Our Committee Members
"Creating an unrivaled environment of engineering and scientific expertise, collaboration, and opportunity for exceptional people means building a culture of true inclusion and belonging"
Catherine Corrigan, Ph.D.
President and Chief Executive Officer
Contact Catherine"I seek to actively encourage and educate employees about various cultures, including Asian cultures, to foster a more inclusive and welcoming workplace environment. By leveraging my relationships and experiences with the Society of Women Engineers (SWE) and GradSWE, I can provide the advisory committee with the latest updates on opportunities to promote Exponent's presence and attract diverse talent."
Wanqiu Chen, MBA
Senior Associate
Contact Wanqiu"My goals are two-fold: to create a local diversity support network and to team with the committee to broaden communication across the firm on DEI topics to increase transparency."
Ropa Denga, Ph.D.
Senior Scientist
Contact Ropa"On the committee, I wish to be a voice for as many employees as possible and have a specific focus on those in minority groups who have historically not always been made to feel welcome in society. I hope discussions at committee meetings will inspire events and implementation of new initiatives at the office level, and that the resulting events and initiatives encourage DEI and provide employees with knowledge on DEI."
Ellen Dunn
Senior Scientist
Contact Ellen"My main goals in serving on this committee are to participate and contribute to the development of strategies and programs to promote and quantify equity and inclusion and also to share my perspective as a gay Latino on the sense of belonging in the firm environment."
Claudio V B Favero, Ph.D.
Manager
Contact Claudio"I would like to provide a perspective from someone who immigrated to this country, and who has directly experienced the benefits and difficulties of immersing into a different culture, where language, food, and social interactions and expectations are different."
Manuel Garcia-Leiner, Ph.D.
Principal
Contact Manuel"My goal is to help create processes and programs that will bring both education and provide structure in our efforts to minimize bias and create a more welcoming and equitable culture for all candidates and employees. There is so much we can accomplish when we work together!"
Jenny Irwin
Director, Recruiting
"My goal on the committee is to create a culture at Exponent in which DEI is front of mind for all employees, facilitate equal opportunities for employees of all backgrounds, and to strategize on recruiting from universities with students from diverse backgrounds."
Ezra Jampole, Ph.D., P.E.
Principal Engineer
Contact Ezra"At Exponent, we believe in a culture of excellence where every person has the opportunity to fully drive their own career. The only way to optimize this culture is to emphasize equity so that opportunity is shared and to emphasize inclusion so that our people can bring their whole selves to work and reach our benchmark of excellence."
Brian Kundert
Chief Human Resources Officer
Contact Brian"Of the two dozen students I taught at Stanford in the fall quarter, the tremendous diversity among gender, race, nationality, and religious affiliation contributed in an amazing way to the philosophy of inclusion in design learned by the students. I hope to bring my experience with the benefits of diverse groups and teams to the committee."
John Moalli, Sc.D.
Principal
Contact John"At a time when LGBTQ+ rights are increasingly under attack, and as a queer woman, I have experienced the importance of feeling included firsthand. By joining the Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee, I hope to contribute to the ongoing efforts of making our workplace a more diverse and inclusive space."
Therice Morris, Ph.D.
Manager
Contact Therice"Exponent is highly supportive of continuing education and professional certifications."
Melissa Badding, Ph.D., DABT
Senior Managing Scientist
Contact Melissa"The COVID-19 pandemic has served as a stark reminder that the price of marginalization is real and measurable. While the challenges of equity and inclusion that we face at Exponent are distinct from those of underserved communities, I view this committee as an opportunity to help ensure that our firm remains committed to effecting change — both internally and in our communities."
Jessica Vargas, Ph.D.
Principal Scientist
Contact Jessica"My goal is to help continued efforts in developing a diverse workplace within Exponent. Being a woman of color in the tech field, I feel I have a lot of input I can offer. I would like to contribute my opinion and personal experience on what made me feel comfortable working with others without judgment of color, religion, sex, etc."
Shanan Washington
Systems Support Specialist
"I would like to help promote appreciation of cultural differences and offer an insight on overcoming cultural barriers in the work place."
Lijie Yang, Ph.D.
Senior Manager
Contact LijieThe committee's charter is to:
- Offer advice and recommendations regarding diversity, equity and inclusion goals and actions
- Serve as a mechanism for gathering information and feedback on diversity, equity and inclusion topics
- Provide perspective on progress toward goals
- Identify strategies to promote a diversity, equity and inclusion voice in all firm communications
- Share perspective from different genders, affinity groups, levels, roles, ages, offices, and departments/practices
- Support the connectivity between company leadership, employees and employee network groups
- Act as ambassadors of our diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives to employees, clients, candidates, investors, and other stakeholders
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Advisory Committee Alumni
Principal Engineer
Principal
Senior Managing Scientist
Senior Associate