WELCOME
At SACNAS, diversity, equity, and inclusion are not abstract concepts or buzz words.
They are values and the heartbeat of our programs. They are part of our DNA. As the nation's largest multicultural and multidisciplinary STEM diversity organization in the country, SACNAS creates space where our members, partners, and staff feel they belong and can embrace their intersectional identities. Our work is rooted in the pursuit of STEM excellence with the knowledge that inclusion will advance discovery and promote access and opportunity in traditionally underrepresented communities.
The work of nurturing inclusive spaces can be inspiring and challenging. It's about having the vulnerability and courage to speak up, and knowing when to listen deeply. It's about recognizing mistakes, being open to ideas, and doing better. Sometimes it's about starting over when you realize you didn't have all the people at the table you needed to.
In 2019, the invitation to bring our National Diversity in STEM Conference to Hawai'i gave us the chance to live these values and model what a place-based and culturally-responsive event feels like. We took great care to respect and uphold the unique social and cultural norms of our hosts and attendees so that everyone felt welcome, safe, and included in the SACNAS space. The lotería cards created for the conference were a visual representation of this work both in and out of the conference, and thus serve as a guide for our 2019 report.
Read about the lotería project 
THE SACNISTA
SACNAS is a member run organization. In 2019 we revamped our entire committee structure to increase opportunities for our volunteers to bring their ideas and expertise to the table in all aspects of the organization, including fundraising, marketing, and government relations, in addition to conference, chapters, and programs.
In order to build more inclusive space for our indigenous members, we made a key investment in hiring our Native Initiatives Manager, Darryl Monteau (Kiowa, Apache, and Comanche). Darryl brings to SACNAS her recent experience working with the American Indian Higher Education Consortium's Aseto'ne Network Project, aimed at engaging tribal college students in biomedical and health research.
The LGBTQ+ reception at the 2019 SACNAS conference. 
Dr. Cleber Costa Ouverney
"Volunteering with SACNAS is an opportunity to use my 20 years of experience as a researcher, a professor, and a mentor to help students find a way to a career in science. When I first went to SACNAS, I was blown away by all the positive energy focused on a single goal: to guide students to a successful career pathway in STEM.”
Dr. Cleber Costa Ouverney (far right) Professor, San Jose State UniversityTHE CONVERSATION
SACNAS spoke up in 2019 to support evidence-based policy and continued to bring our diverse perspectives to the national conversation on STEM. We raised our voices in support of proposed legislation to uphold scientific integrity, opposed rollbacks of the EPA's standards on mercury, and fully endorsed legislation requiring federal agencies and industries to create competitive funding programs specifically targeted to minority institutions.
SACNAS President Dr. Sonia I. Zárate welcoming attendees to 2019 SACNAS — The National Diversity in STEM Conference. “Only when scientists from all backgrounds are represented, and science is included when public policy decisions are being made, will we be able to mitigate the risk of vulnerable communities being overlooked, their problems ignored, and their unique needs disregarded. These two conditions are particularly salient for ensuring science for the common good and improving public trust in science.”
SACNAS President Dr. Sonia I. Zárate, on the proposed Scientific Integrity Act of 2019 Read: SACNAS statement on 2019 Scientific Integrity Act Read: SACNAS opposition statement to EPA’s rollback of Mercury and Air Toxic Standards Read: SACNAS statement urging Senate to pass Minority-Serving Institution STEM Achievement Act 
THE STORYTELLER
The Storyteller's traditional Hawaiian drum (the pahu) stands for the importance of “talking story,” speaking our truth, owning our narrative, and sparking meaningful discussion. SACNAS members raised their voices in 2019, sharing their own STEM stories in a powerful way.
Dr. Lupita Montoya
"It was very important that I could share my story in the media because most people do not realize how scientific work is done and how it is impacted by events like the government shutdown. Research done by underrepresented minorities (URMs) rarely, if ever, get national attention. My hope is that people would realize the important work that we are doing to advance STEM at the same time that we are trying to improve the quality of life of communities that are usually not served by these fields."
Dr. Lupita Montoya, on her Science Friday interviewDr. Lupita Montoya was interviewed by Science Friday about the 35-day government shutdown that ran from the end of 2018 to the beginning of 2019. She is a research associate at the University of Colorado at Boulder who has been part of designing innovative heating technologies for the Navajo nation. Her research was placed on pause during the government shutdown, leading to major setbacks in securing resources for the Navajo community.
Additionally, SACNAS President, Dr. Sonia I. Zárate, opened a conversation on belonging, intersectionality, and inclusion through SACNAS's digital magazine, the STEM + Culture Chronicle. By inviting others to elevate their stories, we are changing the narrative in STEM.
