Two new staff members have joined the SIAM team over the past few months. Get to know:
Lisa Dyson, Conference Director
Lisa comes to SIAM after 16 years at TESOL International Association as the Director of Conference Services, and most recently, as Director of Strategic Events. Her career started at the USO of Metropolitan Washington where she planned events for military families. She then moved to the Association of the Wall and Ceiling Industry (AWCI) for seven years, before landing at TESOL International Association first.
As the SIAM Conference Director, Lisa works to ensure that SIAM Conferences continue to be premier professional development opportunities for the applied mathematics and computational science community.
Q: Why are you excited to be working at SIAM?
A: I am excited to be working at SIAM because I believe my wealth of experience in marketing and executing large conventions and international conferences will help grow and expand SIAM’s conferences.
Q: What part of SIAM’s mission statement do you connect with?
A: For me, it’s all about the collaboration and exchange of ideas to tackle big, real-word problems.
Q: Why do you think STEM is important?
A: STEM is important because it touches each and every aspect of our lives from the computers and smart phones that we all depend on, to climate change, to life-saving medical advances and research.
Q: What is one thing that most people do not know about you?
A: I once sang “You May Be Right” on stage with members of Billy Joel’s band.
Q: Why are conferences important to SIAM?
A: Conferences are important to SIAM because this is where the peer-to-peer networking, collaboration, and exchanges of ideas happen. Nothing replaces having a conversation with peers at a conference, which are natural incubators of new ideas and problem solving.
Aleisha Kehm, Development Officer
Aleisha comes to SIAM from Penn Medicine as the Assistant Director of Leadership Annual Giving and Special Gifts. She is a graduate of York College of Pennsylvania with a B.A. in mass communications and media studies. Her career started as a Stage Manager at her hometown’s performing arts center, where she managed musical productions. She then worked in news broadcasting as a production assistant handling cameras, graphics, audio, and editing. Following that, Aleisha shifted her career path to healthcare and became a Customer Service Representative at Independence Blue Cross. Through friends, she learned about the development field, and took a chance applying for a Development Assistant position at Penn Medicine.
At SIAM, Aleisha is responsible for implementing an annual giving program and supporting the development team by managing stewardship, gift processing, systems management, and research.
Q: Why are you excited to be working at SIAM?
A: I’m excited to work at an organization that promotes growth and evolution, and clearly values my opinion.
Q: What part of SIAM’s mission statement do you connect with?
A: I love their dedication to students! I come from a family of teachers and educators so working at an organization that values students is fantastic. I also love their commitment to diversifying the mathematics community.
Q: Why do you think STEM is important?
A: STEM helps us progress as a society by developing and creating new methodologies that will benefit the world.
Q: What is one thing that most people do not know about you?
A: I’m a dedicated Batman fan! I know too many random facts about the 1966 Batman TV show with Adam West – my favorite Batman.
Q: Why is philanthropy important to SIAM?
A: Philanthropy has the power to accelerate progress where it’s needed most. Charitable gifts from our community allow us to create exciting new opportunities to promote applied mathematics and computational science globally, while providing access to a broader audience of people who have been historically unable to access these fields without resources. I look forward to partnering with our members to expand our reach!