber (MAC). Emma is passionate about supporting the overall success of Atlanta’s different ecosystems as we focus on the recruitment and expansion of existing and start-up companies within key clusters, including Smart Cities, Creative Industries, Cybersecurity, FinTech, Supply Chain, Bioscience, and Health IT. She leads operational management for the division, focusing specifically on large activations, efforts involving C-suite investors and stakeholders, ensuring cohesion between Economic Development and Innovation & Entrepreneurship efforts, and acting as the strategic liaison between all activities of the Chief Economic Development Officer.

Outside of MAC, she is part of the thriving Atlanta gig economy working as a freelance Equity Stage Manager at theaters across the metro region. She also sits on the Board of Directors at Synchronicity Theatre.

Before joining MAC in 2017, Emma worked in Operations Management at MATRIX Resources, an IT Staffing company. Emma graduated from Birmingham-Southern College with a degree in Musical Theatre. An Atlanta native, she lives on the Westside with her husband, Connor, and two cats, Sampson and Ann Perkins.

Jordan Rose

Founding Board Member
Co-Founder and Co-Executive Director

Jordan Rose is a creative, lifelong learner with a passion for promoting science literacy and empowering youth to lead change. With Science ATL, Jordan brings together schools, companies, and community organizations to improve equitable access to Atlanta’s myriad opportunities to learn and love science. Previously, Jordan led science education initiatives at the Georgia BioEd Institute and the Emory College Center for Science Education, supporting K-12 teachers and students and facilitating university-community partnerships. He is a 2021-22 Education Policy Fellow with the Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education and serves on advisory boards for Georgia Tech’s GIFT program, and the Georgia BioEd Institute. Jordan has a B.S. in neuroscience and a Master’s in Public Health from Emory University. He lives in Tucker and enjoys playing tennis, riding bikes with his family, rooting for Atlanta United, and jamming on the ukulele.

Melanie Lawrence

Board Member Since 2021

Melanie Lawrence is Assistant Vice President of Research & Chief Business Officer for Research at Emory University, where she leads and executes cross cutting strategic initiatives and special projects across the research enterprise. She manages the strategic planning, budget and fiscal planning, human resources, operational improvements, and key special projects and initiatives for both the Office of the Senior Vice President for Research and the Office of Research Administration. She is also the Acting Director of Science Gallery Atlanta.

Melanie is an Atlanta native and a proud alumnus of Emory University, having received her Executive MBA from Emory’s Goizueta Business School and has been an active Emory alum, most recently as Treasurer of the Executive Women of Goizueta Alumni Board. She received her Bachelor of Arts in History, Economics, and Geography from Georgia State University.

Lucy Cronin-Golomb

Content Manager, Science Scene Calendar

Lucy Cronin-Golomb is currently working towards her PhD in psychology at Emory University. She is especially curious about learning and memory. Her interest in learning and memory was piqued during her time as research assistant at the McGovern Institute for Brain Research at MIT, where she studied the brain basis of reading and language.

Now, she is interested in how our ideas, thoughts, and beliefs about the world develop over time. She wants to know more about how kids and adults grow their knowledge base- How do kids learn differently than adults? How do people choose what they want to learn? How does memory develop over time? These are just a few of the questions Lucy is pursuing in her studies.

Lucy is passionate about making science accessible to everyone. She wants to share her love for finding out the “why” and is especially enthusiastic about getting kids of all ages engaged with and excited about science! Lucy is a National Institutes of Health T32 fellow.

Sarah Peterson, PhD

Founding Board Member
Co-Founder and Director of New Initiatives

Sarah Peterson believes that wonder and curiosity have the power to bridge divides and bring diverse communities together. As a Co-Founder and Director of New Initiatives, she brings together experience as a scholar and teacher of arts and humanities topics with an insatiable curiosity about the science underlying everything we do, see and use daily. In addition to her work developing and producing innovative programming and resources that present the wonders of science in surprising and engaging ways, she works to advance the professional and career development of PhDs in all disciplines. She has a PhD in English Literature from Emory University.

