Julie Cwikla, PhD
CEO of STEM in Action
T.W. Bennett Distinguished Professor
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STEM in Action Board Members

STEM in Action’s Board of Directors exemplifies the diversity and scope of our programs, bringing together leaders from every corner of the STEM community. Our board features flag officers, accomplished scientists, skilled engineers, dedicated educators, and public relations experts, each contributing unique perspectives and expertise. This collective knowledge grounds our strategy in real-world experience and a shared passion for advancing education, driving our mission to empower the next generation of innovators and leaders.

  • Vice Admiral John “Jay” Donnelly, U.S. Navy, (Ret.) is formerly corporate vice president of advanced technologies for Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) where he was responsible for coordinating Independent Research and Development (IRAD) priorities and technology development.  He retired from this position in July 2020.

    Donnelly served 35 years in the United States Navy.  A submarine officer by training, his commanding officer assignments included USS Hyman G. Rickover (SSN 709) and USS McKee (AS 41).  Selected to flag rank in 2000, he served as Commander, Submarine Group SEVEN in Yokosuka, Japan and Deputy Commander, U.S. Pacific Fleet.  His final assignment was as Commander, Submarine Forces, responsible for establishing force-wide strategies on core submarine issues such as force structure, budgetary requirements and manpower.  After retiring from the Navy, Donnelly initially served as vice president with the advanced technologies group of Oceaneering International, Inc. before moving to Huntington Ingalls Industries, the nation’s largest shipbuilder.

    A native of Groton, Connecticut and a second-generation submarine officer, he was a physics major and distinguished graduate from the U.S. Naval Academy class of 1975. He received a Master of Science degree in Engineering Acoustics from the Naval Postgraduate School and attended MIT Seminar XXI on Foreign Politics, International Relations, and National Interest.

    Donnelly lives in Annapolis, Maryland with his wife of 44 years.  They have three married children and a daughter-in-law who each became naval officers following college.  Jay and his wife are happily accumulating grandchildren.

  • PR Operations Manager at C Spire

  • STEM in Action Board Secretary

    Strategy executive with 27 years of experience driving growth, navigating complexity, and building competitive advantage. Experienced in performing statistical analyses, testing management assumptions, and building simulations to support decision-making. Recognized for impactful assessments of markets, customers, competitors, and risk; proven ability to separate the consequential & actionable from the inconsequential & impractical. Unique capacity to connect quantitative insights with historical and cultural perspectives. Excels at producing compelling graphics and narratives that enable diverse audiences to understand complex, technical issues. Proven ability to coach subordinates, creating contexts where they can accelerate development of complex skills.

  • Co-Founder of the JROTC STEM Leadership Academy (est 2015)

    Born in Wiesbaden, Germany, in 1958 and raised in Mobile, Alabama, Lieutenant Colonel Barrow graduated from Shaw High School in 1975 and the University of South Alabama in 1979. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Criminal Justice and was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in Air Defense Artillery.

    Lieutenant Colonel Barrow earned a Master’s Degree in Administration of Justice from Webster University, St. Louis, Missouri, in 1984. In addition, he completed a Master’s Degree in Liberal Arts from Spring Hill College in 2008. He also completed a Master of Arts in Teaching Degree in 2011 from Grand Canyon University. He is a graduate of the Army Command and General Staff College, and the Armed Forces Staff College Joint and Combined Staff Officer School.

    Over the course of his career, Lieutenant Colonel Barrow’s tours of duty have included command and operations assignments in various commands. His duty assignments include the 32d Army Air Defense Command in the Federal Republic of Germany, the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, and Headquarters Allied Forces Central Europe, Ramstein Air Base, Germany. Lieutenant Colonel Barrow retired from the Army on 1 January 2002 and immediately assumed duties as the Senior Army Instructor for the Junior ROTC program at LeFlore High School in Mobile, Alabama. After teaching in the classroom for eleven years, he was selected as the Director of Army Instruction responsible for supervising all JROTC programs in the Mobile County Public School System. He retired in August 2025 and now serves as consultant for JROTC integration in STEM and Workforce Development.

    Decorations awarded to Lieutenant Colonel Barrow include the Legion of Merit, Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Meritorious Service Medal w/3 Oak Leaf Clusters (OLC), Joint Service Commendation Medal, Army Commendation Medal (w/3 OLC), Air Force Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal (w/4 OLC), Joint Meritorious Unit Award, Air Force Organizational Excellence Award, National Defense Service Medal (w/Service Star), Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Armed Forces Service Medal, Army Service Ribbon, Overseas Service Ribbon (2 tours), NATO Medal, and Master Parachutist Badge. He is a recipient of British, Canadian, and Honduran parachute badges and was awarded the German Rocket/Missile Qualification Badge.

    Lieutenant Colonel Barrow is married to the former Cheryl K. Ellis of Daphne, Alabama. They have two daughters, Corey and Lauren.


  • VP of Partnerships and Strategic Initiatives, Walker-Miller Energy Services. Previously, Morisette served as Chief of the Minority Business and Workforce Division at the U.S. Department of Energy, located within the Office of Economic Impact and Diversity. She is a highly sought-after collaborator and co-conspirator in the clean technology space. Most recently she hails from the utility sector in safety and compliance. In 2022 she took on an additional role at Dearborn STEM Academy in Boston, Massachusetts, as a teacher to 11th and 12th graders – delivering a curriculum for engineering with energy in mind. Previously she held various roles in higher education, including enrollment services project manager, and in global transportation as the Director of Affiliate Relations. She is the former president of the Greater Boston chapter of the American Association of Blacks in Energy.

    Serving as the first African American board member of the New England Women in Energy and Environment, she has been devoted to elevating and engaging women and people of color in the energy space. As a Georgia Gwinnett College Alumni Association board member and a committee member for Browning the Green Space, she has been engaged in the nonprofit and higher education space as a strong advocate for elevating minorities in the energy transition. Her passion for bringing young people into the clean energy industry has also been supported through her work with Girls Inc and Write Boston. Shalaya received her Bachelor of Business Administration from Georgia Gwinnett College and her Master of Education from Cambridge College.

  • Vice Adm. Fred M. Midgette, USCG (Ret), is a 1982 graduate of the U.S. Coast Guard Academy. He subsequently earned a master’s degree in management from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and a master’s degree in international affairs and strategic studies from the Naval War College.

    He served in a variety of key positions both ashore and afloat, including Coast Guard Advisor to the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security. He served as Pacific Area Commander and Commander Defense Forces West; Deputy Commandant for Operations; and 9th Coast Guard District Commander.

    He retired in 2018 after 36 years of service, and works as an independent consultant.

  • Dr. Nashlie Sephus is the Principal AI/ML Evangelist for Amazon AI focusing on fairness and identifying biases at AWS AI. She formerly was CTO of AI startup Partpic based in Atlanta which was acquired by the Amazon Visual Search team. After then joining Amazon as an Applied Science Manager, she led many product launches including visual search for replacement parts on the Amazon Shopping app in June 2018. Also in 2018, Dr. Sephus became the founder and CEO of The Bean Path non-profit organization based in Jackson, MS assisting individuals and startups with technical expertise and guidance. In September of 2020, she became the owner and developer of the Jackson Tech District—21-acres of mixed-use commercial real-estate in downtown Jackson—to bring tech training and workforce/economic development to the area.


  • R&B Feder Foundation. Marketing and Development Professional.