Dr. Lupita Montoya and members of the Navajo community she worked with on the installation of hybrid EPA-certified stoves. Listen: Lupita Montoya discusses potential govt shutdown on Science Friday 
Watch: Sara del Valle speaks about measles outbreak on CBS Learn: Op-ed from Narrissa Spies and Sonia Zárate, Indigenous Views on Climate Change Matter Read: Stories on belonging from SACNAS members on STEM + Culture Chronicle 
THE CONNECTOR
The Connector is depicted by the ocean, which connects continents, communities, and cultures all over the world. Through connection and building peer networks, SACNAS challenges commonly held misconceptions of who does science and who qualifies as an expert.
SACNAS Chapters found connection by convening four regional meetings in 2019, where members were linked to local opportunities for educational and career advancement. Through these events and other initiatives, we grew membership by 42 percent in 2019, from 5,667 to 8,096 members.
"The beauty of these types of regional meetings is that we're not only helping empower every student here, but we also do outreach to high schools with majority underrepresented students. They get to see what it's like to be in the labs and hear from students who look like them. In order to teach other chapters how to run regional meetings, we kept them involved with our planning process so that we can invoke bigger change."
Juan Vazquez, SACNAS Chapter President at the University of Chicago
THE ATTENDEE
The Attendee is depicted by shoots of corn, symbolizing how our conference attendees act as our community's “seed corn,” providing sustenance and strength for future generations. Attendees of this year's conference, drawing a new record of 5,100+ participants, were warmly welcomed by our Native Hawaiian hosts.
In order to be respectful guests of the Native Hawaiian community, we listened carefully and worked in strong collaboration with our Cultural Advisory Group to support all aspects of the planning and delivery of the conference.
Dr. Brittany Kamai
"This year's conference gave us a unique opportunity to envision, develop, and implement very progressive ideas. It is rare to interact with leadership that actually invests in diversity and inclusion. SACNAS opened up channels to ensure we were heard and centered our contributions into all aspects of the conference. SACNAS should share the lessons learned with more professional societies. I am hopeful to see more place-based conferences that center culture into the fabric of their conference."
Dr. Brittany Kamai, 2019 SACNAS Emcee and 2019 Conference Cultural Advisory Group memberWe were honored to have H.E. President Hilda C. Heine, EdD of the Marshall Islands, the first head of state to join a SACNAS conference, as our keynote speaker. Her words reverberated in our hearts, "Our challenge, as indigenous researchers in science, is to continue interrogating the limits of existing methodologies because we need to create new ones that will be inclusive of our traditional frameworks and ethos."
The conference also offered attendees new tracks in Science Communication, Climate Change, Indigenous STEM, and Inclusion in STEM, and our first Post-Doctoral Leadership Institute.
Dr. Hilda Heine meets attendees after her keynote address at 2019 SACNAS — The National Diversity in STEM Conference. Watch: 2019 SACNAS Overview Video Read: How to Be a Good Guest at 2019 SACNAS Watch: Playlist of Keynote Speeches at 2019 SACNAS Celebrate: 2019 Post conference Report & Highlights Read: Our tips for carbon offsetting and steps SACNAS is taking to reduce emissions Learn: SACNAS Postdoc Leadership Institute 
Photo Credit: Wes Koseki - UCI School of Biological Sciences, CC BY-SA 8,200+
Members
42%
Increase in Membership
20,000+
Larger STEM Community Reached through Advocacy, Outreach, and Conference
103%
Increase in Resumes Submitted to the SACNAS Resume Bank
115
Chapters Nationally
4
Regional Meetings
2019 SACNAS - The National Diversity in STEM Conference
- Attendees: 5,100+
- Growth in Attendance: 23%
- Breakout Sessions: 125
- Student Presentations: 838
- Student Awards: 82
- Volunteer Mentor-Judges: 340
- Vendor Booths: 430
Financials - Fiscal Year
Revenue Support
- Government Grant Revenue $541,432
- Contributions $47,774
- Dues Memberships $129,595
- Conference Sponsorship $448,600
- Conference Registration $1,451,311
