KEY NOTE SPEAKERS

Anderson lecture:
April Strom
Chandler-Gilber Community College

APRIL STROM is on mathematics faculty at Chandler-Gilbert Community College in Arizona and has taught for over 20 years. She is currently a member of the U.S. National Commission on Mathematics Instruction. In addition, she is the Vice President of the Mathematical Association of America (MAA) and Southwest Vice President for the American Mathematical Association of Two-Year Colleges (AMATYC). She has served as PI and Co-PI on various NSF-funded projects focused on both research in mathematics education and professional development of K-14 instructors. She co-led the writing of the Classroom Practices chapter of the MAA Instructional Practices Guide and served on the steering committee for the AMATYC IMPACT guide. She received her Ph.D. in Curriculum & Instruction (emphasis in Mathematics Education) from Arizona State University, and she holds M.A. and B.A. degrees in Mathematics from Texas Tech University.

maa representative lecture:
CAMILLE MCKAYLE
MAA EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

DR. CAMILLE MCKALYE is a former Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs at the University of the Virgin Islands, and previously served as Dean of the College of Science and Mathematics. Most recently, she was a Deputy Division Director in the STEM Education Directorate at the National Science Foundation, where she had also previously served as a Program Officer. A mathematician and experienced academic leader, she brings expertise in mathematics, mathematical education, grant leadership, and STEM strategy.

maa AWM lecture:
Shanise Walker
Clark Atlanta University

DR. SHANISE WALKER is an Assistant Professor of Mathematics at Clark Atlanta University. Prior to her position at CAU, she was an Assistant Professor at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire (UWEC). She earned a Ph.D. in Mathematics from Iowa State University and her B.S. in Mathematics from the University of Georgia. Dr. Walker’s research interests lie in extremal combinatorics, graph theory, and data science. To date, she has published several peer-reviewed manuscripts and supervised various undergraduate research projects. In 2023, Dr. Walker co-edited a book entitled Aspiring and Inspiring: Tenure and Leadership in Academic Mathematics.

In service, Dr. Walker remains active to the mathematical profession, where much of her work is focused on advancing mathematics and supporting early-career mathematicians. To name a few, she co-organized the 2018-2023 Joint Mathematics Meetings Enhancing Diversity in Graduate Education (EDGE) special sessions, which highlighted the research work of women mathematicians and mentored early-career mathematicians. During this time, Dr. Walker served as a co-Principal Investigator and Principal Investigator for two National Science Foundation (NSF) grants that supported the EDGE sessions.  In 2023, she served as the lead local organizer for the 33rd National Association of Mathematicians (NAM) Undergraduate MATHFest, which was hosted at Clark Atlanta University. In 2023, Dr. Walker was also awarded an NSF research grant under Historically Black Colleges and Universities-Undergraduate Program. The grant supports her research and establishing a combinatorics research program to provide valuable research mentorship opportunities for undergraduate students. She also served on the Association of Women in Mathematics Executive Committee as a member-at-large from 2022-2026 and chaired the Policy and Advocacy committee during her last two years. In 2025, Dr. Walker began her role as the Vice President of NAM, where she oversees the organization’s signature events.