Anna Prakash, Ph.D., is a principal engineer in global supply chain and operations. During her 20-plus years of engineering, she has developed leading-edge sustainable packaging material technologies and has led more than 100 suppliers to deliver environmentally sustainable electronic components.

When it comes to sourcing electronic components, Dr. Prakash’s efforts influence suppliers to produce sustainable solutions, particularly those free from toxic “forever chemicals.” Throughout her career, she has fostered innovative thinking by acquiring an impressive patent portfolio of 15-plus patents and is extensively published.

Having benefited from strong women as mentors, Dr. Prakash believes that peer mentoring and networking are vital for all phases of an engineering career, as these networks can pave the way for career growth and advancement. She is a prolific leader in peer mentoring, inspiring women to take ownership of their career development and progression.

She co-founded and led the global supply chain organization women’s peer mentoring circle from 2019 to 2022, fostering critical networking and learning opportunities for women engineers. This group’s charter facilitated cross-organizational networking and mentoring, addressing workplace challenges, and maximizing impact. Dr. Prakash actively mentors women engineers, recent college graduates, and women reentering the workforce. Currently, the peer mentoring circle enjoys top-down management support throughout the supply chain organization.

Dr. Prakash has advanced diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives for women and women of color by collaborating with community partners, nonprofits, industry, and educational institutions. She is enthusiastic about growing the next generation of STEM leaders and innovators, especially through her work with SWENext, a STEM-based youth outreach organization sponsored by the Society of Women Engineers. She received SWE’s Prism award in 2018, which recognizes a woman who has charted her own path and provided leadership in engineering or engineering technology.

Dr. Prakash also champions STEM education by teaching robotics workshops year-round and teaching coding, problem-solving, and soft skills at local schools and after-school programs for girls and the Girl Scouts of the USA through Education Empowers Inc., a nonprofit that she co-founded with her daughter in 2016. Her organization reaches thousands of students annually; more than half of them girls.

Dr. Prakash regularly gives back to the community. She has volunteered hundreds of hours each year for the last two decades. She is committed to mentoring, coaching, and promoting STEM sustainability education and STEM career exploration. Under her mentorship, students have won many awards at LEGO regional and state championships and serve as STEM ambassadors for Education Empowers.

Dr. Prakash holds a B.S. and an M.S. from University of Madras, India, and a Ph.D. in chemistry from Arizona State University. She lives in Chandler, Arizona, with her two children and husband, Tommy Ashton II.