- Conference Exhibition $868,308
- Conference Advertising $11,500
- Underwriting and Other Income $350,089
- Assets Released from Restrictions -
- In-kind Contributions -
- Interest Income $14,451
Total Revenue $3,863,060
Financials - Fiscal Year
Expenses
- Program Services $3,065,822
- Administration $866,056
- Fund Development $254,926
Total Expenses $4,186,804
Total Change in Net Assets
($323,744)
Fiscal year: July 1, 2018 - June 30, 2019
Fiscal Year
July 1, 2018 - June 30, 2019
Revenue Support
Fiscal Year
July 1, 2018 - June 30, 2019
Expenses
Year to Date
July 1, 2019 - December 31, 2019
Revenue Support
- Government Grant Revenue -
- Contributions $28,865
- Dues Memberships $37,475
- Conference Sponsorship $995,873
- Conference Registration $1,939,711
- Conference Exhibition $987,699
- Conference Advertising $6,000
- Underwriting and Other Income $5,365
- Assets Released from Restrictions $10,375
- In-kind Contributions -
- Interest Income $10,503
Total Revenue $4,021,866
Year to Date
July 1, 2019 - December 31, 2019
Expenses
- Program Services $2,367,013
- Administration $672,463
- Fund Development $113,760
Total Expenses $3,153,236
Total Change in Assets
$868,630
Year to Date
July 1, 2019 - December 31, 2019
Revenue Support
Year to Date
July 1, 2019 - December 31, 2019
Expenses
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
PRESIDENT
Sonia I. Zárate, PhD
Program Officer, The Howard Hughes Medical Institute
PAST PRESIDENT
Lino Gonzalez, PhD
Senior Scientist, 23andMe, Inc
TREASURER
Patricia Silveyra, PhD
Research Director
Associate Professor, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
SECRETARY
Corey Garza, PhD
Associate Professor of Marine Science, California State University, Monterey Bay
BOARD MEMBERS
Diana Azurdia, PhD
Associate Director for Inclusion and Recruitment, University of California, Los Angeles
David R. Burgess, PhD
Professor of Biology, Boston College
Healani Chang, DrPH
Program Director/Research Associate Specialist Faculty, University of Hawai'i at Manoa
Martha I. Dávila-García, PhD
Associate Professor, Biomedical Research, Howard University
Daniela Flores
Veterinary Genetics Specialist, Paw Print Genetics
Monica Ramirez Basco, PhD
Clinical Psychologist, Associate Professor of Psychiatry, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
Retired – National Institutes of Health
Roberta Pokphanh, PhD
Assistant Vice Provost, University of Kansas
Ana Gabriela Vergara
PhD Candidate/Research Assistant, Washington State University
Corey Welch, PhD
Program Manager, STEM Scholars Program, Iowa State University
John D. Winnett
Ex-officio, Executive Director, SACNAS
2019 GOVERNANCE COMMITTEE CHAIRS
GOVERNANCE COMMITTEE CHAIR
Lino Gonzalez, PhD
Senior Scientist, 23andMe, Inc
BOARD NOMINATIONS SUBCOMMITTEE CHAIR
Lydia Villa-Komaroff, PhD
Founder and Principal, Intersections SBD Consulting
BYLAWS TASK FORCE CHAIR
Monica Ramirez Basco, PhD
Clinical Psychologist, Associate Professor of Psychiatry, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
Retired – National Institutes of Health
2019 PROGRAM COMMITTEE CHAIRS
PROGRAM COMMITTEE CHAIR
Roberta Pokphanh, PhD
Assistant Vice Provost, University of Kansas
CHAPTERS SUBCOMMITTEE CHAIR
Daniela Flores
Veterinary Genetics Specialist, Paw Print Genetics
STUDENT PRESENTATIONS SUBCOMMITTEE CHAIR
Gloriana Trujillo, PhD
Director, Faculty and Lecturer, Programs in Vice Provost for Teaching and Learning (VPTL), Stanford University
CONFERENCE SUBCOMMITTEE CHAIR
Martha I. Dávila-García, PhD
Associate Professor, Biomedical Research, Howard University
DISTINGUISHED AWARDS SUBCOMMITTEE CHAIR
Martha I. Dávila-García, PhD
Associate Professor Biomedical Research, Howard University
LEADERSHIP INITIATIVES SUBCOMMITTEE CHAIR
Corey Welch, PhD
Program Manager, STEM Scholars Program, Iowa State University
NATIVE AMERICAN AFFAIRS SUBCOMMITTEE CHAIR
Healani Chang, DrPH
Program Director, Research Associate Specialist Faculty, University of Hawai'i at Manoa
STEM SUBCOMMITTEE
Corey Garza, PhD
Associate Professor of Marine Science, California State University, Monterey Bay
2019 EXECUTIVE LEADERSHIP TEAM
Executive Director
John D. Winnett
Director of Finance
David Kitchen
Director of Communications & Marketing
Jenny Kurzweil
Director of Education & Leadership
Eben Lindsey, MA
Director of Strategic Partnerships & Development
Jenn Vasquez, MBA
