Gloria is uniquely and highly experienced to lead AAUW through a period of significant and impactful change to meet its mission to advance equity for women and girls. During her tenure, she has led AAUW through strategic planning designed to leverage its strengths in higher education and capitalize on advocacy priorities that increase member and mission impact by aligning its membership affiliates with the overall national mission.  

Among her many unmatched AAUW accomplishments is her 17-year management of AAUW’s highly esteemed fellowships and grants programs—during her tenure awarding more than $70 million in funding to change the lives of women scholars and support equity programs in the U.S. and globally.  

Gloria expanded AAUW’s outreach to girls and women of color across programmatic initiatives fueling women’s economic security such as AAUW STEMEd for Girls and AAUW Money Smart and implemented National Science Foundation and other grants in higher education and STEM. With a strong international development background, she also leads AAUW’s global initiatives and engagement as main representative to the United Nations.   

She is a prominent thought leader on issues ranging from equity for women in higher education and STEM to economic empowerment and the gender pay gap. She has been featured in panels, podcasts, symposia and prominent media outlets such as TIME, USA Today, The Washington Post, the Chronicle of Higher Education, Bloomberg Education, and ABC News. Her leadership has been recognized by the International Alliance of Women, Diverse Issues in Higher Education, Crittenton Services of Greater Washington and She’s the First, among others.   

Prior to joining AAUW, Gloria was the director of Africa education programs at the Institute of International Education (IIE) and managed fellowships programs. She also served as a Peace Corps staff member and volunteer in Africa. She holds a master’s degree in education and human development from the George Washington University, a bachelor’s degree in international affairs from the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University and studied at the American University in Paris.   

Gloria is a passionate advocate for equity for women and girls and is committed to supporting education, opportunity and empowerment for women and girls globally.

Deputy Director of Public Policy at the American Astronomical Society (AAS)

Roohi Dalal is the Deputy Director of Public Policy at the American Astronomical Society. In this role, she advocates for the astronomical sciences community through both legislation and regulation to support the STEM workforce and ensure robust federal support for science. Throughout her academic and policy career, Roohi has been working to broaden participation in STEM and preserve the night sky for everyone to access and enjoy. Roohi has a PhD in Astrophysical Sciences from Princeton University, where she studied dark matter and dark energy using large surveys of galaxies.

Katelyn Wamsted is a nonprofit leader with more than 20 years of experience expanding access to STEM education for girls. As Chief Program Officer at Girlstart, she leads program strategy, evaluation, partnerships, and communications to increase access to high-quality STEM learning opportunities for students in grades 4th–8th. Katelyn oversees the development and delivery of approximately 220 STEM education programs each year, including after-school programs, summer camps, community events, STEM extravaganzas, and conferences that serve more than 22,000 girls and families annually. Katelyn has helped foster a culture where girls feel welcomed, supported, and encouraged to explore STEM. She works closely with her team to create programs and learning environments where girls can ask questions, try new things, build confidence, and discover their potential. Katelyn holds a B.B.A. in Marketing from Texas A&M University.