Staff Biographies Kathie Bailey Mathae, Director of the Board on International Scientific Organizations (BISO), began her career at the National Academies in February 2005 when she joined BISO as a Program Officer. After serving as Senior Program Officer and BISO’s Deputy Director, she was appointed Director in May 2007. Her responsibilities to date have included six U.S. National Committees in math and physical sciences, as well as visa and export control policy. Prior coming to the National Academies, Ms. Bailey Mathae worked for the Association of American Universities for 14 years. Her areas of responsibility there included visa, export control, and diversity issues, the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). She directed the Space Science Working Group, a group of several hundred space scientists and government relations officers interested in the health of university-based space science research. Ms. Bailey Mathae also authored a report titled “Reinvigorating the Humanities: Enhancing Research and Education on Campus and Beyond,” and worked on a variety of teacher education and K-12/university alignment projects. From 1984 until 1991, she worked for Congresswoman Lindy Boggs (D-LA) as associate staff for VA-HUD appropriations and special projects assistant. Ms. Bailey Mathae is active in a number of outside activities including: Clan Johnston/e in America (National Treasurer); Girl Scouts (troop leader for 10 years); the Arlington Education Fund (Board Member); Kenmore Middle School’s and Arlington County’s Reflections fine arts program (Chair and Past Co-Chair, respectively); and the Arlington Masters Swim team. Ms. Bailey Mathae has a B.A. from Milligan College and a J.D. from Tulane University. Lisa Bevell, Communications Associate, updates BISO’s web pages, including those of the various scientific committees, organizations, and U.S. National Committees (USNCs) managed by BISO. She also supports the USNC for the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC). Prior to joining BISO in 2006, she was a Program Associate with the Research Associateship Programs and served as an administrative liaison to postdoctoral researchers at several federal laboratories. Ms. Bevell holds a Graduate Certificate in Linguistics: Teaching English as a Second Language from George Mason University. Her interests include cross-cultural relations, international volunteerism, and second language acquisition. Katherine Bowman joined BISO in 2006 as a Program Officer. She supports five U.S National Committees to international unions in the biological sciences and the USNC to the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC). In addition to her work with the National Committees, Dr. Bowman is particularly interested in emerging biological and chemical technologies and responsible use of scientific research. Prior to becoming a Program Officer, she was a Mirzayan Science and Technology Policy Fellow at the National Academies working on biosecurity issues. She received her B.A. in Biology from Amherst College and her Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering from Johns Hopkins University. Between college and graduate school, she worked as a legal assistant in both Washington, D.C. and Boston. In her free time, she enjoys kayaking, hiking, and motorcycling. Margaret Collins is a Program Officer for the U.S. IIASA National Member Organization (NMO), a position she held at the American Academy of Arts and Sciences from 1997-2003, before NMO responsibility returned to the NAS. Dr. Collins is also the Program Officer for the U.S. National Committee to DIVERSITAS, a cross-disciplinary program on biodiversity. From 1994-1997, she served as Special Assistant to the NOAA Chief Scientist, with responsibility for assisting to formulate and execute policy relating to NOAA’s science program, including interagency activities, NOAA-University research coordination, and strategic planning. She was the 1992-93 Congressional Science Fellow for the Geological Society of America, performing legislative staff work on trade and environment issues, particularly NAFTA, and on international environmental and economic issues for the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works. She has a Ph.D. in Geological Oceanography from the MIT/WHOI Joint Program in Oceanography (1987), and a B.S. in Geology from Stanford (1978). She serves on the American Geophysical Union (AGU) Committee on Public Affairs (COPA), and represents COPA on the AGU Meetings. Ana M. Ferreras, a Program Officer supporting the U.S. National Committees for the math, math instruction, crystallography, theoretical and applied mechanics, and physics, joined BISO’s staff in 2008. Dr. Ferreras holds a Ph.D. in Industrial Engineering (IE) at the University of Central Florida (UCF); her doctoral research focused on developing a company success index model to assess and predict organizational performance based on critical success factors such as profit, productivity, efficiency, quality, employee morale, safety and ergonomics. She also holds an M.S. in Engineering Management from the Florida Institute of Technology and a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from UCF. During her doctoral research, she assisted the IE Department at UCF in reengineering the undergraduate curriculum by developing a national model, new programs, experiential laboratories, and research centers. Prior to joining BISO's staff this month, Ana was a winter 2008 Christine Mirzayan Policy Graduate Fellow