2019 WISE Forum Brings Female Perspectives to STEM Fields
The Da Vinci Science Center will host a free panel discussion on Monday, April 1, at DeSales University, Center Valley, Pa., as part of the 2019 Women in Science and Engineering (WISE) Forum presented by Sanofi Pasteur. Distinguished female leaders in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) will discuss different perspectives women bring to these industries and challenges they face when pursuing a career in male-dominated fields.
The public is invited to attend the free panel discussion scheduled to start at 7:30 p.m. in the Main Dining Room of University Center. After opening remarks, panelists will each offer comments before inviting the audience members to ask questions. Doors to the venue will open at 7 p.m.; Parking is available in the lot in front of the building.
For more information, contact Sharon Alexander, CFRE, Campaign Manager, 484-664-1002, Ext. 125.
Jean Keeler, President & CEO of Grand View Health, will moderate the panel. Distinguished professionals scheduled to participate include:
- Eileen Cipriani, Deputy Secretary for Workforce Development for PA Department of Labor & Industry
- Tamala Mallett Moore, MD, MBA, ABFP, Sr. Director Global Pharmacovigilance for Sanofi Pasteur
- Michele McGrath, Director, Global Engineering & Manufacturing for Air Products
Eileen Cipriani
Eileen Cipriani is deputy secretary for workforce development at the Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry. In her role, she oversees the commonwealth workforce system, which includes 23 local workforce areas. She is also responsible for the Center for Workforce Information and Analysis, the Office for Labor Market Information, the PA State Workforce Development Board, and the commonwealth’s newly established Apprenticeship Training Office.
Eileen was instrumental in the planning, drafting and, implementation of Pennsylvania’s first comprehensive state plan under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act. She served as agency facilitator for the stakeholder performance and accountability work group; among her many responsibilities associated with the plan development and implementation.
In her current role, she oversees the implementation of WIOA as the many changes are executed statewide. She coordinates the departments’ interagency projects that are an effort to facilitate collaboration and reduce duplication in workforce service delivery. Under her leadership the newly created Office of Apprenticeship and Training has greatly expanded, not only the number of apprentices statewide, but the diversity of occupations. She has been instrumental in interagency projects, such as the Next Generation Sector Strategy model to significantly improve the way in which state government addresses business needs and efforts to share interagency resources and data.
In addition to her work as deputy secretary, she is also a member of the STEM Advisory Committee, TEAM PA, the PA Interagency Health Equity Team, PA Assistive Technology Council, Aging Council Workforce Workgroup and the Environmental Quality Board.
Prior to her deputy secretary appointment, Eileen was acting director for the State Workers Insurance Fund (SWIF) in Scranton where she was responsible for the management and day-to-day activity of SWIF staff and programs in eight district offices.
She has a Bachelor of Science from Bloomsburg University and a master’s in organizational management from Misericordia University. Eileen lives in West Wyoming, Pa., with her husband. They have two grown children.
Jean Keeler
Jean Keeler was named President and Chief Executive Officer of Grand View Hospital in December 2012, after serving as Senior Vice President and General Counsel for three years and Vice President/ General Counsel since 1996. Under Jean’s leadership, Grand View Hospital was renamed Grand View Health in 2014 to reflect the evolving nature of healthcare delivery in the 21st Century.
Today, Jean leads Grand View Health toward the future, by adding new surgical specialties, outpatient sites and urgent care centers, as well as keeping a finger on the pulse of political issues affecting healthcare. Her involvement in the community and collaboration with industry leaders has helped to drive best practices for the network. Grand View Health is a nationally ranked health network with a 176-bed main hospital and four specialized outpatient centers serving Upper Bucks and Montgomery counties in Pennsylvania.
Jean serves on the Board of Directors for the Bucks County Health Improvement Project (BCHIP), which serves our most vulnerable community members by offering medical care to those who cannot afford to pay. Jean has also led the way in changing the way care is delivered through a greater emphasis on outpatient care, population health and the use of technology. Jean is currently serving on the Heroin Task Force chaired by Judge Rea B. Boylan of the Bucks County Court.
Jean holds a law degree from Villanova University School of Law and a B.S. in biology from DeSales University. She provides leadership and direction to Gwynedd Mercy University in Montgomeryville, Pa, by serving on the university’s Board of Directors, and she has presented lectures on Healthcare Law for the Bucks County Bar Association, DeSales University, and Holy Family University.
