Caroline King, Chief Operating Officer, now representing Washington STEM on Today's Town Hall

Caroline King will now be representing Washington STEM on today's Town Hall on STEMresults! Caroline serves as Washington STEM’s Chief Operating Officer, leading the organization’s strategy to build a robust and diverse movement in support of improving STEM education, as well as managing its finances and operations. 

Caroline brings more than 10 years of experience working nationally and in Washington State to improve public schools, accelerate student performance, and close educational achievement gaps. Most recently, she served as executive director of Partnership for Learning, the nonprofit education arm of the CEO-led Washington Roundtable. In that role, Caroline led the design and incubation of Washington STEM and co-led a new statewide advocacy coalition that aligned the business and broader community interests around a common education reform agenda.
 
Caroline holds a Master of Education in administration, planning and social policy from the Harvard Graduate School of Education and a bachelor’s in anthropology from the University of Notre Dame. Outside of work, Caroline enjoys spending time with her husband Eric and two young sons, Charlie and Russell. She loves hiking, cooking, going to concerts, and wine tasting her way around her new home in the Pacific Northwest, as she's a native of the other Washington on the East Coast.
 
Caroline is very excited to be joining us on today's call, saying, “In order to drive impact at scale, we need to have a bold appetite for risk tempered by a relentless focus on measuring and acting on results.  This is what we do at Washington STEM. I won’t pretend it’s easy; we are definitely building the plane while we are flying it.  That’s why I’m so excited to participate in Tuesday’s STEMConnector Town Hall.  I look forward to sharing our organization’s approach and questions, and to learning from colleagues around the country.
 
Head to STEMconnector.org/TownHall to register for today's event at 1PM EST and join the conversation on Twitter by following @STEMconnector and using #STEMresults!
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STEMconnector Hosts Town Hall Today on STEM Results: 14 Presentations

Contact: Robert Boege or Ted Wells                                For Immediate Release

Tel: 202-320-8836 or 202-296-5224
 
 
Washington, DC - On Tuesday, October 2nd from 1-3 PM ET STEMconnector™ hosts a Town Hall featuring release of 14 of the first STEM Results Profiles developed by the STEMconnector™ / ASTRA team in partnership with Cisco.  The event enables some 600 STEM professionals across the nation and those on location at the offices of Bloomberg Government in Washington, DC, to share the first findings of the STEM Results Project.  The STEM Results Town Hall is open to STEM Leaders.   Please visit and sign up at STEMconnector.org/Townhall and watch for the Town Hall to be posted on the STEMconnector.org after the Town Hall. 
 
The STEMconnector™ team along with Alex Belous, Education Portfolio Manager, of the Cisco Foundation and representatives from 14 key STEM organizations will discuss findings of the Project and representatives from The National Math and Science Initiative, the National 4-H Council, the Museum of Science Boston, Dow Chemical Company, Washington STEM, Center for Energy Workforce Development, The Manufacturing Institute, Teach for America, Project Lead the Way, National Center for Women & Information Technology, Society of Women Engineers, American Chemical Society, Iowa Governor’s STEM Advisory Council, and SPIE — International Society for Photonics will make brief 
presentations of their own Profiles.
 
Results Matter!  The STEM Results Project focuses on identifying SMART metrics and identifying model STEM programs that can be can be scaled up and/or shared with others.  It is a national effort to identify and characterize performance metrics in more than 5,000 STEM Education organizations.
 
Best Practices — Sharing the Knowledge:  STEMconnector™- with the support of Cisco- will share best practices information and STEM Results profiles within the STEM community through use of the innovative STEMconnector Web Site found at stemconnector.org. Initial targets of the Pilot Program have involved key STEM  leaders—businesses, professional societies, non-profits, educational entities, states, federal overnment and others — identified to measure their own Results against Goals. STEMconnector™ will recognize and honor those STEM organizations that are accomplishing Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time-bound (SMART) Results.  125 targets from all categories are included in our first Results Pilot Project.  STEMconnector™ also is adding a section to the STEMconnector™ Web Site during October, 2012 called "STEM RESULTS THAT MATTER.” 
 
