Nadira Williams received her B.S. in Laboratory Animal Science from North Carolina Agricultural & Technical State University and obtained her V.M.D. from the University of Pennsylvania.  Prior to her position at Penn, she served as a Veterinary Medical Officer for the United States Department of Agriculture, focusing on animal welfare compliance.  Despite switching career paths to work in the STEM education sector, she is a practicing veterinarian licensed in Pennsylvania.  Dr. Williams currently serves as director of the Engineering Summer Academy at Penn (ESAP), an academically intensive, residential summer program for high school students that focuses on engineering. She is responsible for the annual planning, execution, and daily operational oversight of ESAP, which provides a robust and engaging college-like experience for budding young engineers across the globe.