Meet our In-person Keynote Speaker: Ileana Rubio

Ileana Rubio is a dynamic First-Gen Latina engineer & leader with a passion for empowering women and Hispanics to reach their fullest potential. With a robust background in engineering, Ileana has navigated the challenges of a male-dominated industry, breaking barriers and paving the way for the next generation of women engineers.
Ileana has been a systems engineer at Lockheed Martin Aeronautics for the past 6 years and is a graduate of LM’s Engineering Leadership Development Program currently working as an F-35 Systems Engineering Lead. Ileana is deeply passionate about empowering the next generation of Hispanics, particularly Latinas, to break into and excel in STEM fields. Through opportunities to serve as a career coach, speaker (including as a prior ILEW speaker), and mentor through her career, she’s seen firsthand the power of representation and the impact of mentorship and has dedicated much of her career to inspiring and equipping women with the tools and confidence they need to thrive in STEM fields.
Through her involvement in organizations, including the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE) where she currently serves as the President for the SHPE Fort Worth Professional chapter, she not only advocates for greater representation of Latinas in engineering but also actively mentors and supports them to navigate the challenges of their careers while staying true to their cultural & personal identities. Born and raised in El Paso, TX, Ileana holds a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering and Master of Science in Systems Engineering from the University of Texas at El Paso.

Meet our Virtual Keynote Speaker: Mireille Lecourtois

Mireille Lecourtois is a Latina Engineer, first-generation college graduate and entrepreneur seeking to inspire the next generation of Latina Engineers and students in STEM.

Meet our In-person Speaker: Gianna Agudelo,

Gianna Agudelo, MPH is a Public Health Educator with the Dallas County Chronic Disease Prevention Division and over a decade of experience in the fitness industry. Born and raised in Dallas, TX to Colombian parents, she is passionate about advancing public health, wellness, and promoting equality. Gianna combines expertise in health education with practical fitness instruction to empower individuals toward healthier lifestyles that last a lifetime.
As a certified Pilates instructor and studio owner, Gianna guides clients in improving physical well-being while fostering inclusive, supportive environments. Alongside teaching Pilates, Gianna serves as a health & life coach, providing personalized guidance to help others achieve sustainable goals. Through a blend of education, coaching, and passion, Gianna strives to inspire positive change while helping individuals and communities build healthier, more equitable futures.
In her spare time, you can find Gianna traveling, practicing Pilates, and indulging in self-care activities.

Meet our In-person Speaker: Claudia Pineda

Claudia Pineda is a Flight Test Engineer at Boeing and the founder of Cosmically Minded, a storytelling platform rooted in STEM, healing, travel, and empowerment. Born to immigrant parents from El Salvador and Guatemala, Claudia is a proud first-gen college graduate and advocate for underrepresented voices in technical fields. Her journey through the aerospace industry is powered by lived experience, ancestral resilience, and a deep belief that worth is not earned through perfection—but through presence, purpose, and self-trust.

Meet our Virtual Speaker: Alexis Williams

Alexis Williams is an accomplished creative technologist, content creator and speaker, specializing in web development and multimedia projects. She is the founder of Softwear by Lex, an innovative project featuring interactive, wearable art and Progress Building Resources (PB Resources), which centers Black stories to inspire political action and amplify intersectional justice, which has reached over 2 million people.

A passionate educator and advocate for social justice, Alexis collaborates with nonprofits and brands to effect positive change, using her coding expertise to confront societal inequities. As a dynamic speaker, she engages diverse audiences with her unique perspective as a creative technologist, advocate for social change, and influential content creator, bringing her identity as a Black Queer and Latina woman to the forefront of her discussions. In 2025, Alexis was named to Black Enterprise’s top 40 under 40 list for politics and social impact, recognizing her powerful endeavours supporting equity and innovation.

Meet our Virtual Speaker: Maria Zapata

Maria Zapata is a Software Engineering Intern at Apple  | Best Engineering Graduate in Colombia 2023 🏆 | M.S. Computer Science (AI focus) at USF | 3x degree holder, summa cum laude in Math & Software Eng. from Uninorte + B.S. CS from USF

Meet our Virtual Speaker: Ana Aviles Vargas

Ana Aviles Vargas was born in Monterrey, Mexico and grew up most of her life in San Antonio, Texas. She is a first-generation immigrant and received her Bachelors of Science in Biomedical Engineering from The University of Texas at San Antonio in 2024. She is now a second year Ph.D. Candidate at Penn State pursuing a degree in Biomedical Engineering under the guidance of Dr. Yong Wang. Her research examines the mechanisms by which stem cells modulate the pathological microenvironment of neurodegenerative diseases to mitigate disease progression. Outside of research, she enjoys reading, playing soccer, and cooking. Her long-term goal is to work in industry, developing therapeutics to effectively treat or delay neurodegenerative diseases while remaining committed to empowering underrepresented students in STEM.

Meet our Virtual Speaker: Jacqueline (Jackie) Avila

Jackie Avila was born and raised in Austin, Texas, and her family is from San Luis Potosí, Mexico. She is a first-generation college graduate and received her Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Engineering from The University of Texas at San Antonio in 2024. Go ‘Runners! She is now a second-year PhD student in the Soft Tissue Biomechanics Laboratory at the University of Pittsburgh under the guidance of Dr. Jonathan Vande Geest. Her research focuses on applying both computational and experimental techniques such as finite element analysis, two- photon polymerization, image processing, and mechanical testing towards the development of a tissue engineered vascular graft (TEVG). In her free time, she enjoys running, walking, hiking, and reading nonfiction books. Her long-term goal is to work at a research institution and lead her own lab in the field of cardiovascular engineering while maintaining a social media platform that advocates for others in STEM, especially those who are underrepresented in the field.

Meet our Virtual Speaker: Hannah Burns Dunham

Hannah Burns Dunham is a chemical engineer turned organizational psychologist and leadership consultant, specializing in helping women in STEM speak up, lead boldly, and get recognized for their work.

After a decade in the manufacturing industry, where she managed 120 people and millions in equipment, Hannah experienced firsthand how technical skill isn’t enough to move up—you also need confidence, communication, and visibility. That realization led her to earn a graduate degree in Industrial and Organizational Psychology and start her own coaching and consulting firm.

Hannah now partners with companies across STEM industries to support the development of women leaders, combining real-world experience with research-backed strategies. She has coached women from tech and manufacturing Fortune 500 companies, helping them advance their careers while setting boundaries and leading with authenticity.

Her practical, data-driven approach is rooted in behavioral science and built to help high-achieving women stop over-explaining, start speaking with authority, and lead with clarity.

Hannah also shares free educational content through social media, offering real-world tools and encouragement to women navigating leadership in male-dominated fields.

Meet our Virtual Speaker: Jocelyn Mappes

Jocelyn Mappes is a Purdue EE grad with experience in Sales Engineering, Operations, and Program Managment. She has held roles at Phoenix Contact, Rivian, IHI Terrasun, and Rolls-Royce with a strong focus on program management, systems strategy, and execution.

Meet our Virtual Speaker: Angelica Sanchez

Angelica Sanchez is a LatinxEd 2025 Fellow and Ph.D. in Applied Economics whose work bridges strategy, education, and equity. She co-founded two nonprofits and was named a Poets & Quants Best 40 Under 40 in 2022.