Calculated Geniuses

Kimberly Moore is the brains behind Calculated Genius. She founded the organization in 2016 as a way to enhance STEM education in Chicago and ensure underrepresented youth, namely women and minorities, know there is a space for them in engineering.

Kimberly is also Founder and President of KDM Engineering, a full-service engineering and telecommunications consulting firm with locations in Chicago, Philadelphia, and Boston.

Since joining Calculated Genius in July 2022 as the Executive Director, Brian Biederman has played a pivotal role in the organization's remarkable growth. Under his stewardship, Calculated Genius has experienced a significant 91% expansion, a testament to his dedication and strategic vision. Brian's approach combines humility & creativity, with a deep commitment to the mission of empowering women of color in engineering and technology. His leadership is characterized by a focus on sustainable development, student-centered programs, and a relentless pursuit of excellence in serving CG’s mission. Brian’s impact at Calculated Genius exemplifies his belief in the power of collective effort and the potential of every individual to effect transformational & positive change.

Liana Bran serves as the Director of Expansion Strategy at Cara, a workforce development agency and group of social enterprises that build bootcamps and businesses that get people back to work. In her role, Liana helps elevate inclusive employment practices, working with organizations to better attract, hire, and cultivate diverse talent from nearby communities.

Prior to Cara, Liana Bran spent nearly eight years supporting small businesses as a program director at the Illinois Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (IHCC). Liana believes in entrepreneurship as a tool for social change and places her career firmly at the intersection of business and impact. Also at the Chamber, Liana discovered the importance of a strong and diverse talent pipeline to the continued growth of the economy. In 2019, she participated in the inaugural Chicago Workforce Leadership Academy, making Liana an Economic Opportunity Fellow at the Aspen Institute. She sees a common thread between her work with small businesses and continuing to help people create a meaningful living and uncover their passions and purpose at Cara.

Liana has a bachelor's degree in sociology from the University of Illinois at Chicago and a master's in business administration with honors from the Booth School of Business at the University of Chicago. In her free time, Liana enjoys cooking, spending time with her family, and following other people's dogs on social media!

Tasha is passionate about climate change and issues that impact women and people of color. Her life work includes investing nearly ten years in the renewable energy industry with an emphasis in Power Systems. Prior to that she spent over 15 years in Business leadership and electrical engineering/technical roles. Tasha is currently the Vice President of Solar Engineering at RWE Renewables, where her responsibilities include leading the design and development of Utility Scale Solar Plants and Substations. She is a licensed Professional Engineer in six US States and a certified Project Management Professional.

In addition to her professional experience, Tasha has served in various volunteer capacities including past Director of the Austin Chapter of Black Women in Science and Engineering, Co-Founder of #WI, an Austin-based startup focused on building an ecosystem that connects top talent from diverse backgrounds to Austin’s most innovative companies, and as a Professional Mentor with TECHWomen, a Global STEM initiative of the US Department of State. In her spare time, she loves volunteering with her Sorority and doing anything that involves being outdoors.

La Shauna E. Nichols, has over 20 years in Tech & Software Engineering field and has spent the last 15 years, designing and building enterprise applications at scale. She holds a graduate degree in Information Technology Management and is certified in Generative AI. As a self-taught software developer, La Shauna humbly began as a hybrid web developer in Oil & Gas then moved into application engineering within HealthTech and Education, later working her way up to leading development teams for software initiatives both small and large. La Shauna is former Head of Infrastructure & Backend Engineering at Scratch, the world’s largest learn-to-code platform, where she helped lead the teams that helped scale the platform to over 120 million users. Today, she leads engineering as Chief Technology Officer at a Stealth Startup and Venture Firm in Palo Alto California. She operates as a hands-on leader and as a reliable technical resource to Startup Founders requiring system and software design expertise. La Shauna supports many STEM organizations and is the founder of one of the largest online software developer communities on the web. To add to the myriad of technical and community-driven work that she does, she is also an Executive Board Member in the SF Bay Area chapter of the National Society of Black Engineers as well as Board Member at Chicago-based Calculated Genius, both organizations sewing deep roots in STEM and Computer Science. When La Shauna isn’t leading and mentoring, she can be found perfecting her swing on a golf course or whipping up a good Caribbean dish at her home in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Gabriela Garcia currently serves as Director for the US DOT Great Lakes Region Small Business Transportation Resource Center (SBTRC) at the Illinois Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (IHCC), the leading Hispanic business, networking, advocacy and development organization in Illinois. In this role, she is responsible for assisting small businesses in the areas of bonding, business counseling, marketing, and capacity building.

Gabriela received her Bachelor of Science in Marketing from the University of Illinois in Chicago. While there, she became the Fundraising Executive Co-Chair of the American Marketing Association. Gabriela is currently a member of the WTS International Chicago Chapter, and Young Professionals in Transportation.

Gina is President & CEO of RJ Lipscomb Engineering. Since 1978, RJ Lipscomb Engineering has serviced the metal processing and general manufacturing industry through quality workmanship and timely service. We are a family-owned business and pride ourselves on providing our customers with customized solutions to solve their problems. Their full-service machine shop is capable of repairs, customization, and manufacturing parts and equipment. RJ Lipscomb Engineering is a leader in re-building machinery, repairs, maintenance, installation, custom design and manufacturing of equipment.

Gina is a graduate of the 2021 Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses Chicago Cohort 28 and a graduate of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with a Bachelor’s of Science.

Chris Jenkins is Vice President of Engineering Recruiting for LinkedIn. He has over 20 years of recruiting experience in search and talent acquisition with firms including McKinsey & Company, Relativity and Deloitte. Chris has a proven ability to develop and execute talent acquisition strategy, design and implement process improvements, and build high-performing teams to deliver top talent to the business.

Micae Brown is the Marketing Officer, Lending at LISC - Local Initiatives Support Corporation as well as founder and CEO of Micae Brown Sales Agency. Micae's sales expertise stems from over fourteen years of sales working in technology, professional services, retail management, media, and advertising.

As a CEO of her company, Micae leads her team of experts to help businesses across the country develop sales strategies to sell their products and services. Through an innovative and disruptive sales model, Micae manages a portfolio of clients and finds solutions to help them transform and grow their businesses. With significant experience in sales, marketing and media, Micae’s mission is to help small and mid-size businesses achieve success in sales and marketing. In addition, Micae’s passion for learning has led her to facilitate a weekly e-course targeted to business owners and professionals across the globe. This course covers business architectures, sales, marketing, and operations.

Micae is a Chicago native and graduate of DePaul University and the Sandler Sales Institute. She is also Hubspot Inbound Certified. When she is not connecting with business leaders or volunteering with local charities, Micae enjoys planning her next excursion and spending time with friends and family, including her Yorkshire Terriers Bentley and Studley.