Bridging the Gap workshop

2025 Speaker

Director of Educational Content and Learning / LSI Instructor, The Laboratory Safety Institute (LSI)

Dr. Elizabeth Braun is the Director of Educational Content and Learning at the Lab Safety Institute. She comes to LSI after leading a team of teachers in developing the chemistry curriculum for Cypress-Fairbanks ISD in Texas, where she also oversaw the safety program. She has worked the last three years developing a Chemical Hygiene Plan and creating standard operating procedures for the safe handling, storage, and disposal of chemicals in the district. She was also responsible for rolling out safety initiatives to teachers (6-12) through professional development trainings that she created and facilitated.

She has a passion for science safety and brings 8 years of experience in public education, 6 years of graduate research experience in chemistry, and 5 years of college level teaching experience to the team. She holds her bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Sam Houston State University, master’s and doctoral degrees in chemistry from The University of Texas at Dallas. Elizabeth has 7 peer-reviewed publications in the field of bioanalytical chemistry and was selected as the inaugural Teacher of the Year for Bridgeland High School her second year teaching.

2025 & 2026 Speaker

Senior Research Specialist & Program Manager for Green Chemistry and Emerging Contaminants, New York State Pollution Prevention Institute

Sarah Briggs is a Senior Research Specialist and Program Manager for Green Chemistry and Emerging Contaminants at the NYS Pollution Prevention Institute (NYSP2I) at RIT, where she executes green chemistry initiatives and conducts research focused on the reduction of toxic chemicals in products and industrial applications. Prior to joining NYSP2I, she held positions as a research chemist, educator, and EH&S safety specialist. Ms. Briggs holds an M.S. in Chemistry from the University of Minnesota Twin Cities, an M.A. in Chemistry from Wesleyan University, and a B.A. in Chemistry and English Literature from Wesleyan University.

2025 Speaker

Co-Founder and Executive Director, Beyond Benign

Dr. Amy Cannon is the Co-Founder and Executive Director of Beyond Benign, a non-profit dedicated to green chemistry education. She holds the world’s first Ph.D. in green chemistry from the University of Massachusetts Boston where she worked with Dr. John Warner, a founder of the field of green chemistry. Amy has industrial experience working for the Gillette Company and Rohm and Haas, and was an Assistant Professor at the University of Massachusetts Lowell before founding Beyond Benign. Her work is aimed at empowering educators to integrate green chemistry into their teaching and practice to prepare scientists and citizens with green chemistry skills.

2025 & 2026 Speaker

Technology Coordinator/SPOC, Chemistry Teacher, Peer Collaborative Teacher, Beyond Benign Certified Lead Teacher, W. H. Maxwell High School for Career and Technical Education, New York City Technical College

Scott Carlson received his Bachelors of Science in Chemistry and Education at Saint Joseph’s College and went on to earn his Masters in Teaching Chemistry from the Steinhardt school of Teaching and Learning at NYU. Since 2006, Scott has taught at Benjamin Banneker Academy, The Green School for Environmental Careers, and the Academy for Conservation and the Environment. Currently, he is the Lead science teacher at W. H. Maxwell High School for Career and Technical Education, where he is responsible for professional development for the staff and teaches Regents Chemistry, Forensics, and A.P. Environmental Science. He is also a Lead Chemistry Teacher and Mentor for NYC Chemistry Teachers. He is also a Lecturer in General Chemistry and General Chemistry Laboratory at NYC Technical College. He is also a SciEd Innovators Fellow from the Jhumki Basu Foundation and is certified in School Building and School District Leadership in New York State. He is a Beyond Benign Certified Lead Teacher practicing Green Chemistry in the classroom since 2015. He is the NYS Green Chemistry Professional Learning Team facilitator for Beyond Benign, and the Co-Committee chair for the Green Chemistry Teaching & Learning Community (GCTLC).

