STEM in Action Board Members
Our board includes retired flag officers, nationally recognized educators, senior industry leaders, AI and energy experts, nonprofit strategists, and legal counsel. This diversity of experience reflects STEM in Action’s belief that preparing the next generation of innovators requires collaboration across sectors, disciplines, and communities.
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Vice Admiral John “Jay” Donnelly, U.S. Navy, (Ret.) is formerly corporate vice president of advanced technologies for Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) where he was responsible for coordinating Independent Research and Development (IRAD) priorities and technology development. He retired from this position in July 2020.
Donnelly served 35 years in the United States Navy. A submarine officer by training, his commanding officer assignments included USS Hyman G. Rickover (SSN 709) and USS McKee (AS 41). Selected to flag rank in 2000, he served as Commander, Submarine Group SEVEN in Yokosuka, Japan and Deputy Commander, U.S. Pacific Fleet. His final assignment was as Commander, Submarine Forces, responsible for establishing force-wide strategies on core submarine issues such as force structure, budgetary requirements and manpower. After retiring from the Navy, Donnelly initially served as vice president with the advanced technologies group of Oceaneering International, Inc. before moving to Huntington Ingalls Industries, the nation’s largest shipbuilder.
A native of Groton, Connecticut and a second-generation submarine officer, he was a physics major and distinguished graduate from the U.S. Naval Academy class of 1975. He received a Master of Science degree in Engineering Acoustics from the Naval Postgraduate School and attended MIT Seminar XXI on Foreign Politics, International Relations, and National Interest.
Donnelly lives in Annapolis, Maryland with his wife of 44 years. They have three married children and a daughter-in-law who each became naval officers following college. Jay and his wife are happily accumulating grandchildren.
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Tanya Rankin, a resident of Brandon, Mississippi, serves as Vice President of the C Spire Foundation, where she champions initiatives in STEAM education, digital literacy, and workforce development, all aimed at improving lives through technology. With nearly three decades of expertise in public relations, brand strategy, and event planning for leading technology firms—including C Spire, Affiliated Computer Services, Dataplex, and SunRiver Corporation—Ms. Rankin is recognized for her leadership and commitment to community advancement. A graduate of the University of Southern Mississippi with a B.S. in Marketing Management and international marketing studies at the London School of Economics, she is a member of the Public Relations Association of America and the Southern Public Relations Federation. Her professional excellence has been acknowledged through honors such as PRAM’s Outstanding Professional of the Year and Mississippi Business Journal’s Top 50 Businesswomen. Among her signature achievements are the Mississippi Science Fest, the C3 Jr. coding challenge, and the STEAMposium conference, each fostering innovation and inspiring the next generation of technologists.
After graduating from the University of Southern Mississippi with a B.S. in marketing management and an emphasis in advertising and attending a summer studying international marketing at the London School of Economics, Tanya’s experience includes nearly three decades of public relations, brand strategy, event planning and internal branding for leading technology companies such as C Spire, Affiliated Computer Services (ACS), Dataplex and SunRiver Corporation.Professional associations include the Public Relations Association of America, Mississippi Central Chapter, and the Southern Public Relations Federation. Tanya has been recognized as PRAM’s Outstanding Professional of the Year and as one of Mississippi Business Journal’s Top 50 Businesswomen.
Signature events include the Mississippi Science Fest presented by the C Spire Foundation which includes a week of STEM activities throughout Mississippi such as C3 Jr., a fourth grade coding challenge, and STEAMposium, a tech conference focusing on new technologies including artificial intelligence and machine learning.
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STEM in Action Board Secretary
John Brenke is a strategic executive whose 27-year career has been defined by his ability to drive organizational growth, navigate complexity, and cultivate competitive advantage. Renowned for his mastery of statistical analysis, market assessment, and risk evaluation, Mr. Brenke possesses a unique talent for distilling actionable insights from data and connecting quantitative findings with broader historical and cultural contexts. His visualizations and narratives empower audiences to grasp complex technical issues, while his commitment to mentorship has accelerated the development of emerging leaders. Mr. Brenke’s expertise continues to shape organizations seeking clarity and direction in an ever-evolving landscape.
