Nahima Ahmed is Science Friday’s Manager of Impact Strategy. She is a researcher who loves to cook curry, discuss identity, and helps the team understand how stories can shape audiences’ access to and interest in science.

Rasha Aridi is a producer for Science Friday. She loves stories about weird critters, science adventures, and the intersection of science and history.

As Science Friday’s director and senior producer, Charles Bergquist channels the chaos of a live production studio into something sounding like a radio program. Favorite topics include planetary sciences, chemistry, materials, and shiny things with blinking lights.

Shoshannah Buxbaum is a producer for Science Friday. She’s particularly drawn to stories about health, psychology, and the environment. She’s a proud New Jersey native and will happily share her opinions on why the state is deserving of a little more love.

Danielle D. Johnson is Science Friday’s executive director (a.k.a. scary boss). She’s also a huge Mets fan and Giants fan. She hates zucchini, unless it’s zucchini bread.

John Dankosky works with the radio team to create our weekly show, and is helping to build our State of Science Reporting Network. He’s also been a long-time guest host on Science Friday. He and his wife have four cats, thousands of bees, and a yoga studio in the sleepy Northwest hills of Connecticut. 

Kathleen Davis is a producer at Science Friday, which means she spends the week brainstorming, researching, and writing, typically in that order. She’s a big fan of stories related to strange animal facts and dystopian technology.

Ira Flatow is the host and executive producer of Science Friday. His green thumb has revived many an office plant at death’s door.

Santiago Flórez is Science Friday’s community manager. He is a former teacher, anthropologist and journalist.

Emma Lee Gometz is Science Friday’s Digital Producer of Engagement. She’s a writer and illustrator who loves drawing primates and tending to her coping mechanisms like G-d to the garden of Eden.

George Harper is Science Friday’s stewardship manager. Before working at Science Friday, he was a biology professor and researcher. You can find George out on a hike, cooking and eating cuisines from all around the world, and listening to music from many different cultures. 

Valissa Mayers is Science Friday’s office manager. She will happily tell you she’s a foodie, a feter, and a Converse Chuck Taylors collector.

Diana Plasker is the Experiences Manager at Science Friday, where she creates live events and partnerships to delight and engage audiences in the world of science.

Annie Nero is Science Friday’s individual giving manager. She enjoys listening to music through giant headphones.

D. Peterschmidt is a producer, host of the podcast Universe of Art, and composes music for Science Friday’s podcasts. Their D&D character is a clumsy bard named Chip Chap Chopman.

Beth Ramme is Science Friday’s Controller and handles all things financial for the organization. She is passionate about supporting families of children and adolescents who live with serious mental health conditions.

Sandy Roberts is Science Friday’s Education Program Manager, where she creates learning resources and experiences to advance STEM equity in all learning environments. Lately, she’s been playing with origami circuits and trying to perfect a gluten-free sourdough recipe.

Jason Rosenberg is a Grants Manager at Science Friday. They are an avid reader and writer of poetry and also loves theater, museums, weird performance art, and documentaries about bugs and space.

Jordan Smoczyk is Science Friday’s Grants Manager. She enjoys reading, watching HBO and Hulu, cooking, composting, and tries to avoid getting trapped in an Instagram doomscroll.

Ariel Zych is Science Friday’s director of audience. She is a former teacher and scientist who spends her free time making food, watching arthropods, and being outside.

Ira Flatow is the host and executive producer of Science Friday. His green thumb has revived many an office plant at death’s door.

Ray Chao is the SVP & GM of Audio and Digital Video at Vox Media, where he leads the podcast and video businesses for Vox Media’s portfolio of media brands. 

William Cox III joined the Science Friday Board in 2022 and is CEO and Founding Partner of Soaring Partners, LLLP. For more than twenty years, he’s made investments in venture capital and private equity, with a focus in media and technology.

James M. Gentile is the Dean for the Natural and Applied Sciences at Hope College in Holland, Michigan. He has been, or continues as, a consultant to numerous national and international public and private colleges, universities, foundations and corporations.

Seema Kumar joined the Board of Directors for Science Friday and became the CEO of the Cure Experience in 2022.  Prior to Cure, Ms. Kumar served in a senior leadership capacity at Johnson & Johnson and was a Science Friday donor for many years.

Julie LaNasa, in addition to launching her own firm, Collaborative Consulting, is currently a trustee with The Leakey Foundation. She and her husband, John Kunzweiler, live in Tiburon, California.

Chris Lee is the Chairman and CEO of Huxley Medical and a serial MedTech entrepreneur. He volunteers on several boards to promote STEM education, translational research, and social impact. He is a first generation Chinese American, enjoys skiing and cooking, and lives in Atlanta.

Jorge Leis is an advisory partner at Bain & Company, where he has served in multiple roles and offices for 30 years. He is also a board member with the L.S.B. Leakey Foundation and the National GEM Consortium. He and his wife, Ann, live in Houston, Texas and have three children and one grandchild.

Jennifer Rollins practices in the areas of nonprofits, business, real estate, and finance. She is also a member of the Oregon State Bar and the Multnomah County Bar Association. She lives in Portland, OR.

Mary Smart has been on the Science Friday Board since 2004. She is also a board member with the Buehler Center on Aging at Northwestern University, the Smart Museum of Art at the University of Chicago, and the National Forest Foundation.

Camilla Smith serves on several national and community boards including the National Public Radio Foundation, the L.S.B. Leakey Foundation, and the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. She and her husband, George Smith, have five children and eight grandchildren.

Thea True-Wells is a Wyoming native who has been professionally involved with formal and informal pre-K-12 education for over two decades. She has facilitated science outreach efforts to low-income elementary schools and taught both middle and high school science courses in public and private schools.

Dave Vernier founded Vernier Software & Technology in the early days of microcomputers, when he was a high-school physics teacher. He is still active with programming and developing science lessons. He lives in Portland, Oregon with his wife and business partner, Christine.