President: Shanna Lavalle
Current Position: Variant Scientist II, Labcorp Invitae
Training: BS Biology, California State University Long Beach, 2013; PhD Biomedical Sciences, UC San Diego, 2021; Postdoc in Genetics and Genomics, Salk Institute for Biological Studies, 2021-2026
Additional AWIS involvement: Academia to Industry (A2I), Co-Chair, 2020-2022; AWIS-National Strategic Planning Task Force, 2022-2023; Member-at-Large, 2023-2024; AWIS-National Chapter Advisory Committee 2023-Present; Treasurer 2024-2025
Vice President: Mairead Solano
Current Position: Quality Assurance & Training Specialist, Guardant Health
Training: BS Biology, Hawaii Pacific University, 2013; M.Ed. Curriculum & Instruction, University of San Diego, 2018
Additional AWIS involvement: Events Committee, WIST Conference 2025
Treasurer: Kiki Spaulding
Current Position: Graduate Student, Lab of Dr. Louise Laurent, Sanford Consortium for Regenerative Medicine
Training: BA Music, Jazz, and the African Diaspora with Minor International Studies, University of California, 2010; Post Baccalaureate Pre-Health Professions, San Francisco State University, 2014; MS Cell and Molecular Biology, San Francisco State University, 2017; PhD Student Bioinformatics and Systems Biology, University of California
Additional AWIS involvement: Academia to Industry (A2I) Committee, Co-Chair
Secretary: Ivy Tam
Current Position: Research Assistant/Lab Manager, Ramanan Lab, Salk Institute
Training: BS Microbiology, UCSD 2023; MS Biology, UCSD 2024
Additional AWIS involvement: Co-Chair of Public Relations
Member at Large: Kerstin Kersteiger
Current Position: CEO, Executive Coach
Training: MS Chemistry, University of Vienna, Austria; PhD Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Seville, Spain
Additional AWIS involvement: Corporate Sponsorship Member 2012-13, Corporate Sponsorship Co-Chair 2014-15, Open House Co-Chair 2014, Board Member-at-Large 2016-2017
Member at Large: Daniela Requena
Current Position: Associate Research III, iXCells Biotechnology
Training: BS/MS Biochemistry with Minor in Neuroscience, Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Valparaiso, Chile
Additional AWIS involvement: Corporate Sponsorship Committee Co-Chair
Member at Large: Federica Klaus
Current Position: Assistant Project Scientist, Dept. of Psychiatry, UC San Diego
Training: MD, University of Zurich, Switzerland, 2011; PhD Dept. Neurosciences, University of Zurich, 2015, Residency Psychiatric University Hospital Zurich; Postdoc, Department of Psychiatry, UC San Diego 2019-2021
Additional AWIS involvement: A2I Coffee Club Committee member 2023/2024