Conversations for Change

Dr. Brad McLain is a social scientist interested in the nature and psychology of identity development, learning, and leadership. He is the Director of the Center for STEM Learning at the University of Colorado Boulder and Director of Corporate Research at NCWIT, where he routinely works closely with companies on the subject of identity, inclusive culture construction, and change leadership. Prior, he served two terms on the Board of Directors for the Jane Goodall Institute and was the United States Chair of Dr. Goodall’s Roots and Shoots Leadership Committee. He has served as principle investigator and researcher on numerous federal, foundation, and privately funded programs, resulting in frequent collaborations with state and federal government agencies, corporations, non-profits, and private organizations. Before that, Dr. McLain was an educational researcher at the Space Science Institute, a NASA educational lead for the Space Shuttle Program as well as NASA’s Office of Biological and Physical Research, and NASA’s Science Mission Directorate, and was a social science researcher at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR). He is also an accomplished filmmaker, having produced and directed three documentary features and dozens of short films. His new book is Designing TransformativeExperiences: A Toolkit for Leaders,Trainers, Teachers, and Other Experience Designers (BK Publishing, 2023): His TEDx talks, podcasts, and other work can be found online. Dr. McLain lives in Boulder Colorado with his two children.

Dr. Catherine Ashcraft is a Senior Research Scientist with NCWIT at the University of Colorado Boulder. Her research focuses on issues related to gender, diversity, and technology; organizational change and curriculum reform; and popular culture, media representations, and youth identity (especially as it relates to race-ethnicity, gender, class, sexuality). She also has taught and presented at national and international venues on these topics for the past 15 years and has worked with a variety of government entities, advocating for CS/IT/ICT education and workplace policy.

In her role at NCWIT, she employs a unique blend of research and practice, overseeing primary research projects and translating that research into practical resources that organizations can use for diversifying their technology workforce and for creating more inclusive technology workplaces. She also directs reform initiatives for NCWIT’s Workforce Alliance, a consortium of leading, global technology companies and departments, and works with senior executives to implement these initiatives.

Catherine has published widely in top education and interdisciplinary journals, nationally and internationally, including the American Educational Research Journal, the International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education, Men & Masculinities, Curriculum Inquiry, Teachers College Record, Anthropology & Education Journal, Youth & Society, among others. Her most recent NCWIT publications include Girls in IT: The Facts and Male Advocates and Allies: Promoting Gender Diversity in Technology Workplaces. She also is responsible for securing funding for CS/IT/ICT research initiatives and has served as a principal investigator on several research grants.

Before coming to NCWIT, Catherine was an assistant professor of multicultural education and director of Diversity Learning at Western Washington University.  She also has worked as a middle/high school public school teacher and as the community education director for a battered women’s shelter, where she implemented programs to address a variety of gender inequities, including workplace and dating violence. She obtained her MA in organizational communication and her PhD in education from the University of Colorado.

Dr. Sarah Blithe is a Research Scientist with the National Center for Women & Information Technology (NCWIT) at the University of Colorado Boulder.  Her research is in in organizational communication, with specific attention to intersectional feminism, inclusivity, occupational identity, work-life balance, policy inequalities, and management learning.  Her research is applied and practical; oriented toward implementing positive changes for workers and organizations.

Before joining NCWIT, Dr. Blithe was an Associate Professor of Communication Studies at the University of Nevada, Reno. She is the author of Gender Equality and Work-Life Balance: Glass Handcuffs and Working Men in the U.S. and Sex and Stigma: Stories of Everyday Life in Nevada’s Legal Brothels. She is also the co-editor of Badass Feminist Politics: Exploring Radical Edges of Feminist Theory, Communication, and Activism. She has published widely in national and international journals, including Human Relations, Management Communication Quarterly, the Journal of Applied Communication Research, Culture and Organization, the Journal of Gender Studies, Management Learning, and the Journal of Communication. Dr. Blithe is the recipient of multiple research and teaching awards, including seven book of the year awards and the 2019 Thornton Peace Prize for her social justice advocacy.

Dr. Jamie Huber Ward is a social scientist and Associate Director of Higher Ed for NCWIT at the University of Colorado Boulder. Her research focuses on issues related to organizational change in higher education; collaborative pedagogical practices; curriculum reform; and post-secondary student experiences.

In her role, Jamie works with the Higher Ed team to implement and analyze research projects designed to enhance all students’ success and sense of belonging post-secondary computing programs. This includes working with faculty and staff from a variety of collegiate computing programs to facilitate their local implementation of evidence-based recruitment and retention strategies and translating these programs successes into resources accessible to post-secondary computing programs on a nationwide scale. She also engages in project management and strategic planning efforts for the NCWIT Higher Ed team.

Prior to joining NCWIT, Jamie served in various roles in student affairs administration and as a faculty member in several Communication Studies departments and interdisciplinary programs. She holds a Ph.D. in Communication Studies from Southern Illinois University-Carbondale, an M.A. in Psychology from Southern Illinois University-Carbondale, an M.A. in Higher Education Administration from the University of Louisville, and a B.A. in Psychology and English from Illinois College. Jamie has published chapters in edited book collections and in a number of scholarly journals, including: AFFILIA: Journal of Women and Social Work; Kaleidoscope: A Journal of Qualitative Communication Research; Journal of Research in Personality; Experimental and Clinical Psychopharmacology; and Women and Language. She served as a Women’s Center Committee Pre-Conference Co-Chair for the National Women’s Studies Association from 2013-2015. She also has served on the WEPAN Board of Directors from 2020-present and was the WEPAN Board President for the 2023-2024 fiscal year.

Dr. Andrea Bowens-Jones is a former Procter & Gamble (P&G) R&D Section Head. She has managed multi–discipline teams of scientists and engineers to drive technology, formulation, and process development for top personal care brands such as Secret, Old Spice, and Gillette.

A polymer chemist by training, Dr. Andrea cares deeply about STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) education and inspiring the next generation of technical leaders. In 2004, she developed the Resident Scholar Program (RSP) while at P&G. RSP is a unique job-shadowing program for minority youth interested in careers in STEM. The program expanded its reach to Duracell Company in 2011, and continues to impact students at both companies today.

Currently, Dr. Andrea is the President/CEO of IDG Vision, LLC, where continues to impact the STEM talent pipeline as a consultant, speaker, coach, and trainer.