Known as “the catalyst”, Stacyann P. Russell expects something to change when she walks into the room. Her passion for innovation and entrepreneurship has been molded by her unique past experiences. She started her career as a nuclear engineer and has worked in modeling and simulation, 3D immersive environments, continuous improvement, and operational optimization for manufacturing processes in the automotive, aerospace and defense, communications, and energy industries. Stacyann is the Founder and CEO of The Daraja Collective where she works with organizations to launch and scale tech startups in the US and Canada and global corporations to establish new product development and innovation processes from launch to market entry. Stacyann is also the Director of the National Science Foundation’s I-Corps Hub: West Region where she works with ten academic institutions across California, Colorado, Utah, and New Mexico to help researchers learn how to translate fundamental research into the marketplace. She has been developing and delivering instruction for leadership, professional development, entrepreneurship, and innovation content areas for over ten years. Stacyann received her Bachelor of Industrial and Systems Engineering degree from The Ohio State University, Master of Science in Engineering Management degree from The George Washington University, and Master of Business Administration from the University of Southern California.