with the Center for Advancement of Scholarship on Engineering Education (CASEE) at the National Academy of Engineering (NAE). In her free time, she enjoys watching plays, opera, traveling and snorkeling. Pam Gamble, Administrative Associate to the Director and Senior Program Assistant for six National Committees, has worked at the National Academies since 1986. She started as the Library Assistant in Board on Science and Technology for International Development (BOSTID) and then was promoted, in 1991, to BOSTID’s Reports Distribution Office, where she distributed thousands of BOSTID reports to developing countries, universities, professional organizations, and societies throughout the world. In 1997, she was promoted to Program Assistant and then in 2001 to Senior Program Assistant with the then Committee on International Organizations and Programs (CIOP) in the Office of International Affairs. CIOP became the Board on International Scientific Organizations in the Policy and Global Affairs Division. Ms. Gamble graduated from Howard D. Woodson Senior High School in the District of Columbia Public School in 1981. She has been a member of Academy Recreation Activity Association Club, which organized events and activities for staff. She has also served on many Academy focus groups and committees. She is currently a volunteer member of the African American History Committee and co-chair of her community organization “Weed and Seed Program,” under the Department of Justice outreach program. She is PGA’s unofficial photographer. Kofi Kpikpitse, Program Associate, received his B.Sc. in Political Science from the University of Ghana in 1991. He supports the U.S. National Committees for Theoretical and Applied Mechanics, Psychology, Math Instruction, Pacific Science Association, and the International Union of Radio Science (URSI). Mr. Kpikpitse was the Museum Educator and Public Relations Officer for the Ghana Museums and Monuments Board until 1999, developing and managing all public education programs and communications for all the museums and monuments in southern Ghana. He also collaborated with the Ghana Tourist Board to provide customer service delivery training to tourism industry personnel in various countries in Africa. He has been an elementary school teacher in Los Angeles, California and Montgomery County in Maryland. His current interests are in international relations with particular focus on the socio-economic and political history of South East Asia. He is currently studying for his MBA at Johns Hopkins University. Avihai Ostchega is a Senior Program Assistant supporting the U.S. National Committees for the International Unions of Quaternary Research, Geological Sciences, Geodesy and Geophysics and Soil Sciences, as well as the U.S. National Committees for the International Institute of Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) and DIVERSITAS. Prior to joining BISO, Mr. Ostchega received his B.A. in Liberal Arts from Antioch University in Seattle, Washington. After 10 years on the west coast he accepted a position at a linguistics company in D.C. where he worked as a program manager. His interests include comparative religion, mythology and conflict science. He is currently working towards a M.Sc. in Conflict Analysis at George Mason University’s Institute for Conflict Analysis and Resolution. Lois E. Peterson has worked at the National Academies since 1991 and with BISO since January 1997. She currently serves as Program Officer for two U.S. National Committees: Soil Science and the Pacific Science Association. Her other duties with the Board include assisting with program oversight and working on issues relating to UNESCO and scientific openness. Other National Academies activities on which Ms. Peterson has worked include the project on democratization, international security and arms control, landmine detection, and alternatives to landmines. While in graduate school, she was the convention coordinator for the International Studies Association. She holds an M.A. in International Studies from the University of South Carolina, a Certificat d’Etudes Européennes from the Free University of Brussels, and a B.A. (Economics and Political Science) from Augustana College (Illinois). Ester Sztein is a Program Officer supporting the U.S. National Committees for the International Unions of Quaternary Research, Geological Sciences, Geodesy and Geophysics and Psychological Sciences. Joining BISO’s staff in 2007, Dr. Sztein brings a wealth of experience as a scientist, international nonprofit officer, and educator. As a research scientist, Dr. Sztein pioneered the study of hormone metabolism in land plants within an evolutionary context and has published her research in peer-reviewed journals. Since 2000, she has collaborated as an editor with the Biometeorology Institute (Bologna, Italy). As a nonprofit officer, she collaborated on conservation and educational projects in Latin America and Africa. A member and former consultant for the Association for Women in Science, she has served as the Vice President for Programs for its DC Metropolitan Chapter until December 2007. A member of Sigma Xi, she has taught plant biology at the University of Maryland and the University of Buenos Aires. In addition to English and Spanish, she is fluent in Italian and Portuguese. She holds a Ph.D. in Plant Biology from the University of Maryland and earned her B.Sc./M.Sc. in Biology from the University of Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Revised 25 November 2008