25th Anniversary Celebration & Awards Event

Location:  

Gold Level Sponsor

Silver Level Sponsors

Bronze Level Sponsor

 More About the Awardees

• Chesley Chen has been a longtime supporter and Friend of WEST, as well as a steadfast advocate for women in STEM. He served as Board Member and Co-President of WEST between 2016-2021. He continues to be in service of others as Chair of the HBS Racial Equity Project, Co-Founder of Asians in Biotech, Trustee of Blood Cancer United, Guest Lecturer at Biodiversity (MassBio), and Adjunct Professor of Entrepreneurship at UMass Lowell. Despite his many accomplishments, he remains humble, warm, and generous—always going out of his way to help others. He’s a devoted family man, outdoor adventurer, and martial arts practitioner.
• Kim Meninger is a leadership coach, consultant and keynote speaker who is on a mission to make it easier to be human at work. She believes that what holds us back in the workplace is rarely our ability to do the work itself. Instead, it’s the fears, doubts and insecurities we bring to our interactions with others that make work more challenging than it needs to be. Kim strives to reveal the messy human side of the workplace and provide actionable strategies to help professionals at all levels more confidently navigate their work environments. As a long-time supporter and partner of WEST, Kim has spoken at many WEST events on topics such as managing impostor syndrome, maximizing your communication style and managing up with confidence. Kim previously held leadership positions at EMC and Monster. She holds a BA in psychology and an MBA from Boston College. She is also an ICF Professional Certified Coach with certifications in confidence, career, executive and leadership development coaching. Kim hosts the Impostor Syndrome Files podcast and leads a weekly Leading Humans discussion forum, which is free and open to all.
• Kemi Olugemo is a physician-scientist and philanthropist who believes that purpose should drive the decisions and impact we all make in the world. She is devoted to advancing global health and gender equity and sees this as her “north star.” As a Nigerian American immigrant, she committed early in her medical career to giving back to her community in a myriad ways. A significant portion of her time has thus been devoted to mentoring and fostering talent and helping others to advance their careers in STEM. She serves on numerous nonprofit boards, including developing and implementing the communication strategy for Women of Color in Pharma (now called OneWE Reach) and founding a nonprofit organization to support indigent healthcare in West Africa (Zebulon Foundation, Inc.). During the past two decades, Kemi has also been involved in healthcare policy, patient advocacy, community education initiatives, and developing life-changing medicines for people with rare and ultra-rare neurological diseases.
• Dr. Dinah Sah is the Co-Executive Director of the Caribbean Science Foundation (CSF), Director of the Student Program for Innovation in Science and Engineering (SPISE), President of CADSTI-New England, and a member of the Governing Council of the CSF. She has more than 30 years of research and drug development experience in the biotechnology industry and was formerly the CSO at Voyager Therapeutics. Dr. Sah currently serves on multiple SABs of biotech, venture capital and non-profit disease organizations. She is an inventor on more than 40 patents. Her extensive publications span diverse research areas, including contributions to journals such as the New England Journal of Medicine, Nature Medicine, Nature Biotechnology, Nature Neuroscience, Nature Chemical Biology, Nature Reviews Drug Discovery, Molecular Therapeutics, Neuron, PNAS, and EMBO Journal. Beyond her professional achievements, Dr. Sah has been a driving force and inspiration for countless Caribbean students through the SPISE program. Each summer, she brings high-potential Caribbean students together for immersive STEM experiences at SPISE—empowering them to pursue their dreams. Remarkably, many of these students go on to earn admission to top-tier universities, including MIT and Ivy League institutions. Dr. Sah’s leadership, mentorship, and unwavering commitment to lifting others make her a true beacon in our community.
• Dr. Ana Raquel Santa Maria is a neuroscientist with an international background whose research focuses on the blood-brain barrier and on developing novel strategies to deliver drugs into the brain to treat neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s. She has led international projects and contributed to initiatives that support early-career scientists. Ana is currently a Technology Development Fellow at the Wyss Institute at Harvard University. Beyond her scientific work, Ana is deeply committed to people. As a first-generation college graduate and woman in STEM, she understands the challenges of navigating academic and professional spaces and works to make that journey easier for others. She has founded mentoring programs, volunteered with youth STEM initiatives, and continues to support students and colleagues long after formal projects end. Known for her empathy, inclusivity, and authenticity, Ana creates spaces where young scientists feel welcomed, encouraged, and celebrated. She believes science is not only about discovery but also about lifting others up and building a community where everyone can thrive.
• Dr. Jo Viney is cofounder, President and CEO of Seismic Therapeutic, an autoimmune-disease focused company. Prior to Seismic she was cofounder and CSO at Pandion Therapeutics, which was acquired by Merck in 2021, and prior to Pandion she held scientific leadership positions at Biogen, Amgen and Immunex. Jo is an advocate for workplace inclusiveness and regularly volunteers her time with organizations focused on increasing diversity in STEM. She became a member of WEST after relocating to Boston, serving on the board from 2015 – 2020, including as President from 2017-2018.