2026 Speaker

Associate Professor, Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI)

Vidhya Chakrapani is currently an Associate Professor in the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI). She completed her Ph.D. at Case Western Reserve University in 2007 and went on to postdoctoral studies at the Georgia Institute of Technology and the Notre Dame Radiation Laboratory. She worked at Tokyo Electron Technology Centre for nearly 2 years before moving to RPI in 2013. Her research focusses on the fundamental aspects of electrocatalyst design and its use in various semiconductor and environmental applications, including degradation of PFAS and other harmful chemicals. For her work on diamond electrochemistry, she was awarded the Outstanding Young Researcher Award from the Sigma Xi Research Society and the Young Investigator award from the Indian Institute of Science and JNCASR, India. Robert E. Schulz Outstanding Teacher Award from the Chemical Engineering Dept. RPI. She is the chair of the Electronics and Photonics Division at the Electrochemical Society. She has published more than 50 papers in this field along with five patents.

2026 Speaker

Vice President for Research & Innovation, Clarkson University

Dr. Michelle Crimi is Vice President for Research & Innovation at Clarkson University and an internationally recognized scholar in environmental science & engineering. With more than two decades of experience in higher education leadership, research administration, and innovation strategy, she has led initiatives that strengthen research enterprises, expand interdisciplinary collaboration, and advance technology commercialization.

Dr. Crimi’s research focuses on groundwater remediation, PFAS treatment, and emerging contaminant technologies, with sustained funding from agencies including DoD, NSF, and EPA. She is co-founder of RemWell, as startup company commercializing innovative PFAS treatment technology, and holds multiple U.S. patents related to environmental remediation.

In addition to her administrative leadership, Dr. Crimi is an accomplished educator and mentor, author of numerous publications and presentations, and an active contributor to national and state scientific and policy organizations.

2025 Speaker

Vice President and Chief Innovation and Technology Officer, ICL Group

Dr. Anantha Desikan is the Executive Vice President and Chief Innovation and Technology Officer at ICL Group. He holds a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from Clarkson University and a Bachelor of Technology in Chemical Engineering from Coimbatore Institute of Technology.

2026 Keynote

 Global Head of Sustainability at Kenvue 

Jennifer Duran is Kenvue’s Global Head of Sustainability with oversight of the consumer health company’s Healthy Lives Mission. Over the course of her career, Jennifer Duran has worked to transform complex, global issues into opportunities to have a positive impact on people and the planet. Jennifer serves on the Board of Directors at Change Chemistry and she specializes in product sustainability and has led teams responsible for green chemistry, ingredient stewardship and resiliency, responsible sourcing as well as value chain impacts. She has cultivated robust external relationships with retailers, NGOs, consultancies, academics and trade associations. She has several patents and publications, a postgraduate degree in Sustainability Leadership from Cambridge University, and a Master of Science in Chemistry from Carnegie Mellon University where she studied at the Institute for Green Science. She is also a proud mother of two girls, an ardent supporter of STEM and a Bar Method enthusiast.

2025 Speaker

Director, New York State Pollution Prevention Institute

Roy Green is the Director of the New York State Pollution Prevention Institute (NYSP2I) at Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT), where he leads a multidisciplinary team of over 20 engineers, technical experts, outreach specialists, and students. Under his leadership, NYSP2I delivers innovative pollution prevention research, technical assistance, and outreach to businesses and communities across New York State.

With more than 25 years of experience in environmental science, sustainability, and corporate responsibility, Roy is a recognized leader in developing and executing sustainability strategies that drive measurable impact. His career spans senior roles in multiple industries, including positions as Senior ESG Manager at CooperCompanies, Corporate Responsibility Manager at HNI Corporation, and Director of Sustainability at Gunlocke and HBF.

Roy has led initiatives that achieved zero waste to landfill certifications, advanced decarbonization roadmaps, and improved sustainability ratings from leading agencies. He has a proven track record of aligning sustainability goals with business strategy, enhancing transparency, and fostering cross-functional collaboration to meet evolving regulatory and stakeholder expectations.

He holds an M.S. in Energy Management and an Advanced Certificate in Energy Technology from the New York Institute of Technology, as well as a B.S. in Environmental Science from SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry. Roy is a LEED® AP O&M, WELL® AP, and Associate Certified Sustainability Assurance Practitioner (ACSAP). He also has specialized training in life-cycle assessment, stakeholder engagement, and safer chemical evaluation.