Why the STEM Results Project?  With over $1 trillion being spent annually on STEM education and workforce training, the need to know “what is working” is critical for developing a competitive workforce for today and tomorrow.  Targets for STEMconnector™’s Results efforts include nonprofits, corporations, professional societies, educational entities, federal and state government and others.  
 
Dave Saba, Executive Vice President of the National Math and Science Initiative (NMSI), stated, "NMSI has always been focused on replicating programs with a proven track record of producing significant positive impact for students. We really appreciate this great opportunity to share the amazing results from teachers around the country who are transforming their classrooms with our programs."
 
The goal of the STEM Results project is also to raise the importance of measuring outcomes and make metrics a higher priority for STEM Education interventions throughout the educational pipeline.  “Resources are limited,” says Robert Boege, Executive Director of ASTRA and CIO of STEMconnector™, adding, “The STEM Results program emphasizes the importance of metrics throughout the STEM education community — we have to measure what matters and stop throwing money at things that can’t show a return on investment (ROI).”
 
“Our nation’s future is at stake,” says Edie Fraser, CEO of STEMconnector™, “by focusing on Results, we are moving closer to solutions that we can scale up and prepare our workforce for the 21st century.” Watch for the next STEMconnector Town Hall that will be on Ed Tech: Digital and Distance Learning, November 28th.
 
To follow the Town Hall through social media, follow @STEMconnector on Twitter and use #STEMresults to join the conversation!
About STEMconnector™:  STEMconnector™  works on improving coordination in STEM Education and Workforce Development, and is committed to facilitating the efficient transfer of skills by building partnerships with stakeholders in STEM Education. STEMconnector™ maintains an online database that is a “One Stop-Shop for STEM Education.”  There are over 5,000 profiles of organizations working in STEM Education and Workforce Development plus profiles of all 50 states and the District of Columbia.  STEMconnector™ maintains an informative blog and a robust social media presence.   Additionally, the STEMdaily newsletter provides daily content about what is happening in STEM Education.  For notes on Town Halls, Council meetings, publications and other services, visit STEMconnector.org.
 
For more information please call Robert Boege at 202-320-8836 (rboege@comcastnet) or Ted Wells at 202-296-5224 (ted.wells@stemconnector.org)
Twitter - @stemconnector

 

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STEM Woman Leader of the Day- Ann Randazzo (CEWD)

 

 
Ann Randazzo is the Executive Director of the Center for Energy Workforce Development (CEWD). She assumed this position when the organization was incorporated in March 2006.  Ms. Randazzo has extensive experience in the energy industry including information technology, finance and customer operations in management positions with Georgia Power, a Southern Company. Prior to her involvement with CEWD, she provided strategic planning consulting to electric utilities, concentrating on Human Resources, Training and Development, and Organization Effectiveness through her consulting firm, Randazzo Consulting.
 
Why do you believe STEM Education and Workforce are important to our nation?
 
STEM is the very foundation of a competitive workforce.  My education is in Math, which has prepared me for every job I have had in my career. Math is not just about the numbers, it’s about logic, critical thinking, and the ability to start with a basic concept and build on it. I can’t think of a career where that isn’t important. STEM education provides the ability to learn and grow and that turns a job into a career.
 
In the energy industry, STEM Education and Workforce go hand-in-hand. CEWD has been focusing on career paths for in-demand position, including lineworkers, pipefitters/pipelayers/welders, plant operators, technicians, and engineers, all which require STEM skills. We are finding the incoming workforce has deficit in many of the STEM areas, especially math. By partnering with their state and local education systems, CEWD member utilities are working to improve these skills and help students better understand how STEM is used on a daily basis in the workplace. We’ve even developed a math bootcamp specifically for the energy industry to help build these skills.
 
What about STEM gives you passion?
 
