Executive Director
Kensey Bergdorf-Smith, PhD
Dr. Kensey Bergdorf-Smith is a native West Virginian with strong ties to Appalachia. She holds two bachelor’s degrees from West Virginia University: a Bachelor of Science in Immunology and Medical Microbiology and a Bachelor of Multidisciplinary Studies with emphases in Biology, Leadership Studies, and Political Science. She received her PhD in Pharmacology at Vanderbilt University, where she worked to improve treatment options for patients with aggressive cancers.
She was named a Nath Outstanding Graduate and a Foundation Scholar at West Virginia University. As a Milan Puskar Leadership Scholar, she presented original work on college graduate retention in West Virginia on a national platform. She served as a Washington Fellow with the American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, during which she advocated for funding for the National Science Foundation and National Institutes of Health with members of Congress. She also served as a West Virginia Science and Technology Policy Fellow.
Outside of her science policy work, Dr. Bergdorf-Smith enjoys spending time with her husband, daughters, and dogs, traveling, painting, and photography. Several of the images on this website were taken by Dr. Bergdorf-Smith on her travels through West Virginia!
S&T Policy Fellow
Nathan Burns, PhD
Dr. Nathan Burns is from West Virginia's northern neighbor, Ohio. He received his bachelor's degree in biochemistry from Miami University. Following his time at Miami, he worked as a postbac research fellow at the National Institutes of Health. He received his PhD in Human Genetics at the University of Utah, where he deduced when and how vitamin A is important for fetal muscle development, with an emphasis on a common birth defect, congenital diaphragmatic hernias.
During his time at the University of Utah, Dr. Burns worked with local nonprofits to successfully advocate for increased food security for K-12 students. He also served as the only graduate student member of the Society for Developmental Biology's Public Affairs Committee, representing thousands of developmental biologists in the US. Dr. Burns now hopes to fully transition to a career in science policy. He is excited to come back east and learn the ins and outs of state policymaking in West Virginia while helping to serve West Virginians!
Outside of his work, Dr. Burns can be found outdoors hiking and trail running. He is also an avid traveler and excited to explore West Virginia. At home, he loves to cook and is an aspiring sfoglino.
S&T Policy Fellow
Madison Flory, PhD
Dr. Madison Flory is originally from Defiance, a small town in northwestern Ohio. She attended Heidelberg University in Tiffin, Ohio for her bachelor’s degree in biology, also completing minors in music and chemistry. She has spent the past five years at the University of Kentucky working on her PhD in microbiology and immunology, where she studied how gut bacteria can impact colorectal cancer.
While in graduate school, Dr. Flory found science policy and loved being able to use data and science to help make decisions. She worked part-time as the science policy specialist for the Kentucky Academy of Science, helping scientists from all across Kentucky get involved in state policy. At the University of Kentucky, she served as the president of Kentucky Advocates for Science Policy and Research and represented her department on Graduate Student Congress. Dr. Flory was also a member of the inaugural class of Howard Garrison Advocacy Fellows, a program offered by the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology, where she learned how to advocate for science at the national level.
Outside of science policy, Dr. Flory likes to read, make music, and travel. She is also excited to explore West Virginia!
S&T Policy Intern
Leyton Watts