Roy is known for his technical acumen, regulatory insight, and ability to build collaborative partnerships across industry, academia, and government to advance sustainability and pollution prevention goals.

2026 Keynote

Professor and Constellation Endowed Chair, Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Science, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI)

Professor Gross earned his Ph.D. from Brooklyn Polytechnic University in Polymer Stereochemistry and conducted postdoctoral research with Robert Lenz at UMass Amherst on polyhydroxyalkanoates (i.e. bacterial polyesters).

His laboratory addresses the transition from petroleum-based to renewable plant-derived chemicals and polymers through green chemistry processes, with solutions aimed at mitigating global warming, pollution, and improving human health.

The Gross group pioneers several innovative approaches: proteasecatalyzed peptide synthesis in aqueous media without needing protection-deprotection steps; lipase-catalyzed synthesis of biodegradable polyesters for tissue engineering and drug delivery systems and bioactive materials; the use of bacteria that directly extrude cellulose nanofibers from cell membranes that become intertwined creating interconnected nano fibrous 3-D matrices; and development of next-generation bioactive compounds (e.g. anticancer, antimicrobial, and immunomodulators). The group also addresses plastic pollution solutions.

This breadth of research is possible due to our belief that the best work is done through productive collaborations with scientists and engineers bringing new perspectives and expertise.

Gross has published over 400 peer-reviewed articles cited 32,000 times (h-index 94, i10-index 332), graduated over 40 Ph.D. students now in successful careers in industry and academia, and believes in the formula of having Ph.D. students

2026 Speaker

Questar III New Visions Medical Instructor; Beyond Benign Certified Lead Teacher

Stefanie Loomis is a science educator with more than 25 years of experience teaching chemistry and physics. After spending 25 years at Catskill High School, she now serves as a Medical Instructor in the Questar III New Visions program, where she helps prepare high school students for careers in healthcare through hands-on, realworld learning experiences.

Stefanie is a Certified Lead Teacher with Beyond Benign and has worked with the organization for the past five years. Through this role, she supports educators in implementing green chemistry principles and creating safer, more sustainable science learning environments.

Passionate about both science education and green chemistry, Stefanie is dedicated to helping teachers recognize the value of green chemistry and integrate its practices into their classrooms. She believes that teaching teachers and students to think about sustainability, safety, and innovation in science not only improves learning outcomes but also helps prepare the next generation to address real-world challenges. Her mission is to make green chemistry accessible, practical, and meaningful for science educators at all levels.

2026 Speaker

Executive Director, Laboratory Safety Institute (LSI)

Christina McKeon is the Executive Director of the Laboratory Safety Institute (LSI), a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering people worldwide to practice safer science. With more than 25 years of experience in environmental health and safety, she has worked to advance laboratory safety across educational, research, and publicfacing science environments.

Christina first became involved with LSI as a member of its Board of Directors in 2004 and later served for 11 years as Assistant Director. Prior to returning to LSI in September 2025, she served as Environmental Health and Safety Manager at the Museum of Science, Boston, where she led environmental, health, and safety programs supporting a dynamic science institution dedicated to inspiring a lifelong love of science.

A significant focus of Christina's career has been helping educators better understand laboratory hazards and risks so they can create safer learning environments while fostering curiosity, confidence, and a lifelong love of science. She is passionate about building practical safety cultures that empower students, educators, and laboratory professionals to make informed decisions, manage risk effectively, and support scientific learning and discovery.

2025 Speaker

Green Chemistry Education Manager, the Life Science business of Merck, KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, operating as MilliporeSigma in the U.S. and Canada

Areej Nitowski brings together her love of science and education in her role as Green Chemistry Education Manager for the Life Science business of Merck, KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, which operates as MilliporeSigma in the U.S. and Canada.