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Dr. Benjamin Jaffe
Section Manager, Environmental Science, ExxonMobilDr. Benjamin Jaffe is a broadly trained ecologist who develops and implements practical, nature-based solutions to sustainable development challenges, with a focus on terrestrial ecosystems and land restoration. He brings more than a decade of experience across the agriculture and oil & gas sectors, integrating ecology, environmental science, and community engagement to advance responsible environmental stewardship.
As Section Manager for Environmental Science at ExxonMobil, Dr. Jaffe leads teams that design and apply scientific approaches to assess biodiversity, quantify ecological impacts, and inform sustainable operations. His technical work spans projects from measuring chemical volatiles and trophic transfer of chemicals in the environment to developing and validating innovative metrics of biodiversity.
Dr. Jaffe excels at building strategic relationships among industry, academia, government, NGOs, and local communities to address shared environmental and sustainability priorities. He is always open to collaborating on biological, sustainability, and environmental projects and welcomes inquiries from partners who share a commitment to advancing evidence-based environmental stewardship.
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Misty Shaw-Feder, APR, CDME, is a development professional at the R&B Feder Foundation, where she helps advance military history, cultural, and arts initiatives across Mississippi. With more than 20 years of experience as a marketing executive, Misty is skilled in digital strategy, nonprofit management, crisis communications, event planning, and media relations. She holds a Master of Business Administration in Economics from William Carey College and brings a strong business development perspective to her work.
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Dr. Sandra Knight resides in Washington, DC and is an internationally recognized expert in disaster resilience, flood risk management, hydraulic engineering and marine transportation. She is a registered professional engineer in Tennessee and holds a PhD from University of Memphis in Civil Engineering. Recently retired, she now shares her time and expertise serving on honorary advisory committees and in voluntary activities.
After a distinguished federal career, she established her own consulting company, WaterWonks LLC, where she provided strategic direction, policy and technical support to public and private clients. She held a part-time research engineer position at the University of Maryland where she served as interim chair for the Center for Disaster Resilience.
During her federal career, Dr. Knight served as Deputy Associate Administrator for Mitigation, at the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), overseeing flood risk mapping, floodplain management and flood mitigation grants as part of the National Flood Insurance program, the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program, the National Dam Safety Program and other resilience programs. Earlier at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), she led policy and planning for NOAA’s oceanic and atmospheric research portfolio across all the national labs, cooperative programs and research efforts. But for much of her 32-year federal career, she was a research hydraulic engineer and technical research lead for the Engineering Research and Development at the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE-ERDC). While at the USACE she also built and codified a national program for managing USACE’s vast real property assets.
She currently serves as Marine Board Chair for the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine (NASEM), ex-officio member of the Transportation Research Board (NASEM), and member on the White House Ocean Research Advisory Panel (ORAP). She recently completed positions as member of the NASEM US Ocean Decade Committee, as emergency preparedness commissioner for DC Climate Change and Resiliency Commission, as US Commissioner for The World Association for Waterborne Transport Infrastructure (known as PIANC) and as Chair, PIANC Smart Rivers 2025 international conference. She has been an advisor to and still actively participates in the Women’s Aquatic Network.
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Shalaya Morissette is a visionary leader and current Key Account Executive at DNV, a global leader in assurance and risk management. In this role, she leads cross-sector energy strategies to drive innovation, customer success, and equitable access in the clean energy economy.
Previously, Shalaya served as the Vice President of Partnerships & Strategic Initiatives at Walker-Miller Energy Services, where she developed high-impact public-private collaborations, launched national workforce development initiatives, and cultivated multimillion-dollar partnerships to support a more inclusive energy transition. She also served as Chief of the Minority Business and Workforce Division at the U.S. Department of Energy within the Office of Energy Justice and Equity. There, she led the implementation of the Office of Minority Economic Impact legislation, connecting with thousands of small businesses and workforce entities across the country.
Shalaya has more than 13 years of experience spanning Business Administration, Energy, and Engineering. Her career includes roles in utilities, higher education, transportation, and federal government, equipping her with a comprehensive perspective on energy equity, community development, and workforce integration.
She has taught high school engineering with a focus on energy at Dearborn STEM Academy in Boston and held leadership roles in nonprofits such as the Greater Boston Chapter of the American Association of Blacks in Energy (AABE) and New England Women in Energy and the Environment (NEWIEE), where she was the first African American board member. She currently serves on the boards of Browning the Green Space and The Corner Collaborative.
