Dr. Deborah Kaminski
Principle Investigator
Professor, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Dr. Deborah Kaminski is a Professor of Engineering in the Department of Mechanical Aerospace and Nuclear Engineering. Dr. Kaminski has had a long career teaching at Rensselaer and was honored with the Excellence in Teaching Award in 2006. Having researched the changing face of faculty under the tenure of President Shirley Jackson, Dr. Kaminski has had the opportunity to closely monitor women’s advancement at the institute. In addition to many service and advisory responsibilities, she co-authored with Dr. Cheryl Geisler the “13+ Club” article on advancement at Rensselaer.

Dr. Robert E. Palazzo
Co-Investigator
Provost, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Formally head of the Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies (CBIS) which opened in 2004, Dr. Palazzo is committed to innovation and growth throughout the Institute. He has been a strong advocate of the TechValleyConnect program from the beginning, working continuously on Work-Life initiatives to support faculty families. Dr. Palazzo joined Rensselaer in 2002 and currently serves as the Provost, as Professor of Biology, and as a research scientist for the Wadsworth Center with the New York State Department of Health. His previous experience includes a year as a visiting professor at Harvard University Medical School and ten years in a variety of roles with the University of Kansas. Among the roles he held in Kansas were Chair of the Department of Physiology and Cell Biology and Professor for the Department of Molecular Biosciences. Prior to his work in Kansas, Palazzo spent three years as an assistant scientist/principal investigator for the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, Massachusetts. He also spent a year as a research associate and completed a three-year post doctorate in the University of Virginia’s biology department.

Angela Doyle McNerney
Director

Angela McNerney runs the NSF Advance program, RAMP-Up! at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. This initiative is designed to help women faculty advance through their professional ranks. McNerney is an Adjunct Professor teaching Writing in Marketing & Promotion at Rensselaer, along with overseeing the TechValleyConnect and the ADVANCE grant. Her background is in public relations and she has worked as a freelance writer for over a decade. As Program Director, she manages the TechValleyConnect pilot program by creating the consortium of PhD-hiring employers and overseeing the implementation of the pilot as well as planning the anticipated transition to an autonomous entity after post pilot-phase.

Julie Hansen
Coordinator

Julie Hansen works to coordinate the spouse/partner of PhD hires with informational interviews within their field of expertise establishing a powerful network of professional ties to the region. Hansen will also conduct comprehensive intakes of the PhD hire’s family, assessing individualized needs for both the couple and possible children to help build personal ties to the area. This information will enable Julie to seek out the appropriate contacts for the family and help build bridges to ease the transition of relocating. Hansen has a strong background in Human Resources working at Siena College for 10 years and then at Turner Construction for the past three years. She brings with her a wealth of information about the region as well as a network of contacts she may tap to help build portfolios for the individual families.