The Building a Sustainable Quantum Talent Ecosystem panel occurred during the Market Acceleration breakout track at Quantum World Congress 2024 featuring: Jessica Rosenberg, George Mason University; Alexandra Fuentes, Fairfax County Public Schools; and Tomasz Durakiewicz, National Science Foundation.

Jessica Rosenberg is an Associate Professor of Physics and Astronomy and the Director of Education for the Quantum Science and Engineering Center at George Mason University. Dr. Rosenberg is an astrophysicist and an expert in STEM education research and program development spanning K-20. Her efforts aim to improve STEM education while increasing access and improving retention. She has helped to create a multidisciplinary QISE MS program, studied undergraduate STEM students’ knowledge of QISE, built K-12 programs for students and teachers to learn about quantum and quantum careers, and has worked with teachers to co-create K-12 quantum lessons.

Alexandra Fuentes is the Program Manager overseeing Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Mathematics (STEAM) and Computer Science (CS) Programs in Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS). In this role, she is leading the expansion of STEAM and CS from pre-K through grade 12 to prepare students for careers of the future. Prior to this role, she served as an Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellow, a Teach Plus Teaching Policy Fellow, and a Senior Fellow with the Knowles Teacher Initiative. She began her career teaching high school biology in DC and VA where she collaborated with scientists to increase underrepresented students’ access to STEAM. She earned degrees from the University of Pittsburgh, the Harvard Graduate School of Education, and the University of Virginia.

Tomasz Durakiewicz is a Program Director for the National Science Foundation. Tomasz Durakiewicz received his Ph.D. in 1998 in Experimental Physics and joined Los Alamos National Laboratory in 2000, working on the electronic structure of f-electron materials, mostly actinides. Coauthored over 200 peer-reviewed publications cited over 5800 times. Since July 2014 Durakiewicz serves as Program Director for Condensed Matter Physics (CMP), and Historically Black Colleges and Universities – Undergraduate Program (HBCU-UP), Centers of Research Excellence in Science and Technology (CREST) Program, Expanding Capacity in Quantum Information Science and Engineering (ExpandQISE) program, and Enabling Quantum Leap: Convergent Accelerated Discovery Foundries for Quantum Materials Science, Engineering and Information (Q-AMASE-i) program at the National Science Foundation.

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