Areej strives to implement chemistry curriculum change in higher education and prepare future chemists with an education where sustainability is the primary focus. She is particularly passionate about making science education more accessible for young women and students of color. In her role as Green Chemistry Education Manager, she also serves as the liaison for the company’s Signature Partnership with global green chemistry education nonprofit Beyond Benign.

Areej spent the first 20 years of her career as an analytical chemist and applications specialist for analytical laboratory equipment and liquid handling automation for high-throughput screening in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries. This industry experience is complemented by an 11-year career teaching 7th grade science.

Areej received her B.S. in biochemistry and M.S. in toxicology from SUNY Environmental Science and Forestry.

2026 Speaker

Founder & Principal, Safer Chemistry Advisory

Catherine Rudisill has over 20 years of experience in environmental health research and consulting. In 2022, she founded her own consultancy, Safer Chemistry Advisory, with the mission to serve as an ally to organizations who strive to improve their environmental impact by adopting safer chemicals and materials. Her professional focus lies in integrating best practices in chemical assessment by leveraging her multi-disciplinary experience in green chemistry, toxicology, and ESG impact. She is an active member of the Society of Environmental Toxicology & Chemistry (SETAC) where she sits on the steering committee of the Advancement and Application of Alternatives Assessment (A4) interest group.

2026 Speaker

High School Chemistry Teacher, Packer Collegiate Institute (Brooklyn)

José Saltos is a science educator and chemist dedicated to integrating green chemistry and the UN Sustainable Development Goals into STEM education. A Fordham University STEP instructor and Teach For America alumnus, they focus on making sustainable science accessible to diverse learners. Previously, José spent eight years in academic research specializing in the synthesis of bio-based materials, including co-authoring work on copolymer-protein hybrids and serving as first author on "Curcumin-derived green plasticizers for poly(vinyl) chloride" in RSC Advances. José holds a B.S. in Chemistry, an M.S. in Environmental Science from CUNY's College of Staten Island, and an M.S. in Secondary Science Education from Fordham University. José is driven by connecting chemistry to environmental justice and sustainability to inspire the next generation of scientists.

2025 & 2026 Speaker

Certified Lead Teacher, Beyond Benign; NYS Master Teacher Emeritus, Retired High School Chemistry Teacher (30 years) 

Annette Sebuyira taught High School Chemistry for over 30 years at Guilderland High School. She is a Beyond Benign Certified Lead Teacher, NYS Master Teacher Emeritus and a National Board Certified Teacher. Annette is doing inspiring work to advance green chemistry education. She is a co-author of GREEN CHEMISTRY AND SUSTAINABLE SCIENCE: A Green Approach to Sustainable STEM in K-12 and an instructor for Beyond Benign’s professional development course, Advanced Green Chemistry: Connections to Our World. Annette co-facilitated the New York State Master Teacher Green Chemistry Professional Learning Team for 4 years.

2026 Speaker

Assistant Professor, Department of Science and Math, Fashion Institute of Technology, SUNY Chelsea

Dr. Julian R. Silverman is an Assistant Professor at The Fashion Institute of Technology, part of the State University of New York in Chelsea, New York. He was a Haas Fellow at the Science History Institute and a Module Developer for the American Chemical Society’s Green Chemistry Institute. He works with Harrison High School's Research Program and is a resident speaker with Lectures on Tap and the author of the recent book "How and Why Soap Works" from RSC Books. Outside of the classroom, he works with K-12 partners to develop safe and sustainable curriculum and research programming for diverse audiences.

2026 Speaker

Sustainability Engineering Manager, NY CREATES

Irina Spiry is a Sustainability Engineering Manager at NY CREATES in Albany, NY. She joined NY CREATES in 2024 with 13 years of experience in leading global and diverse technical teams in manufacturing, quality and RD functions to execute cross-functional complex technical projects. This includes CO2 carbon capture system design, analysis and optimization with GE Global Research Center, new product commercialization, multiple accomplishments to reduce waste and water usage across multiple industries. She is Six Sigma Green Belt and Black Belt Certified and has six filed patent applications. In her current role she is responsible for managing projects internal to NY CREATES and in conjunction with partners within the Albany NanoTech Complex, serving as primary representative in sustainability focused initiatives with industry and academics, assisting in leveraging opportunities in the project design phase and beyond to reduce energy, carbon, water, and waste.

