The Team
Meet the Staff
Interested in making a difference in the lives of Black girls? Passionate about STEM and workforce equity? BGDSTEM may be the place for you. Join our group of incredible educators and mentors today.
Cynthia Chapple
Founder and Executive Director
Cynthia is an innovative scientist, advocate for black girls and women, and a champion of equity. She therefore founded this organization offering exploration of STEM career pathways through the hands-on engaging curriculum in the areas of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics to middle and high school black girls to expose them to career pathways and empower them to become STEM professionals. She looks for ways in which she can act as a conduit exposing young black girls to STEM industries and a diversity, equity, and inclusion voice within the STEM workforce space to create welcoming policies, practices, and cultures for Black people and women to thrive. As a founder, she sets strategic focus, foundational policies, practices and culture around the program design and student experience for Black Girls Do STEM. Cynthia’s superpower is leveraging her expertise and power to dream on behalf of Black liberation.
Dr. Kimberly Townsend
Program Director
Dr. Kimberly Townsend is the Program Director at Black Girls Do STEM. Throughout her 20+ year career in public and private schools, she has held various leadership and entrepreneurial roles. She has a track record of developing new programs and initiatives, and leading teams to achieve programmatic goals. She identifies as a teacher, leader and constant learner always seeking to improve upon her practice and to develop those around her. Kimberly believes that Black girls, at all levels, deserve fun, creative, challenging and stimulating learning experiences, and systems that support the growth and development of all types of learners.
Dr. Samniqueka Halsey
Program Coordinator
Dr. Samniqueka Halsey grew up in Detroit, Michigan, as the fourth of eight siblings, where her curiosity about how the world worked took root early. That curiosity led her to earn a bachelor’s degree from Northeastern Illinois University, a master’s degree from Chicago State University, a Ph.D. from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, and an MBA. Together, these experiences shaped her ability to bridge science, education, leadership, and community impact.
As a scientist and ecologist, Dr. Halsey’s work has spanned field research, data analysis, classrooms, and community programs, reinforcing her belief that science is a powerful tool for empowerment. Through her leadership at Black Girls Do STEM, she channels this passion into inspiring Black girls to see themselves as scientists, engineers, and innovators, emphasizing that science is not just something you study, but a way to engage with and shape the world around you.
Dr. Oren McClain
Mechanical Engineering, Education & Business
Program Facilitator:
Lauren Pickett
Sociology
Program Facilitator
Jasmine Edinburgh
Chemical Engineering
Program Facilitator
Dalia Harris
Clinical Biology
Program Facilitator
Addi Nunnelly
Sociology, Social Medicine & Gender Studies
Program Facilitator
Antoinette Harlan
Chemistry and Clinical Research
Program Facilitator
Sentrae Davis
IT Government Contracts
Program Facilitator
Jillian Pritchard
Chemistry
Program Facilitator
Interested in joining Black Girls Do STEM?
By creating a culturally unique learning space, we give room for cognitive and mental resilience lending to development of a STEM mindset and belief in their STEM capabilities while placing positive role models who look like them right in their path.
Believe in our mission? Want to join our team?
