Executive Director, Riley's Way Foundation
Christine O’Connell, Ph.D., is an expert in the field of science communication, policy, engagement, and building empathetic leaders. She provides strategic direction to grow non-profit and academic organizations, research initiatives, and community campaigns. She is currently the Executive Director of Riley’s Way Foundation (rileysway.org), an organization whose mission is to empower kindness and empathy in teen leaders to build a better world. Previously, she was the founding Associate Director and a professor at the Alan Alda Center for Communicating Science at Stony Brook University where she helped create and build the Center and its curriculum to international acclaim. Her research focuses on best practices in science communication, novel collaborations, science policy, and women in STEM.