Mentors

Mentoring is key to success in the academy. VISION Faculty Fellows engage in a multi-mentor model that includes mentors external to their home institutions. Members of the VISION Advisory Panel play a key role in mentoring VISION Faculty Fellows to provide feedback and champion the advancement of their careers.

Mentors from VISION Advisory Panel

 

Profile picture of Dr. Ann Quiroz Gates, Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs at The University of Texas at El Paso.

Ann Quiroz Gates, Ph.D. | Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs, The University of Texas at El Paso

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  • Dr. Ann Quiroz Gates holds the AT&T Distinguished Professorship and is the Vice Provost at the University of Texas at El Paso. Gates is the past Chair of the Computer Science Department (2005-2008 and 2012-2020) and Associate VP of Research and Sponsored Projects (2008-2012). She is the Executive Director of the Computing Alliance for Hispanic-Serving Institutions (CAHSI), one of NSF’s eight National INCLUDES Alliances that promote the importance of inclusion and equity in advancing innovation and discovery. Gates directs the NSF-funded CyberShARE Center of Excellence that advances interdisciplinary education and research. She was a founding member of the NSF Advisory Committee for Cyberinfrastructure and served on the Board of Governors of IEEE-Computer Society 2004-2009. Gates was a member of the Naval Research Advisory Committee (2016-2018), AAAS Board appointed Committee on Opportunities in Science (2014-2017), and past member of the Computer Science Accreditation Board (2011-2013). Gates received the 2015 Great Minds in STEM's Education award,the CRA’s 2015 A. Nico Habermann Award, the 2010 Anita Borg Institute Social Impact Award, and the 2009 Richard A. Tapia Achievement Award for Scientific Scholarship, Civic Science, and Diversifying Computing. She was named to Hispanic Business magazine’s 100 Influential Hispanics in 2006 for her work on the Affinity Research Group model. 

 

 

Profile picture of Dr. Juan Gilbert, Andrew Banks Family Preeminence Endowed Professor and Chair of the Computer and Information Science and Engineering Department at the University of Florida.

Juan Gilbert, Ph.D. | Andrew Banks Family Preeminence Endowed Professor and Chair of the Computer and Information Science and Engineering Department, University of Florida

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  • Dr. Juan E. Gilbert is the Andrew Banks Family Preeminence Endowed Professor and Chair of the Computer & Information Science & Engineering Department at the University of Florida where he leads the Human Experience Research Lab. Dr. Gilbert has research projects in election security/usability/accessibility, advanced learning technologies, usability and accessibility, Brain-Computer Interfaces (BCI), Human-Centered AI/machine learning and Ethnocomputing (Culturally Relevant Computing). He has published more than 250 articles, given more than 250 talks and obtained more than $28 million dollars in research funding. He is an ACM Fellow, a Fellow of the American Association of the Advancement of Science and a Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors. In 2012, Dr. Gilbert received the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics, and Engineering Mentoring from President Barack Obama. He also received the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) 2014 Mentor Award. He received the 2021 ACM SIGCHI Social Impact Award. Dr. Gilbert received the 2018 Computer Research Association's A. Nico Habermann Award. He was also named a 2015-2106 AAAS-Lemelson Invention Ambassador, Speech Technology Luminary by Speech Technology Magazine and a national role model by Minority Access Inc. Dr. Gilbert is also a National Associate of the National Research Council of the National Academies. Dr. Gilbert was named a Master of Innovation by Black Enterprise Magazine, a Modern-Day Technology Leader by the Black Engineer of the Year Award Conference, the Pioneer of the Year by the National Society of Black Engineers and he received the Black Data Processing Association (BDPA) Epsilon Award for Outstanding Technical Contribution. In 2002, Dr. Gilbert was named one of the nation's top African-American Scholars by Diverse Issues in Higher Education. In 2013, the Black Graduate and Professional Student Association at Auburn University named their Distinguished Lecture Series in honor of Dr. Gilbert. Dr. Gilbert has testified before Congress on the Bipartisan Electronic Voting Reform Act of 2008 and the U.S. House Committee on Administration for the “2020 Election Security – Perspectives from Voting System Vendors and Experts” In 2006, Dr. Gilbert was honored with a mural painting in New York City by City Year New York, a non-profit organization that unites a diverse group of 17 to 24 year-old young people for a year of full-time, rigorous community service, leadership development, and civic engagement.

 

 

Profile picture of Dr. Dawit haile, Dean of the College of Engineering and Technology at Virginia State University.

Dawit Haile, Ph.D. | Dean of the College of Engineering and Technology, Virginia State University

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  • Dawit Haile is a professor of Computer Science and Mathematics and currently serving as a Dean for the College of Engineering and Technology and Interim Dean for the College of Natural and Health Sciences at Virginia State University. Dr. Haile earned a Ph.D. in Applied Mathematics from Southern Illinois University, a master's degree in Computer Science from Virginia Commonwealth University, and a master’s degree in Mathematics from Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia. He currently resides in Chester, Virginia with his wife and two children.

 

 

Profile picture of Dr. Tasha R. Inniss, Associate Provost for Research at Spelman College.

Tasha R. Inniss, Ph.D. | Associate Provost for Research, Spelman College

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  • Dr. Tasha R. Inniss currently is the Associate Provost for Research at Spelman College, a liberal arts, Historically Black College for women of African descent. In this role, she leads the Office of Research, Innovation, and Collaboration (ORIC).  Dr. Inniss provides leadership and strategic direction for all activities related to individual or interdisciplinary research, creative pursuits, collaborative partnerships, and programmatic initiatives for undergraduate research. Prior to returning to Spelman, she was the inaugural Director of Education and Industry Outreach at INFORMS, the world’s largest professional society for professionals in the fields of operations research, management science, and analytics. Dr. Inniss also did a rotation at the National Science Foundation in the Directorate of Education and Human Resources where she served as the Acting Deputy Division Director of the Division of Human Resource Development and before that, as the co-lead of the Louis Stokes Alliances for Minority Participation (LSAMP) Program.
     

    Originally from New Orleans, Dr. Inniss graduated summa cum laude from Xavier University of Louisiana with a Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics. She earned a Master of Science degree in Applied Mathematics from the Georgia Institute of Technology and a Ph.D. in Applied Mathematics from the University of Maryland, College Park. As an applied mathematician, her research interests are in the areas of operations research, applied statistics, and data science. Dr. Inniss is a member of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine’s Board on Higher Education and Workforce. She is also a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated, a national organization committed to service and social justice.