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MITRE Employees Win National Women of Color STEM Awards FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: MITRE Contacts: Karina H. Wright Eryn L. Gallagher MCLEAN, Va., November 3, 2009 — The MITRE Corporation is pleased to announce that five employees were recently recognized for their leadership and accomplishments in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) fields at the 14th annual National Women of Color (NWOC) STEM Conference held in Dallas from October 29-31. Deborah Hall-Greene, Ph.D., received a Special Recognition Award for Professional/Community Service; Helene Johnson and Pam Misuraca were named Technology All-Stars; and Asma Abuzaakouk and Chrissy Vu were named Technology Rising Stars. The NWOC STEM Conference champions the accomplishments of minority women working in information technology. The awards program honors innovators who demonstrate excellence in science, engineering, or technology; leadership in their workplaces and communities; outstanding work as role models and mentors; and commitment to recruiting and retaining minorities in the nation's science and technology enterprises, according to sponsor Career Communications Group. "These five individuals demonstrate excellence across the board,” said Lisa Bender, Ph.D., vice president and chief human resources officer at MITRE. "They've each contributed a great deal to MITRE, to their communities, and to their fields. Most importantly, they take time to mentor other women in—or aspiring to enter—STEM careers." Deborah Hall-Greene As a human resources manager at MITRE, Hall-Greene develops and implements strategies, programs, and initiatives in all human resources areas, including organizational effectiveness, employee relations, compensation, performance management, and retention. She ensures that the hiring and staffing needs of two of MITRE's federally funded research and development centers—one that supports the IRS and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the other that supports the Department of Homeland Security—are met. Hall-Greene, who has more than 20 years of experience in human resources, joined MITRE in 2004. She was previously corporate director of human resources at Geo-Centers, Inc., a subsidiary of Science Applications International Corporation. Hall-Greene volunteers as the National Protocol Officer for the Tuskegee Airmen, Inc., and in 2007 was honored with the Tuskegee Airmen of the Year Award for her leadership efforts to gain the Congressional Gold Medal for the African-American aviators in the Army Air Corps during World War II. She helped establish an internship initiative at MITRE to help severely wounded veterans build on their skills and gain valuable work experience. She also provides job coaching to veterans who are helped through Suits for Vets, a program founded by the late Bob Shepherd, a MITRE employee, as a grassroots effort to provide wounded veterans with business attire for job interviews. Hall-Greene is a popular speaker at women's leadership programs and a frequent presenter at various youth events, speaking to students about pursuing careers in science, technology, and math. In August 2009, she received special Congressional recognition for her outstanding community service. She holds a doctorate in adult learning/human resource development from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, a master's degree in organization and human resource development from American University, and undergraduate degrees in industrial psychology and business. Helene Johnson Johnson is a lead information systems engineer with more than 16 years of experience in managing information systems and organizational electronic content. A recognized expert within MITRE in information management solutions related to systems engineering best practices, she specializes in implementing advanced technologies for various government customers. She is currently the deputy lead in the development, installation, and operation of an acquisition system in support of the Intelligence Community. Formerly a senior software analyst with NW Systems, Johnson came to MITRE in 2000. A former high school algebra teacher, Johnson is an engineering mentor for the Oxon Hill High School Science and Technology Program and serves as a science fair judge, among other volunteer activities. She holds a master's degree in information systems management from American University and a bachelor's degree in zoology from Howard University. Pam Misuraca Misuraca is a principal economic/business analyst and group leader and a certified Project Management Professional. She has more than 20 years of experience helping public and private businesses improve business processes and reduce costs. With MITRE since 2006, she specializes in project management, which includes supporting information technology (IT), systems engineering, cybersecurity, and infrastructure projects, with an emphasis on applications development and government systems. She provides full project life-cycle support, ranging from business case analysis and development, to cost-benefit analysis and estimation, to management of project implementation. She is currently leading the development of a Compliance Review Framework for the IT Disaster Recovery Organization, which is part of the IRS. Prior to joining MITRE, Misuraca was an independent consultant in financial applications and integration. Her civic activities include volunteering at local homeless shelters and serving as a mentor through the MITRE Mentorship Program. She holds a master's of business administration from Northeastern University and a bachelor's degree in finance and accounting from Bowie State University. Asma Abuzaakouk A lead organizational change management information systems engineer, Abuzaakouk provides organizational change implementation support to various government agencies—the IRS, the VA, and the Department of Health and Human Services, among others—and facilitates the introduction of these changes into organizations, their leadership, and employees by developing strategies that meet critical needs and respond to shifting challenges. She recently led a cross-functional team of engineers, business analysts, project managers, and organizational change professionals in developing a pilot site readiness plan for the VA's Financial and Logistics Integrated Technology Enterprise (FLITE) Program. FLITE is intended to streamline the systems and business processes of more than 115,000 employees at more than 150 VA medical facilities. Before joining MITRE in 2004, Abuzaakouk was a knowledge management associate with the Global Development Network. Abuzaakouk is an active member of her Columbia Heights, Washington, D.C., neighborhood. She is pursuing a doctorate in industrial/organizational psychology from Capella University through MITRE's Accelerated Graduate Degree Program (AGDP), which provides selected employees one paid day off each week for schoolwork and reimburses students for tuition and books. She holds a master's degree in conflict analysis and information technology from George Mason University and a bachelor's degree in international relations: law and organization from Georgetown University. Chrissy Vu Vu, a senior multi-discipline systems engineer, started her career at MITRE in 1998 as a summer technical intern following her junior year of high school. She continued to work at MITRE during the summers between college semesters and graduate school semesters. Through her work at MITRE, she developed an interest in biomedical and biochemical sciences. When she started at MITRE as a full-time employee in 2007, she served as production manager for a project exploring open source biomedical topics and later worked on a project related to epidemic disease modeling and tracking. She currently provides systems engineering solutions in the area of critical infrastructure protection. Vu has served as an Emergency Medical Technician and is active in her community through her church. She is pursuing an AGDP-supported doctorate in science and technology studies at Virginia Polytechnic and State University. Vu holds a master's degree in biomedical sciences from Eastern Virginia Medical School and a bachelor's degree in chemistry from the University of Virginia. About The MITRE Corporation The MITRE Corporation (www.mitre.org) is a not-for-profit organization that provides systems engineering, research and development, and information technology support to the government. It operates federally funded research and development centers for the Department of Defense, the Federal Aviation Administration, the Internal Revenue Service and Department of Veterans Affairs, and the Department of Homeland Security, with principal locations in Bedford, Mass., and McLean, Va. About the National Women of Color STEM Conference Sponsored by Career Communications Group, Inc., the National Women of Color STEM Conference offers recruitment and networking opportunities and workshops that cover a variety of technical and managerial skill sets. The event also provides opportunities for STEM students and professionals to cultivate career mentoring relationships. Page last updated: November 3, 2009 | Top of page |
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