Dr. Janell N. Catlin
Vice President, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion, FIRST^®

Dr. Janell N. Catlin is the Vice President of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion at FIRST. She joined FIRST in October 2020 and brings nearly 20 years of experience as a global STEM education researcher, teacher educator, and advocate of access to STEM education for all learners.

Janell has led fundraising campaigns to lay the foundation for building out equitable global STEM and Girls’ Education programs, and she has led STEM and Girls' Education Initiatives throughout the Americas, Europe, Africa, Middle East, Asia, and Southeast Asia. In this capacity, she has structured the vision, design, and implementation for teacher and school leader professional development and leveraged partnerships to deepen the impact of equitable STEM and Girls' Education teaching and learning. Furthermore, she has led international STEM consultancies with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) for a funded project in Indonesia, private schools in China and Vietnam, and for the New York City Department of Education.

Janell received her Ph.D. and M.A. in Science Education, and Masters in Pharmacology from Columbia University. She received her Bachelors in Biology from Bennett College (North Carolina, USA). Janell is extremely passionate about increasing access and inclusion for all learners in global STEM Education and Girls' Education. In 2019, she co-authored the National Science Teaching Association position statement on Gender Equity in Science Education. Janell has been awarded for her scholarship by the National Association for Research in Science Teaching and her alma mater, Bennett College.