2026 Science Club for Girls Catalyst Awards

Yvonne Hao
COO/ General Partner, Flagship Pioneering and Former MA Secretary of Economic Development

Yvonne Hao joined Flagship Pioneering in 2025 as Chief Operating Officer and General Partner. She leads core functional pillars that support Flagship and its ecosystem, including HR and Talent, Legal and IP, IT/Digital, Communications, Government and Regulatory Affairs, and Facilities and Real Estate. Yvonne also supports company-wide strategic initiatives and works with Flagship’s Growth Partners to help steward later-stage companies.

Yvonne most recently served as Secretary of the Executive Office of Economic Development for Massachusetts. She brings more than 25 years of experience as a senior executive, investor, and operator, including leadership roles at Cove Hill Partners, Pillar Ventures, Bain Capital, and PillPack, where she led the company’s sale to Amazon. Earlier in her career, she held senior roles at Honeywell and McKinsey & Company. Yvonne has served on multiple public and private company boards and is active in civic and educational leadership.

Dr. Sally Kornbluth
18^th President of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Sally Kornbluth is the 18th President of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, a role she has held since January 2023. She has rallied the MIT community to help solve the great challenges of our time, launching initiatives that enable faculty to “go big” with daring ideas. She created the Climate Project at MIT to advance solutions to climate change; introduced the MIT Human Insight Collaborative (MITHIC) to spark new partnerships across disciplines; and led the launch of the MIT Health and Life Sciences Collaborative (MIT HEALS). In 2025 she introduced the MIT Generative AI Impact Consortium (MGAIC) and advanced the MIT Initiative for New Manufacturing and MIT Quantum Initiative (QMIT).

She earned degrees from Williams College, Cambridge University, and Rockefeller University. In her research, Kornbluth focused on processes that are key to understanding cancer as well as various degenerative disorders. She has published extensively on how cancer cells evade apoptosis and how metabolism regulates the cell death process.

Sunita Williams
Retired Astronaut

Sunita “Suni” L. Williams is a retired NASA astronaut and retired U.S. Navy captain. She was selected as an Astronaut by NASA in 1998 and flew on three long-duration space missions: Expeditions 14/15, 32/33, and 71/72. Williams has logged 608 days in space and completed 62 hours and 6 minutes of spacewalk time, the most of any woman and fourth on NASA’s all-time list. In June 2024, she launched aboard Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft for its first crewed mission to the International Space Station. After NASA’s decision to return Starliner uncrewed, she continued serving as a member of Expeditions 71/72 and returned to Earth in March 2025 aboard a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft on NASA’s Crew-9 mission.  She became the first person to run a marathon in space on April 16, 2007, completing the Boston Marathon in 4 hours and 24 minutes while aboard the International Space Station.

Born in Euclid, Ohio, Williams considers Needham, Massachusetts her hometown. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Physical Science from the U.S. Naval Academy and a Master of Science in Engineering Management from the Florida Institute of Technology. Commissioned as a U.S. Navy officer in 1987, she became a Naval Aviator in 1989 and later graduated from the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School. Williams served in multiple operational, test, and leadership aviation roles, logging more than 3,000 flight hours in over 30 aircraft. At NASA, she held technical and management positions including work in robotics, Deputy Chief of the Astronaut Office, Flight Engineer for Expedition 32, and Commander of Expedition 33. She has received numerous military awards, including the Defense Superior Service Medal, Legion of Merit, and Navy Commendation Medal.

www.AstronautSuniWilliams.com

Pamela Gardner
Meteorologist, NBC10 Boston and NECN

Pamela Gardner is an Emmy award-winning meteorologist who joined NBC10 Boston and NECN in 2018.  She has earned the Seal of Approval from the National Weather Association. In 2025 Gardner was recognized by the Massachusetts Broadcasters Association and awarded first place for meteorologist.

Catch her on air mornings and afternoons on NBC10 and NECN.

5:30pm-6:30pm - VIP Reception at Scorpion Bar*

6pm-7:15pm - Event Reception

• Passed appetizers and food stations, cash bar
• Photo Booth
• Silent Auction
• Networking
• Interactive Curriculum Displays

7:15pm-8:15pm - Catalyst Awards Program, including:

• Award Presentations to Yvonne Hao and Dr. Sally Kornbluth
• Panel with Bonnie Bertolaet, Ph.D., Executive Director and Awardees 
• Keynote Speaker: retired Astronaut Sunita Williams

8:15-9:00pm - Dessert Reception

*For Catalyst Awardees, Rare Element and Platinum Sponsors, and Host Committee Members