DePaul alumnae recognized as notable women in STEM. Top Row, left to right: Vanessa Coffman, Yolanda Luna-Mroz, Jamila Parham. Bottom Row, left to right: Sangeeta Shah, Lindsay Zimmerman, Kris Sorich.Crain’s Chicago Business recognized six DePaul alumnae as Notable Women in STEM in 2023. These remarkable women have demonstrated leadership in the Chicago STEM space through mentorship, involvement in professional organizations, and community work. Crain’s profiles:
Vanessa Coffman, Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science, College of Science and Health
Coffman is working to prevent foodborne illness as the Director of the Alliance to Stop Foodborne Illness, collaborating with 18 food companies to establish best practices. She’s providing practical education through her free Food Safety Culture Toolkit and a webinar series co-sponsored by the FDA, resources that have been used by hundreds of professionals around the world.
Yolanda Luna-Mroz, Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education, College of Education
Luna-Mroz is breaking down the barriers for youth entering STEM fields. She oversees programs that focus on STEM and college-prep high school admissions, serving hundreds of economically disadvantaged middle school students in the Chicago area. She’s also innovating the way that admissions, enrollment, and alumni data are managed and protected using technology.
Jamila Parham, Bachelor of Science, College of Computing and Digital Media
As the founder of the Tech Unicorn, Parham is working to uplift and amplify voices from underrepresented communities in tech. Parham has been recognized for breaking stereotypes in her industry, leading impactful discussions, and sharing resources with women in tech. She also created a free cybersecurity workshop for public school students for Cybersecurity Awareness Month.
Sangeeta Shah, Master’s of Science, College of Computing and Digital Media
Shah is maximizing efficiency in business by reorienting teams and integrating real-time AI reference models. As a result, she has reduced deployment cycle time by 75%. As the director of engineering at Clearclover, she sponsored their annual hackathon, which brought many solutions to market.
Lindsay Zimmerman, Bachelor of Science, College of Science and Health
As the vice president of the Bartosch Patient Activation Institute, Zimmerman is connecting patients with better healthcare. She is spearheading research on challenges facing patients, ranging from limited internet access and language barriers to follow-up compliance issues. She has led projects that reduced disparities in care for vulnerable populations and reached over 1,000 women through digital outreach.
Kris Sorich, Bachelor of Science, College of Business
As the senior landscape architect at Chicago’s Department of Transportation, Sorich is enhancing quality of life in Chicago by driving design and construction deliverables for capital improvement projects around the city. She helps create pedestrian and community friendly spaces through her projects and manages the Historic Boulevard Enhancement Program. She also volunteers with the Cook-DuPage County Technical Advisory Committee and Rights of Way as Habitat Working Group.
Jade Walker is a student assistant of media relations and communications in University Communications.