Meisa Salaita, PhD

Founding Board Member
Co-Founder and Co-Executive Director

Meisa Salaita has made it her mission to help others see and appreciate the beauty of science by making it a part of everyday cultural experiences. Through her work founding and directing Science ATL, she spends her days convincing everyone else to fall in love with science as well. To that end, Meisa also writes, has produced radio stories, and hosted TV shows — all in the name of science. In addition to her work with Science ATL, Meisa is a producer for The Story Collider, a science storytelling podcast. Meisa has a Ph.D. in chemistry from Northwestern, and was recently named by the Atlanta Business Chronicle as one of 20 Women Who Mean Business in Atlanta.

AJ Chestnut Raines

School & Youth Programs Manager

AJ Chestnut Raines is a writer and educator with a background in chemistry, mathematics and middle grades science. For over 10 years, AJ has worked in the field of STEM education. Beginning as an extracurricular instructor, AJ’s in classroom experiences led her to find her niche in curriculum and instructional design. Her interdisciplinary writings have aided in program development for science education firms, education certifications for public schools, and grant procurement for non-profit organizations. As School & Youth Programs Manager at Science ATL, AJ leads the Georgia Chief Science Officers (CSO) and STEM Professional School Partnership (SPSP) programs.

Sarah Strassler

Digital Content Contributor

Sarah Strassler is a Biochemistry PhD student at Emory University, working in a structural biology lab to understand how enzymes and RNAs interact with one another in our bodies. Her passion for science communication began while serving as Peace Corps Volunteer where she enjoyed helping students make sense of the “magic” in the world around them through science. Sarah is a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow and an ARCS Scholar.

Kristen Clayton

Public Events Coordinator

Kristen Clayton is a nonprofit professional with experience focusing on the arts sector and is fascinated by the intersection of science, art, community organization, placemaking, and education. Kristen values creativity and curiosity and their ability to build a bridge between art and science. As Science ATL’s Public Events Coordinator, she is responsible for planning and executing a creative slate of recurring events and in assisting in planning the Atlanta Science Festival. With a MA in Nonprofit Management and Arts Administration focusing on art and nature from the University of Oregon, her experience includes program development, research, and evaluation for the High Museum of Art, Atlanta Contemporary, and the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art.

Susan Lozier, PhD

Board Member Since 2021

Susan Lozier is Dean and Betsy Middleton and John Clark Sutherland Chair in the College of Sciences at Georgia Institute of Technology. Dean Lozier leads more than 2,500 students and 500 faculty and researchers across six internationally ranked schools in the College of Sciences at Georgia Tech. She is a physical oceanographer who researches the ocean’s role in climate variability and climate change, and the role that ocean physics plays in those expected changes. She currently serves as President of the American Geophysical Union and is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. She is a past president of The Oceanography Society, as well as the international lead for the Overturning in the Subpolar North Atlantic Program (OSNAP) observing system.

Tjuan Dogan, PhD

Board Member Since 2019

Dr. Tjuan Dogan is passionate about education and curious about the intersection of art, science, and technology. As Global Director of Social Impact at Coursera, she develops strategies to impact global societies and transform lives through learning. Prior to Coursera, she held leadership positions in corporate social responsibility, philanthropy, and social impact with Emory University, IBM, the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation, and the Southern Education Foundation. Tjuan is a native of Greenville, SC, earned her Ph.D. in education, with a concentration in business management, at the University of South Carolina, and completed a year-long fellowship at Harvard Business School after earning her Ph.D. She enjoys live theater, golf, patio gardening, and making stained glass art.

Jamal Jesse

Board Member since 2019

As the Workforce Development Manager for Georgia Power, Jamal and his team develop strategies that support Georgia’s talent pipeline for the energy industry and other target industries. By guiding partnerships with education and workforce development organizations, associations, and government agencies, Jamal works to maximize available funding and educational opportunities associated with talent development.

