Irene Hulede

Education Director, American Society for Microbiology

Irene Hulede serves as ASM’s Education Director, a senior staff member for the American Society for Microbiology (ASM).  In this capacity, Hulede oversees the development and implementation of trainee and faculty programs and services in the microbiological and biological sciences and leads educational activities, various external grants and cooperative agreements in this role. Irene Hulede joined ASM’s Education Department in 1994. She is responsible for the delivery of signature ASM programs, including ABRCMS, ASM’s conference in support of multidisciplinary science and workforce development, ASM MOSAIC Program, ASM Conference for Undergraduate Educators (ASMCUE), career and workforce development programs, including online learning and ASM fellowship programs for undergraduate and graduate students and postdoctoral scientists.

Currently, Hulede is the project director and co-principal investigator for ABRCMS and principal investigator for ASM MOSAIC Program and ASMCUE. In her work, she adheres to best management practices to leverage ASM’s resources and maximize investments. She is responsible for developing strategic goals to advance education and professional and career development in the microbial sciences; executing policies and practices to achieve program goals; overseeing the development and implementation of ASM education initiatives and meetings; and leading ASM efforts that promote a culture of inclusion to achieve diversity in science; and providing smooth and efficient services that meet the expectations of members, target audiences, partners, volunteers, and consultants. Her position plays a leading role in recruiting and developing volunteers, staff, and subject-matter experts and forming and sustaining partnerships and collaborations with various disciplinary societies, organizations, and educational institutions.

Throughout Hulede’s 30-year plus tenure at ASM, she has mentored trainees at different levels of their career trajectory and worked closely with faculty to facilitate a mentoring program to ensure the success of the future generation of scientists. She is responsible for over $25M of external funding, including partnerships with the National Institutes of Health, National Science Foundation, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Burroughs Wellcome Fund and Chan Zuckerberg Initiative. In the past, she managed the ASM Fellowship Fund, an endowment fund that supports undergraduate, graduate, and postdoctoral fellowship and a cooperative agreement with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for more than 20 years.

Under her leadership, the ASM education program has been recognized with several honors, including the Presidential Award for Mentoring Underrepresented Minorities in Science, Math, Engineering, and Technology and the 2019 AIMBE Excellence in STEM Education Award, awarded for contributing to the advancement of underrepresented minorities in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics; diversifying the biomedical sciences and biomedical engineering workforce; and providing students from groups underrepresented in science with early exposure to the profession. She serves on national advisory committees of several organizations, including the Burroughs Wellcome Fund Postdoctoral Enrichment Program, National Summer Undergraduate Research Project (NSURP), Understanding Inventions, the Leadership Alliance IPERT program, and ACCESS+ STEM program.

Dr Deborah Husbands

Chartered Psychologist and Associate Professor, University of Westminster

Dr Deborah Husbands is a Chartered Psychologist and Associate Professor in Race and Sociocultural Psychology at the University of Westminster. She is also a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and an Associate Fellow of the British Psychological Society. She is Co-Chair of the EDI Committee, founder and Co-Chair of the BME Colleague Network, and founder and Lead for the Black History Year programme, which features a Vitae award-winning Researchers Network, all at the University of Westminster. She also chairs the British Psychological Society's Editorial and Advisory Committee for its flagship magazine, The Psychologist, and sits on the BPS Research Board. Deborah employs qualitative research methods and critical race theories to investigate constructions of identity in higher education and society, with a keen focus on the effect of the impostor phenomenon on sense of belonging. She has a keen interest in addressing retention, progression and awarding for marginalised students. Her latest research examines the effect of the impostor phenomenon on academic performance, academic satisfaction and sense of belonging in underrepresented student groups. She collaborates with several universities on diverse projects to advance equity in higher education.

Ade Williams MBE FRSA

NHS & GPhC

Ade Williams MBE FRSA is a nationally recognised healthcare leader, pharmacist, and advocate for equity, inclusion, and system change.

Widely known as “The People’s Pharmacist,” and recognisable through his BBC Radio features, TV and media appearances, and popular monthly syndicated health column, Ade’s journey spans from a community pharmacy in South Bristol to senior leadership roles at the heart of the NHS and national regulation. His work is driven by a simple but powerful belief: talent is everywhere, opportunity is not—and equity must be intentional.

Operating at the intersection of policy and practice, Ade combines frontline experience with board-level leadership. He serves on national regulatory bodies, including the General Pharmaceutical Council, and on NHS boards, shaping decisions that affect millions of people. Described as “an individual whose ideas should influence and shape the direction of the NHS,” Ade focuses not only on access to healthcare, but on dismantling the structural barriers that limit voice, dignity, and opportunity—particularly for racially minoritised and underrepresented communities. He is also the Pharmacy Profession’s Patient Champion.

Across a career marked by many firsts and onlys, Ade has remained committed to creating safe spaces where people are seen, supported, and empowered to thrive. This commitment led him to create the most successful professional training programme in pharmacy—diverse and inclusive by design, and responsible for producing multiple national award winners. His research-led, innovative work spans domestic abuse, cancer survival, mental health stigma, cardiovascular health, and health inequality in the UK and internationally, with impact recognised by The Lancet and the World Health Organisation.

Awarded an MBE for services to the NHS and his community, receiving Honorary Doctorates from the University of Portsmouth and the University of the West of England, Ade continues to open doors for others—championing leadership, representation, and meaningful change.

Your lived experience is not a limitation—it is your strength. You belong in the room, and your voice matters.