Board of Directors

Marcia is an entrepreneur with 20 years of experience leading teams and developing innovative health care products applying genomics and machine learning. Marcia came to the U.S. many years ago with an international exchange scholarship to pursue her doctoral research in oncology at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston. After receiving her Ph.D. from the University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil she had the opportunity to work in leading Institutions in this country including Lawrence Berkeley National Labs as a postdoctoral fellow and GlaxoSmithKline as principal scientist. Most recently Marcia lead a biotechnology company, Bioarray Genetics, for about 10 years. "My experience as an immigrant with a Ph.D. in science combined with being an entrepreneur and executive in health care gives me a unique perspective on subjects around education and minorities in science".

 Bob brings 30 years of service in global public policy, grassroots advocacy and  civic engagement.  An open minded collaborator with robust experience at  all levels of corporate and organizational management.  A global citizen who has visited more than 55 countries and lived in 5 of them experiencing first hand the hardships and the highlights of the human condition.  Bob is an alumnus of Northeastern University, the United Nations International School, and the George Washington University Graduate School of Political Management. Having lived abroad in Puerto Rico, Costa Rica, Venezuela and Brazil, Bob has a fluency in Spanish and Portuguese. He currently lives in Washington, DC. "I've traveled the world with the most senior decision makers of our time. But, my head and feet remain on solid ground."

Prof. Alves-Ferreira is a Full Professor, at the Department of Genetics, Institute of Biology, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Prof. Alves-Ferreira is member the Post-Graduation Course on Genetics at Federal University of Rio de Janeiro and has been a member of the Federal Commission of the Biotechnology area at the Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Level -or Education-Personnel (CAPES) since 2010. Prof. Alves-Ferreira has received the “Scientist of Our State” Award from the Rio de Janeiro State Foundation to Support Research (FAPERJ) for the last 12 years and is Scientist of National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq - 1D). He has published 64 scientific articles in international journals and has mentored dozens of students during their master and doctoral degrees. Prof. Alves-Ferreira is a testimony of the impact of international exchange scholarship on his own career. He was beneficiary of two scholarships during his doctoral and post-doctoral respectively, which helped him to establish key research collaborations relevant to date with 10 years plus collaborative work. He also had the experience of mentoring international students and knows inside out the process and potential impact of programs supporting higher education and inclusion of minorities in science.

 Rachel Fleck is a commercial banker and serves as Vice President for Truist Financial Corporation. Rachel has more than 15 years of banking experience. She started her journey at BB&T, now Truist, 10 years ago and has held several positions in the company.

With a diverse background consisting of credit analysis and business development, Rachel works with commercial clients with $5–75 million in annual revenues by assisting in strategic planning that supports growth, removes inefficiencies, and improves day-to-day processes. She prides herself in her ability to cultivate strong relationships with clients and centers of influence across various industries, including government contractors, professional services firms, nonprofit organizations, and commercial real estate companies.

Rachel earned a bachelor's degree in business administration with a minor in management from Saint Leo University. She is passionate about promoting and advocating for women in business through global networking, empowerment, and collaboration. When she isn't working, Rachel enjoys spending time with her family doing the simple things in life as well as skiing out west. She also enjoys learning about history, art, and architecture and never says no to a day trip to a museum or historical area