About Us

Two students working at laptops

Mission

We work at the intersection of academia and industry to propel women and underrepresented communities into computing degrees and tech careers.

Through curriculum innovation, career access, and community building, our goal is to achieve gender equality in tech.

Our Team

We’re a cross-institutional, agile team, working to support large numbers of curious and self-motivated young women as they explore academic and career opportunities in computing fields, and we are especially committed to serving Black, Latina, and Indigenous women.

We love to collaborate with tech leaders in all fields. Whether you’re a large corporation, a startup, a nonprofit, in government, or in academia, we want to partner with you.

We’re hoping to inspire future change makers—the next generation of top talent, the companies that value diversity, and the public institutions that support innovation.

Break Through Tech DC Leadership

Kate Atchison

she/her

Break Through Tech DC Site Lead at UMD; Associate Director of the Iribe Initiative for Inclusion and Diversity in Computing (I4C)

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Shahnaz Kamberi

Shahnaz Kamberi

she/her

Break Through Tech DC Site Lead at Mason; Associate Professor of Computer Science

Additional Members of the Break Through Tech DC at Mason Team

Elizabeth Delgado

she/her

Break Through Tech DC at Mason Data Lead; Strategic Modeling and Data Analyst

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Teresa Donnellan

she/her

Break Through Tech DC at Mason Communications Lead

Email

Khondkar R. Islam

he/him

Break Through Tech DC at Mason Data Lead and Curriculum Innovation Co-Lead; Associate Chair for Undergraduate Studies, Information Sciences and Technology

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David Rosenblum

David Rosenblum

he/him

Break Through Tech DC at Mason Administrative Lead and Academic Co-lead; Professor and Chair of the Department of Computer Science

Kammy Sanghera

Kammy Sanghera

she/her

Break Through Tech DC at Mason Strategic Industry Lead; Executive Director IDIA

Gurdip Singh

he/him

Break Through Tech DC at Mason Administrative Lead; Divisional Dean, College of Computing

Mark Snyder

Mark Snyder

he/him

Break Through Tech DC at Mason Curriculum Innovation Co-Lead; Term Associate Professor and Associate Chair, Computer Science

Ozlem Uzuner

Ozlem Uzuner

she/her

Break Through DC at Mason Academic Co-Lead; Interim Chair, Associate Professor of Information Sciences and Technology

Humaira Akhtari

Humaira Akhtari

she/her

Professor of Information Sciences and Technology

Additional Members of the Break Through Tech DC at UMD Team

Katie Bemb

she/her

Communications Lead, Break Through Tech DC at UMD

Pamela Duffy

she/her

Lecturer and Faculty Director of B.S. in Information Science, College of Information Studies

Roger Eastman photo

Roger Eastman

he/him

Director of Immersive Media Design and Professor of Practice, Computer Science

Elias Gonzalez

he/him

Curriculum Innovation Lead, Break Through Tech DC at UMD

Robert Infantino

he/him

Associate Dean for Undergraduate Education, College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences

Kate Izsak

Kate Izsak

she/her

Assistant Dean for Academic Affairs, College of Information Studies

Asia Jones

she/her

Graduate Assistant, Break Through Tech DC at UMD

Poojaa Ravi Kumar

she/her

Graduate Assistant, Break Through Tech DC at UMD

David Mount

David Mount

he/him

Associate Chair of Undergraduate Studies & Professor, Department of Computer Science

Noah Owens

he/him

Student Career Programs Coordinator, Break Through Tech DC at UMD

Ron Padron

Ron Padrón

he/him

Director of Undergraduate Operations, College of Information Studies

Caitlin Rudy

Caitlin Rudy

she/her

Program Manager, Industry Partnerships, Break Through Tech DC at UMD

Alyssa Ryan

she/her

Assistant Director, Immersive Media Design

Veronica Sanchez

Veronica Sanchez

she/her

Retention Coordinator, Iribe Initiative for Inclusion and Diversity in Computing (I4C)