Dr. Lauren E. Provost is the Director of STEM Outreach at Dartmouth College. Her research interests include STEM education and policy and quantitative. Dr. Provost currently serves on the New Hampshire STEM Governor’s Task Force and previously served on the Massachusetts Department of Education’s STEM Advisory Council, charged with developing the definition of STEM as well as developing effective strategies for addressing K-12 STEM education and policy. Dr. Provost also serves on the policy and professional development committees for the National Alliance for Partnerships in Equity. Her two most recent publications include a review of the social justice themed work, Rethinking Mathematics by Eric Gutstein published in the Journal of Democracy & Education and the policy work Mathematics Achievement Gains of Rural, Urban, and Suburban Students between Kindergarten and Eighth Grade for the Carsey Institute with Dr. Suzanne Graham of the Department of Education at UNH.
Ms. Houston has been a manager at Warwick Mills for over 25 years where her work has guided manufacturing of body armor, personal protective equipment, and flexible composites for demanding aerospace and inflatable applications. Based in New Ipswich at the site of the oldest textile mill in NH, it continues the legacy of innovation with advanced materials, including developing NASA’s Mars landing crash bags for three successful missions, concealable body armor for US Army’s PEO Soldier programs, laminates for shelters for Chemical/Biological protection for US Army’s Natick Soldier Center, and protective garments and products for law enforcement, industry and recreational customers. Ms. Houston has served on a number of NH boards to advance innovation and competitiveness and on the federal Manufacturing Council, the principal private sector advisory committee to the US Secretary of Commerce on the manufacturing sector. Warwick Mills has been awarded a number of awards including the NH 2016 Employment Leadership Award, presented each year to a NH business that recognizes the skills and contributions that people with disabilities bring to the workforce and who have adopted inclusive policies and hiring practices that allow people with disabilities to fairly compete for employment.
Leslie leads a team of 300 network engineers, dedicated management, and support staff. She is an experienced business leader with expertise in strategy development and execution, building and optimizing field and network operations teams, and customer experience strategy. Proven track record of developing and leading diverse teams to achieve profitable growth and operational efficiencies while differentiating the customer experience through process and technology solutions. Passionate about the role of effective leadership, mentoring, and employee development in organizational success.
Throughout her career, Leslie has focused her considerable energy on business success through business transformation, performance excellence, employee recognition, goal-directed strategy, quality service delivery, and talent development.
A leader by example, Leslie champions others through her work on Comcast’s Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Council.
MJ comes to us with over 30 years of experience in both the Telecommunications and Cable industries. With degrees in Electrical and Computer Engineering as well as Business, MJ has held a variety of technical and strategic development positions, both in the U.S. and abroad. Growing her career in male dominated industries, she has faced many challenges with regards to inclusion and career advancement. As an active member of Comcast’s Diversity & Inclusion Advisory Counsel, she is working to create strategies that will attract, develop, and retain diverse talent across all functional areas of the business, while removing biases and roadblocks for employees.
As panel moderator, Dr. Brady brings her state and national knowledge of STEM equity, workforce development, and inclusive cultures to the conversation. She serves on the advisory board of several inclusion-focused efforts in the region including immigrant economic integration, women in tech, youth STEM equity, and women's political participation. This is the third WIT event that Dr. Brady has had the pleasure of planning and moderating.
Colleen Cone is VP, Talent & Culture at Skillsoft, the world leader in e-learning, where she has global responsibility to attract, hire and retain top talent. She is leading initiatives designed to enhance and evolve workplace culture, drive employee engagement, and provide organizational development support.
Prior to joining Skillsoft, Colleen spent 5 years leading the HR function at Dyn, one of New Hampshire’s fastest growing tech companies, where she supported headcount growth of 300+ people globally within 30 months and created and fostered an award winning workplace culture, culminating in the company’s acquisition by Oracle last fall.
A recovering lawyer, Colleen’s background includes working as an employment attorney and HR Consultant at New Hampshire’s largest law firm and managing a diverse range of legal and employment matters internationally as U.S. Associate Counsel at Irving Oil Corporation. A graduate of Saint Anselm College, she earned her law degree at the Pennsylvania State University Dickinson School of Law, graduating as a member of the school’s prestigious Woolsack Society for academic achievement.
Active in the community, Colleen has been recognized by New Hampshire’s Union Leader as a 40 Under Forty award recipient and was named one of Workplace Magazine’s “Game Changers,” a national award designed to recognize those in workforce management who are pushing the field forward with innovative people-management processes. She has served on numerous non-profit boards, and currently sits on the Board of Directors of Families in Transition and the Workforce Development Committee of the New Hampshire High Tech Council.
Colleen lives in Manchester with her husband, Rick and 2 young children.