A champion for inclusion, Shalaya is the founder of Chieftess Consulting Group and author of the empowering coloring book Becoming a Chieftess, celebrating extraordinary women leaders. She holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from Georgia Gwinnett College, a Master of Education from Cambridge College, and is completing a second Bachelor of Science in Nuclear Engineering Technology in 2026.
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Vice Admiral Fred Midgette retired from the Coast Guard in 2018 after 36 years of service. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Military Officers Association of America, the U.S. Naval Institute, and as a Senior Advisor with The Chertoff Group.
Notable assignments included Commander of Coast Guard Pacific Area and Defense Forces West, Deputy Commandant for Operations, Commander of the 9 the Coast Guard District, and military advisor to the Secretary of Homeland Security.
A career Cutterman, he served afloat in seven cutters (commanding four) and a Spruance Class Destroyer earning designation as a Coast Guard Cutterman and a Navy Surface Warfare Officer. He was the 14th Gold Ancient Mariner of the Coast Guard. He is the father, son and grandson of Coast Guardsmen.
He served in joint assignments at U.S. Northern Command, the legacy U.S. Customs Service, as Executive Director of The Interdiction Committee in Washington DC, and on the Joint Staff at the Pentagon.
A native of Virginia Beach, Virginia, he holds a B.S. in Civil Engineering from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, a M.S. in Management from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and a M.A. in National Security and Strategic Studies from the U.S. Naval War College.
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Dr. Nashlie Sephus is a pioneering force in artificial intelligence and community empowerment, serving as Principal AI/ML Evangelist for Amazon AI, where she leads efforts to ensure fairness in machine learning systems. Previously, as Chief Technology Officer of the acclaimed startup Partpic—acquired by Amazon—Dr. Sephus spearheaded the development of visual search technology now integral to the Amazon Shopping app. A native of Jackson, Mississippi, she earned her Ph.D. in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Georgia Tech and her B.S. from Mississippi State University, with research spanning digital signal processing and machine learning. Dr. Sephus is the founder and CEO of The Bean Path, a nonprofit dedicated to bridging the digital divide through free technical consulting, youth coding workshops, and the ambitious Jackson Tech District project. Her influence extends across academic, entrepreneurial, and nonprofit spheres, where she is celebrated as a mentor, advisor, and advocate.
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STEM in Action Board Counsel
Mr. Flottman is an accomplished attorney with a 25-year career advising government contractors in the defense and healthcare sectors. Renowned for his expertise in federal contracts, compliance, investigations, and restructuring, he possesses a deep command of the Federal Acquisition Regulations, Cost Accounting Standards, and the operational nuances of both Navy and industrial environments. A graduate of Vanderbilt University Law School and licensed in Mississippi, Mr. Flottman has successfully led major contract appeals, national bankruptcy practices, and federal fraud prosecutions. Beyond his professional achievements, he serves as pro bono general counsel and board member for nonprofit organizations dedicated to international development and energy transition, reflecting his unwavering commitment to public service and ethical leadership.
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Lieutenant Colonel (Retired) Robert Franklin Barrow is a career Army officer and veteran educator with extensive experience in leadership development, JROTC program management, and workforce readiness. A native of Mobile, Alabama, he was commissioned in Air Defense Artillery after earning a Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice from the University of South Alabama. He holds advanced degrees in Administration of Justice (Webster University), Liberal Arts (Spring Hill College), and Teaching (Grand Canyon University), and is a graduate of the Army Command and General Staff College and the Armed Forces Staff College.
During his military career, LTC Barrow served in key command and operational assignments including the 32d Army Air Defense Command in Germany, the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, and Headquarters Allied Forces Central Europe. Following his retirement from active duty in 2002, he transitioned to education as a Senior Army Instructor for JROTC in Mobile, Alabama, where he spent over a decade developing student leaders.
He later served as Director of Army Instruction for Mobile County Public Schools, overseeing all JROTC programs and advancing leadership and citizenship education across the district. After retiring from public education in 2025, LTC Barrow continues to support JROTC and youth development initiatives as a consultant focused on integrating STEM and workforce pathways.
His military awards include the Legion of Merit, Defense Meritorious Service Medal, multiple Meritorious Service Medals, and numerous joint and service commendations. He is also a Master Parachutist and recipient of several international parachutist badges.