2025 Speaker

Co-Founder & Board Member, GL CHEMTEC INTERNATIONAL LTD

Dr. Lisa Studnicki Hunt is a co-founder of GL CHEMTEC. Lisa obtained her Degree in Natural Sciences from John Abbott College. She then pursued her Bachelor of Science (Honours B.Sc., 2000) with a minor in French and Master of Science (M.Sc., Chemistry, 2002) at the University of Toronto. Lisa went on to complete her Doctor of Philosophy in Organic Polymer Chemistry at Friedrich-Schiller University in Jena, Germany. Lisa has several scientific publications and patents.

She earned her Professional Sales Designation from the Canadian Professional Sales Association (CPSA) in 2008 and pursued the E2-Entrepreneur's Edge course at Wilfrid Laurier University in 2009. She then attended Harvard Business School in 2015 under the guidance of renowned professor Clayton Christensen. She further expanded her business acumen by completing the "Marketing Innovation" course at the MIT Sloan School of Management in 2017.

2025 & 2026 Speaker

Chief Program Officer, Beyond Benign

Dr. Omar Villanueva is Chief Program Officer at Beyond Benign, where he oversees green chemistry education initiatives spanning K- 12 through higher education. He holds a B.S. in Chemistry and a B.Ed. in Science Education from the University of Georgia, and a Ph.D. in Chemistry from Emory University, where research on earth-abundant metal catalysts first drew him to green chemistry. With more than a decade as a chemistry faculty member, Omar has mentored undergraduates in sustainable catalysis research and worked to integrate green chemistry principles into academic curricula. Before joining Beyond Benign, he served as Chemistry Department Chair at Georgia Gwinnett College. He is committed to empowering educators and institutions to adopt transformative, sustainable practices.

2026 Speaker

Executive Director for the Center for Sustainable Materials Management, SUNY ESF

Kathryn Walker serves as the Executive Director for the New York State Center for Sustainable Materials Management (CSMM) at SUNY Environmental Science and Forestry. Walker brings with her nearly 20 years of experience working in the environmental education and sustainability fields in New York State. Walker serves on the Boards of the New York State Product Stewardship Council and as a founding member for the Rochester Ecology Partners. Prior to joining SUNY ESF, Kate led a statewide Outreach and Education program for the New York State Pollution Prevention Institute at Rochester Institute of Technology. Kathryn has developed an extensive network of regional and statewide stakeholders, including government, industry, community, academic, non-profit, and health and environmental organizations to advance sustainable materials management and pollution prevention policies. Walker holds a B.A. in Environmental Studies from St. Lawrence University.

2025 Keynote & 2026 Speaker

CTO & CEO, Technology Greenhouse
Professor of Practice, Golisano Institute for Sustainability, Rochester Institute of Technology

John Warner is cofounder of the field of green chemistry with Paul Anastas. As an industrial chemist, he has over 350 patents. He received the Perkin Medal in 2014. As an academic, he was tenured full professor of chemistry and plastics engineering at UMASS where he started the world’s first PhD program in Green Chemistry. He has over 120 publications. In 2004 he received the Presidential Award for excellence in science mentoring from the NSF and President George W Bush and in 2022 he received the August Wilhelm von Hofmann Medal from the German Chemical Society.

John’s inventions have led to the founding of many companies in the fields of photovoltaics, neurochemistry, construction materials, water harvesting and cosmetics. In 2016 he received the Lemelson Invention Ambassadorship from the Lemelson Foundation and the AAAS. John is a member of the Club of Rome, and holds academic appointments at Monash University in Australia, Chulalongkorn University in Thailand, Somaiya University in India, University of Birmingham in the UK, Rochester Institute of Technology in the US, and Technical University of Berlin in Germany where they have named the “John Warner Center for Start Ups in Green Chemistry.” John currently serves as CTO and CEO of The Technology Greenhouse.