Plenary speakers
Chevelle Newsome
Chevelle Newsome
Council of Graduate Schools
Dr. Chevelle Newsome became the seventh president of the Council of Graduate Schools (CGS) in 2025, leading one of the nation’s most influential organizations in advancing graduate education. She represents 443 U.S. and Canadian institutions, 24 international members, and programs awarding over 563,000 master’s and 65,000 doctoral degrees annually. Guided by three imperatives, Excellence First, Graduate Education at the National Table, and Student-Centered Success, she champions innovation, academic success, and institutional excellence. Previously, as Dean of Graduate and Undergraduate Studies at California State University, Sacramento, she oversaw curriculum development, expanded doctoral education, and aligned learning outcomes with career success.
Karen Marrongelle
Karen Marrongelle
University of Colorado Denver
Karen Marrongelle, Ph.D., is the Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs and a Professor of Mathematics. As Provost, she provides leadership for academic planning and research advancement, working in collaboration with the deans of CU Denver’s schools and colleges to ensure academic excellence, promote robust student outcomes, and support CU Denver’s mission as a leading public urban research university.
Prior to her appointment as Provost, Karen was the Chief Science Officer and Chief Operating Officer at the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF), where she oversaw scientific direction and operations of the federal agency whose mission includes support for all fields of fundamental science and engineering. She also served as Assistant Director of the NSF for Education and Human Resources (EHR), supporting research that enhances learning and teaching to achieve excellence in U.S. science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education.
Prior to joining NSF, Karen was Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at Portland State University and a Professor of Mathematics and Statistics. At Portland State, she oversaw departments and programs across the humanities, social sciences and natural sciences. She also held positions as the Vice Chancellor for Academic Strategies and as Assistant Vice Chancellor for Academic Standards and Collaboration with the Oregon University System. From 2007-09, Karen researched undergraduate mathematics learning and teaching. She served on a rotation as a program officer at NSF and led numerous grants, collaborating with researchers nationally and internationally to improve undergraduate mathematics education and K-12 mathematics professional development.
Karen has a bachelor’s degree in mathematics and philosophy from Albright College, a master’s degree in mathematics from Lehigh University, and a doctorate in mathematics education from the University of New Hampshire.
Barrie Robison
Barrie Robison
Research Faculty, Institute for Health in the Human Ecosystem, Office of Research and Economic Development, University of Idaho
Dr. Barrie Robison is the Director of the Institute for Interdisciplinary Data Sciences (IIDS), where he leads a staff of 20 very talented data scientists, programmers, bioinformaticians, molecular biologists, and administrative professionals. Together, they provide researchers with high performance computing hardware, full project life cycle data services, and custom genomics and bioinformatics.
Dr. Robison is also a Professor of Biological Sciences. His current research interests are related to creating biology based video games that use models of evolution and ecology as core game mechanics. This work is performed in Polymorphic Games, an experimental game studio housed at the University of Idaho.
Aaron Thomas
Aaron Thomas
Director, Indigenous Research and STEM Education Center (IRSEC)
Dr. Thomas works closely with Native undergraduate and graduate students while establishing relationships with the tribal colleges and reservation communities in working towards better Native STEM education and STEM research collaborations. He has established the Montana American Indians in Math and Science Program (MT AIMS), and is the primary PI for the NSF INCLUDES Award for the CIRCLES Alliance which focuses on Native STEM Education in collaboration with 5 other EPSCoR jurisdictions, and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Direct Change award focusing on Native STEM education within UM.