Speakers | Empower Conference

2025 Speakers

Keynote Speaker

Dr. Moiya McTier

Astrophysicist, folklorist, and science communicator

Dr. Moiya McTier has given hundreds of talks around the world on a wide range of topics, from the physics of water to global eclipse rituals. Her work sits at the intersection of science and storytelling, fact and fiction, complex concepts and chaotic creativity.

Moiya officially became a doctor of the universe in 2021 as the first Black woman to graduate from Columbia’s astronomy PhD program and started pursuing science communication full-time.

In addition to speaker, she has helped design exhibits for the New York Hall of Science and consulted with companies like Disney and PBS on scientific themes in their projects. She has reached thousands through her interviews on hit podcasts (Star Talk, Science Vs., and NPR’s Science Friday) and media channels (PBS, MSNBC, NY1). Moiya can also be found co-hosting Fate & Fabled, a mythology show for PBS Digital studios, as well as hosting her own podcasts Exolore (about fictional world-building through a science lens) and Pale Blue Pod (about astronomy for people who are afraid of the cosmos).

Moiya’s debut book THE MILKY WAY: An Autobiography of Our Galaxy was released in 2022 to critical acclaim and was named one of Publishers Weekly’s best books of 2022. Moiya’s mission is to help people understand the world around us better through science and is eager to do that across as many platforms as possible.

Other Speakers

Dedication. Expertise. Passion.

Wellness Session Speaker

Dr. Latisha Franklin

Dr. Franklin’s research interests include promoting belonging in STEM fields and the association between muscle function and metabolism. Her research has led to local and international recognition as well as co-authored publications in several academic journals including The American Journal of Physiology and PLOS Genetics. Dr. Franklin’s passion led to being awarded the Paul Robeson Cultural Center Pioneer Award, Eberly College of Science Climate and Diversity Award, and the Stephanie Danette Preston Service Award. Latisha is also the founder and owner of Gratified Grad which is a consulting company that supports graduate students in realizing and living their holistically healthy and authentic lifestyle. She often engages with faculty and research mentors to support enriching research experiences for scholars.

See Dr. Franklin speak at the conference!

Session Speaker

Dr. Glaucia Del Rio

Dr. Glaucia (Glau) Del-Rio is a Brazilian field and museum ornithologist, as well as an evolutionary biologist with a passion for Amazonian birds. She was recently appointed as an Assistant Curator of Ornithology at the Florida Museum of Natural History. Dr. Del-Rio earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of São Paulo, and her PhD in Systematics, Ecology, and Evolution from Louisiana State University. She also served as an Edward W. Rose Postdoctoral Fellow at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

In her lab, Dr. Del-Rio conducts research in bird speciation, genomic architecture, population genetics, evo-devo, systematics, and spatial ecology. Her work primarily focuses on Neotropical birds and is grounded in a strong fieldwork program. In 2019, Glaucia led an all-women expedition (Emilie Snethlage Expedition) in Amazonia to raise awareness about gender disparity in field Ornithology.

See Dr. Del Rio speak at the conference!

Session Speaker

Dr. Danielle Lee

Danielle N. Lee is a biologist and outreach scientist who studies the behavioral biology and natural history of nuisance rodents over human-modified environmental gradients. She is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. Her research includes examining behavioral variation of field mice in the Metro St. Louis area and the natural history of African giant pouched rats of Tanzania. She is well known for her science promotion and outreach in social media. Her research and science outreach and advocacy have been recognized by The Explorers Club (2021), National Geographic Society (2017 Emerging Explorer), TED Fellows Program (2015), Essence Magazine Woke 100 (2019) EBONY Magazine’s Power 100 (2014) and the White House Champions of Change in STEM Diversity and Access (2014).

See Dr. Lee speak at the conference!

Workshop Speaker

Krystal Clark

Krystal N. Clark, M.Ed., SHRM-CP is a native of Portsmouth, Virginia. She is a graduate of the College of William & Mary and the University of Maryland, College Park. In 2020, she launched Equip To Thrive, LLC which offers personal and professional development experiences for ‘talented and imperfect’ people. Krystal has worked at two Top 20 institutions of higher education including Duke University where she began her professional career as the Program Coordinator for the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life and Vanderbilt University where over the course of 13 years she served in three different roles including the Director of Employee Learning & Engagement, Associate Director of Greek Life and Director of Student Leadership Development.

In October of last year, she took on a new role at the University of Maryland, College Park as an Organizational Learning Specialist in the Center for Leadership and Organizational Change where she continues to use her gifts as a speaker, facilitator, and Gallup-Certified CliftonStrengths Coach, in her efforts to make the workplace a better place for more people.

Krystal is a Past President of the Junior League of Nashville, serving as the first Black/BIPOC president in the organization’s 96-year history in 2017, and Past Chair of The Women's Fund Advisory Board of The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee. Clark is also the Past Chair of the Board of Directors of The Belcourt Theatre and a former member of the Board of Directors for Book ‘em and Girls on the Run Middle Tennessee.

When not working or serving the community, Krystal is a friendly and helpful face at Barre3 Bethesda, can often be found at a concert, learning how to play golf, binge watching, using social media for good, and is currently working her way through a very large To Be Read pile.