Tamala Mallett Moore
Tamala Mallett Moore is Senior Director/Therapeutic Area Head of Global Pharmacovigilance at Sanofi Pasteur, the Vaccines Global Business Unit of Sanofi. Her current responsibilities include strategic planning of global and domestic operations in pharmacovigilance, working with boards, steering committees and working groups internally and externally. She is passionate about maternal and infant health, vaccines and education.
Tamala’s prior experience spans more than 20 years practicing medicine in public and private health setting and working in the pharmaceutical industry, including positions at Perrigo, Cephalon, Bristol-Myers Squibb and Purdue Pharma. Her experience spans across adult and pediatric vaccines, Pharma, veterinary health, consumer brands and medical devices across multiple therapeutic areas with additional expertise in emerging models in healthcare and government and its broad impact on industry.
Tamala holds a Bachelors degree in biology at Mississippi Valley State University, a medical degree from Wright State University of Dayton, Ohio, and Residency in Family Practice completed at the Detroit Medical Center in cooperation with Wayne State University, MBA in Pharmaceutical Marketing at Saint Joseph’s University Haub School of Business in Philadelphia, Pa.
Tamala resides in Bucks County, Pa., with her husband of 16 years, Curtiss Moore and their 11-year-old daughter, Alessandra. Tamala and her family enjoy traveling, cooking and music.
Michele McGrath
Michele McGrath is currently a Director in the Global Engineering and Manufacturing Group at Air Products. After graduating from Manhattan College in 1986 with a degree in chemical engineering, she joined Air Products as a participant in the Career Development Program. She began her career as a project engineer where she managed the engineering, construction, and start up of Air Separation facilities in North America, Mexico and Indonesia.
Michele later moved to operations where she held various roles over 20 years including, Line Management for Plant Operations and Distribution, Operations Manager, Mexico and Latin America, and Director of Global Plant Process Engineering. In her most recent operations role she was responsible for supporting the resolution of process technical issues at operating facilities and improving the productivity of assets in the areas of process efficiency and advanced controls and operability.
Michele returned to engineering as the Director of Integrated Gases North America where she and her team were responsible for the development of competitive bid offerings, design, project execution and start-up of large ASU facilities. She was most recently in the role of Director of Engineering for North America.
Michele serves as a LIN Ambassador and as the Operations and Engineering liaison for the Air Products Career Development Program. She enjoys sharing her STEM experiences with students and mentoring young engineers.
Michele was born in Long Island City, N.Y. She received a bachelors degree in chemical engineering from Manhattan College and a Masters of Business Administration from Lehigh University. Michele serves on the Board of Governors for St. Luke’s Hospital, Allentown, on the Board of Advisers at Manhattan College, and as the treasurer of the Angel Network for Emmaus High School. Outside of work Michele enjoys traveling, hiking, boating and spending time with her family; husband Ken and three children.
Now in its fifth year, the WISE Forum exposes female high school and college students to strong role models who have pursued STEM leadership opportunities in different industries and inspires students to expand their career aspirations. This event offers female students the unique opportunity to network with leading female STEM professionals before and during a mentoring dinner event and to take part in the public panel with accomplished guests.
The title sponsors of the 2018-19 WISE Initiative are Sanofi Pasteur and the Institute of Museum and Library Services. Additional sponsors of the full year of activities are: B.Braun, ATAS International, Inc., The Dexter & Dorothy Baker Foundation, Lutron, MRC and Dream Team, Air Products, DeSales University, Lafayette College, and C.F. Martin & Co., Inc. Sponsors of the 2019 WISE Forum include: Bosch Rexroth, Carpenter Technology, Cedar Crest College, Computer Aid, Inc., Evonik Industries, Girl Scouts of Eastern Pa., H.T. Lyons, Inc., Intertek Chemicals & Materials Allentown, Just Born Quality Confections, Langan Engineering, Lehigh Valley Health Network, PPL, QuVA Pharma, and Thermo Fisher Scientific.
In addition to the WISE Forum, the Da Vinci Science Center hosts a variety of programs and events throughout the year for students and the WISE Network of STEM professionals.
Recently, the WISE initiative garnered national attention and federal funding through the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). With the support of a two-year grant from IMLS, the Da Vinci Science Center is partnering with area colleges and universities and community organizations, like the Girl Scouts of Eastern Pa., to identify how to best serve aspiring and practicing female STEM professionals and develop programs that address the needs of area women and girls. The goal is to enhance the STEM learning and support ecosystem for women and girls in the Lehigh Valley and surrounding communities in eastern Pennsylvania.
