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Steve Kolb
Deon Norals
Deon Norals is the President and CEO of iHealth Innovative Solutions (iHealth), a Health Information Technology organization that provides robust innovative technology solutions to help solve today’s healthcare constraints. iHealth supports customers by delivering innovative and visionary technology solutions to help transform and improve patient care, health information technology and health intelligence. Prior to iHealth, Deon served as Chief Information Officer for Westover Consultants, Inc., which is a management consulting organization.
Mr. Norals is a highly seasoned, results-driven executive with IT-to-business vision, industry leading execution, and a proven successful track record in delivering innovation. His career spans over 25 years of conceiving, designing and implementing Information Technology (IT) solutions, as well as managing IT resources, data center migrations, security operations management, and service desk management both domestically and internationally within various healthcare environments. He is also a creative problem solver who focuses on achieving business goals through the innovative use of technology and directing diverse groups of business and technical minds towards a balance of short- and long-term objectives.
Mr. Norals is focused on building a strong, energetic, passionate, no-nonsense team culture, which will be built on the celebration of success and the transparent discussion of failure. He also has strategic leadership experience in delivering and stretching business goals through the product definition, software design and development and ongoing operations of a visionary and robust technical architectural strategy.
Deon has a proven commitment to innovation at all levels that have helped achieve critical business and IT imperatives to deliver exceptional outcomes across various value chains. He is also experienced with and has prudently applied many business and information technology practices, ranging from Project Management Book of Knowledge (PMBOK), COBIT, ITIL, CPHIMS, and Six Sigma.
Deon also earned his Executive M.B.A. from the prestigious Howard University, a Bachelor of Science degree in Information Technology and Security from Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota, and his Associate of Science degree from Dunwoody College of Technology. He currently serves as the President of National Association Health Services Executive Washington D.C. Chapter. He also serves on various alumni and advisory boards and is an advocate of community service.
Herbert Thompson, Ph.D.
Herbert Thompson, Ph.D., President of KEN Consulting, Inc. has over 40 years of agriculture, 33 years of Statistics, Statistical/Data analysis, application development, program management, SAS and SPSS programming skills. Dr. Thompson has provided innovative statistical analysis, SAS programming, business intelligence services and survey data analysis, to various public and private industries including, CMS (Medicare and Medicaid), Pharmaceutical clinical studies, the
U.S Bureau of the Census, Banks and other large and small private companies.
Dr. Thompson grew up on a farm and studied all facets of agriculture; as a result, he has a wide range of agricultural experiences. Upon graduating from the Jamaica School of Agriculture, Dr. Thompson was offered to a position at his Almeta to be in charge of the school’s small animal division where he assisted in conducting animal sciences laboratories, prepped laboratories prior to lab classes, assisted instructors and assisted students studying animal sciences and animal husbandry. As manager of the small animals’ division he managed all farm labors, inventories and equipment. After teaching for three years, Dr. Thompson applied for a United States Agency for International Development scholarship and was the recipient of one of two scholarships to study agricultural mechanization in the United States. Upon the completion of his studies in the United States Dr, Thompson returned to Jamaica where he helped to establish an agricultural school and formed a department of agricultural mechanization. He then became the chief administrator of the department. While working at this school, Dr. Thompson developed a bio- gas digester that produces methane from farm animals’ waste. He then used the methane gas from the digester to demonstrate how it could be used to power small engines used to operate irrigation pumps for farms and other operations.
Dr. Thompson then returned to the United States to complete his studies earning dual bachelor’s degrees in agricultural education and agricultural technology and later a master’s degree in agricultural engineering from the University of Missouri – Columbia.
For his master’s degree research, Dr. Thompson designed and developed a one of its kind force transducers which he used to measure tillage energy over a wide range of soil types and soil structures. The essence of his research was to assess the effect of soil erosion and the energy required to plow or till the soil. The information gained alerted farmers on the impacts of soil erosion and fuel costs. As a program/project manager, he has the ability to design, collect and put mathematics to scientific use in the form of data comparison, analysis, interpretation and presentation for general public use. In addition, he has proven ability in research and development. He has great ability in using logic and reasoning to identify the strength and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems. Dr. Thompson has vast working knowledge of major statistical technique including decision tree, software packages and the ability to design, identify and execute quality data analytics using relevant tools appropriate techniques and in the interpretation of the statistical results.
Dr. Benita Bell
Dr. Benita Bell received her doctoral degree in nutrition and chemistry from Howard University. Her bachelors and masters degrees are also in chemistry from UNC Chapel Hill and North Carolina A&T State University. Dr. Bell has taught chemistry at Howard University in the School of Allied Health Sciences, North Carolina Central University and Bennett College where she was an Associate Professor of Chemistry and the Director of the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Program. She was awarded a NASA Administrator's Fellowship position where she served as a NASA Fellow in the Office of Biological and Physical Research at NASA Headquarters in Washington, DC. There she developed a pilot clinical research study on soy isoflavones and their role in immunity and heart disease.
Dr. Bell has also had corporate experience working with Johnson and Johnson and Smithkline in the medical and pharmaceutical sales industry. She has received numerous honors and awards, a few of which include the recipient of the Board of Trustees Faculty Teaching Excellence Award and the Division of Higher Education Exemplary Teacher of the Year Award. Dr. Bell is currently working at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center with the Minority University Space Interdisciplinary Network (MUSPIN) in the area of Astrobiology. She is the Co-Director of the Minority Institution Astrobiology Collaborative (MIAC). Her research interests are in the areas of astrobiology, science education and women's health. She joined GESTAR in May 2011.
Joyce Matthews
As a “Native Washingtonian” born in Washington, D.C. and raised in Prince George’s County Maryland, Graduate of Bowie State College/ now Bowie State University. As a Fairfax County Public Schools educator for the past thirty six years, Joyce Matthews has worked tirelessly to ensure that ALL Children become “hands on life-long learners” and access to as many resources and educational experiences that allow students to develop a strong foundation for their successful STEAM Focus Career. These experiences and resources allow students to become a productive citizen in their community and the world!
Joyce Matthews has spent her entire Fairfax County Public Schools career refining and developing her skills as an educator, technology training specialist, technology integration staff developer and currently as an XSTREAM Programs Coordinator ensuring every student takes advantage of all opportunities to be a successful student achiever through their educational experiences with Science, Technology, READING, Engineering, the Arts and Mathematics.
Ms. Matthews has developed the XSTREAM (Exploring, Engaged, Enriched and Enhanced Experiences in Science, Technology, READING, Engineering, the Arts and Mathematics) Program to support student learning, developing skills and knowledge to build a strong foundation for a STEAM career. Joyce believes, “Partnerships Are Powerful!” Connecting with numerous STEAM Focused organizations has provided amazing interactions for students. Introducing students to successful STEAM Professionals through meaningful learning experiences, workshops, conferences and activities, supported by nonprofit STEAM organizations, has truly “Made A Difference” for the students.