Before his time with Georgia Power, Jamal served 20 years in the United States Navy, retiring as a Chief Petty Officer in 2014. He was stationed onboard several U.S. Navy warships, serving as project manager. A native of New Orleans, Jamal holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Operations Management from Southwestern College and a Master of Business Administration from Auburn University. Jamal also volunteers with several veterans’ organizations. He and his wife, Marcheria, have two daughters and a Yorkie. Jamal enjoys playing golf and attending Atlanta sporting events.

Jason Hoch

Founding Board Member

Jason is President of Imperative Entertainment’s new Podcast division. Jason has over 20 years of experience with both major media companies and tech start-ups. Most recently, Jason served as Head of New Initiatives and Executive Producer at HowStuffWorks, one of the largest commercial podcast producers in the world. In this role, Jason launched three #1 podcast hits in 2018: ATLANTA MONSTER (with over 40 million downloads); its follow-up, MONSTER: THE ZODIAC KILLER; and BROKEN HARTS, a podcast collaboration with Glamour Magazine.

David Hartnett

Chairman of the Board (Founding)

As chief economic development officer for Metro Atlanta Chamber’s, David is responsible for leading a team focused on the recruitment, retention and expansion of companies and skilled talent within focused clusters e.g. corporate headquarters, bioscience, healthcare, IoT, smart city, cybersecurity, fintech, supply chain, eSports, and digital media/entertainment.

Before joining the Chamber, Hartnett served as the president and CEO of Maco Pharma (formerly United Pharma™) a privately held medical device/pharmaceutical company based in Duluth, Georgia, headquartered in Lille France. Prior to Maco Pharma, Hartnett was president and CEO of SteriFx Corporation, a specialty chemical company, contracted by U.S. Department of Defense (DARPA). Before SteriFx, he was the executive vice president of the North American headquarters of Given Imaging, Inc. (GIVN-NASDAQ). Under his leadership, the company commercialized the “PillCam” video capsule.

Hartnett is married with four sons, was raised on Coronado Island, California and is an active member of the Atlanta business community.

Danielle Freeman

Head Volunteer Coordinator

Danielle is a continuous improvement engineer at The Clorox Company. She travels to North American and Latin America to assist the various sites in the Clorox family to involve everyone every day in improvement. She enjoys focusing on furthering education/skills which led her to achieve undergraduate and multiple masters degrees. She is one of less than 35 Certified Master Facilitators in the world.

Danielle and her family are animal rescuers and often share their home with foster pets. She enjoys travel, Zumba & Orange Theory Fitness, swimming and spending time with her family. And she is an endless volunteer-aholic!

Cheryl Kortemeier

Board Member since 2019

Cheryl Kortemeier is Executive Director of Corporate Volunteer Council of Atlanta for the past 8 years. The CVC brings together business professionals who are passionate about volunteerism to share best practices, strengthen community investment strategies, and make a difference through service. Previously (1998 – 2011), she was Director of Development and Communications at Trees Atlanta. She was Board Chair of EarthShare of Georgia for three years. She is a Steering Committee member of the Greater Atlanta Regional Centre of Expertise on Sustainable Development.

Jason Wellman

Board Member since 2019

Jason is a Regional Operations Manager at Google, where he leads data center operations across the eastern United States and South America, including sites in Moncks Corner, SC; Lenoir, NC; Douglas County, GA; Widows Creek, AL; Clarksville, TN and Santiago, Chile.

Since joining Google in 2005, Jason has held various positions related to Google’s Data Center Infrastructure and Operations. During his time at Google, Jason has successfully led cross-functional teams supporting Google’s critical business operations.

He is a member of the Lithia Springs High School STEM Board of Directors, which helped the school receive its certification and distinction as Georgia’s seventh STEM school in May 2016. Jason is a former member of the Douglas County Chamber of Commerce’s Chairman’s Club and also served on the board of directors for the Technology Association of Georgia (TAG).

A Texas native, he earned his bachelor’s degree in business administration from Stephen F. Austin State University. In 2005, Jason moved to Georgia with his wife and three children. The family currently resides in Milton, GA.