Erika Wood

Event Operations Coordinator, CSEW, AAAS

Erika Wood joined AAAS in November of 2023 as CSEW’s new Events Operations Coordinator. As a graduate from the University of South Florida, she attained her BA in Public and Cultural Communications. Upon graduating, she embarked on the path of helping communities within the Non-profit sectors,  Experiential Events and Performing Arts.

Erika has worked as an Events Market Manager within a niche of familiar brands such as: Bumble.com, Deep River Snacks and Hallmark.

Additionally, she prides herself on community and has also worked for NYC’s Hurricane Sandy’s “Build It Back Program”, The WNET Group and the National Children’s Chorus.

Erika values the importance of making an impact on humanity and is pleased to be joining the AAAS family.

Melissa E. Wynn, Ph.D.

AAAS STEM Program Director

Melissa E. Wynn, Ph.D. is a Program Director in the Center for STEMM Education and Workforce at the American Association for the Advancement of Science. In this role, she supports national initiatives designed to strengthen STEMM education, research capacity, institutional transformation, and workforce pathways, with a particular focus on postsecondary education, Minority Serving Institutions, and students from communities historically underserved in STEMM fields.

Dr. Wynn brings more than 20 years of experience leading complex programs across higher education, nonprofit, and national policy environments. Prior to joining AAAS, she served as a Program Officer with the Board on Higher Education and Workforce at the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, where she directed consensus studies, convened national experts, supported governance boards, and advanced evidence-based recommendations related to STEMM higher education, mentorship, faculty success, disability inclusion, and workforce development. Her work has included programs and projects supported by NSF, NIH, NOAA, HHS, ODNI, the Sloan Foundation, and the Burroughs Wellcome Fund.

Her previous leadership roles include directing STEM continuing education and special projects at Fielding Graduate University, managing academic leadership and NSF-supported programs at The Chicago School of Professional Psychology, and leading federally funded STEMM and student pathway initiatives at Howard University. Across these roles, she has led grant-funded programs, developed curricula and professional development models, managed multi-partner collaborations, organized national convenings, and supported student and faculty pathways in STEMM. Her work has consistently centered equity, mentorship, institutional capacity-building, and the development of inclusive learning and workforce ecosystems.

Dr. Wynn earned a Ph.D. in Organizational Leadership from The Chicago School of Professional Psychology, an M.S. in Personality Psychology from Howard University, and a B.S. in Biology from Spelman College.

Pamela Asante

Project Manager, CSEW, AAAS

Pamela Asante (nee Pecku) is a project manager in the Center for STEMM Education and Workforce. She supports the Emerging Researchers National (ERN) Conference in STEM and HBCU Making & Innovation Initiative. Before joining AAAS, Pamela gained experience in project management, healthcare accreditation, and STEM workforce development through her time at the American Association of Colleges of Nursing and the American Society for Cell Biology.

Pamela has an M.P.H. in Community & Population Health from the University of Maryland School of Medicine and a B.S. in Community Health from the University of Maryland, College Park.

Niya Ahmed

Project Associate, CSEW, AAAS

Niya Ahmed supports the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) as a Project Associate in the Center for STEMM Education & Workforce (CSEW). She provides logistical and administrative coordination on programs that aim to expand opportunities, access and resources to emerging STEMM students of marginalized identities.

Prior to joining AAAS, Niya fostered a career orchestrating partnership programs between stakeholder entities and under-resourced schools and student groups, nation-wide. Niya leverages her experience in Project & Operations Management as well as her Bachelors in Marketing and Management from the University of Maryland, College Park to further her career efforts.

In her community, Niya co-facilitates DMVBarters, a bartering collective that works to amplify & mobilize community members to bridge the gaps of access for each other, as a practice of mutual aid.

Jeunice Lim

Event Operations Manager, CSEW, AAAS

Jeunice Lim joined AAAS in May of 2022 as the Event Operations Manager. She is responsible for supporting planning and implementation of three major convenings within AAAS’s Center for STEMM Education & Workforce (CSEW) – the Emerging Researchers National (ERN) Conference, IUSE Summit, and Noyce Summit.  Prior to AAAS, she has worked with managing events and meetings for a non-profit organization and a hotel in the D.C. area.  She holds a BS in Business Administration from University of Maryland Global Campus.

Claire Molloy

Project Manager, CSEW, AAAS

Claire Molloy joined AAAS in August of 2022 in the Center for STEMM Education & Workforce (CSEW) of AAAS. She assists on programs that aim to broaden representation in STEM, including the Emerging Research Nationals Conference and the HBCU Making and Innovation Showcase. Claire received Bachelors in Biology and Women’s and Gender Studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2022.