My philosophy is that STEM is for everyone. There seems to be more awareness of the importance of STEM careers, but the focus is on the traditional STEM careers, such as engineers and scientists. However, we see in the energy industry that STEM skills are just important for someone who is, say, a technician as is for an engineer. We need to start stressing the importance of STEM education for all, regardless of career one’s career pathway. This is a message that the energy, manufacturing and construction industries are promoting together.
 
Of what one initiative you are most proud?
 
While CEWD has many initiatives for which I am proud, I would have to say the development of an industry-recognized credential that has been accredited by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). The 130-hour assessment-based certificate program is called Energy Industry Fundamentals and is a comprehensive introduction to the energy industry. Based on support by CEWD members and The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, we are able to offer all course materials, including instructor guides, student guides and labs, free of charge. Several states have adopted the credential as part of the career and technical education program, including Florida and Georgia.
 
How is your company innovating to promote STEM?
 
CEWD integrates the STEM message whenever we talk about energy careers. We’ve even trademarked a statement that encompasses our philosophy Energy Careers: Putting STEM to Work™. Recently, we developed a set of career pathway interactive roadmaps that demonstrate this concept and the progression of career options for in-demand jobs in the industry. These are available at www.getintoenergy.com.
 

STEM Woman Leader of the Day- Kimberly Reed (IFIC)

Kimberly Reed- Executive Director of the International Food Information Council Foundation (IFIC)

 
Kimberly Reed is Executive Director of the International Food Information Council Foundation. Previously, she served as Senior Advisor to U.S. Treasury Secretaries Henry Paulson and John Snow; Director of the U.S. Treasury Department’s Community Development Financial Institutions Fund; Counsel to the U.S. Congress; and Vice President at Lehman Brothers. Kimberly earned a law degree from WV University College of Law and dual undergraduate degree in biology and government with a minor in chemistry from WV Wesleyan College. She currently serves on the Alzheimer’s Association National Board of Directors and WV Wesleyan College Board of Trustees.
 
Why do you believe STEM Education and Workforce are important to our nation?
 
STEM, especially in the agriculture, health, and nutrition areas, is vital to feeding our world.  Between now and 2050, our planet’s population will increase by 2 billion people – from 7 billion to 9 billion – and, according to the United Nations, we will need 100 percent more food and 70 percent of it must come from efficiency-enhancing technologies.  In my current position, I enjoy sharing this message with young people through an IFIC Foundation initiative, “Understanding Our Food,” and the Alliance to Feed the Future. We need to encourage our future leaders to focus on STEM and become a part of the solution that will nourish our ever-growing planet.
 
Who is your STEM role model and why?
 
My STEM role model is U.S. Surgeon General Regina Benjamin. She, like me, comes from rura lAmerica. Dr. Benjamin’s life has been one of service. She founded a rural health clinic in Alabama and, through determination, kept it in operation despite the damage of Hurricanes George and Katrina and a massive fire. She now shares this passion as “America’s Doctor.” She provides the best scientific information available to improve the health of our nation, especially as we address the problem of non-communicable diseases like heart disease, cancer, and diabetes.
 
Of what one initiative you are most proud?
 
In my personal capacity, I am a National Board Member of the Alzheimer’s Association. I served as Co-chair of the 2012 Alzheimer’s Advocacy Forum, which set a new record as the world’s largest gathering of advocates – nearly 800 from all 50 states – who are devoted to ending Alzheimer’s Disease and traveled toWashington,D.C.to share this message with the U.S. Congress. Not only is this “disease without a cure” affecting 5 million Americans, like my grandmother, and 15 million family members and friends who are providing unpaid care, it will cost the nation $200 billion in 2012.  I am doing all that I can to build support for research to find treatments that cure, delay, or prevent this disease.
 
Which woman leader do you most admire, and why?
 
I most admire Margaret Thatcher, who was the longest-serving British Prime Minister of the 20th century, and the only woman ever to have held the position.  One of my favorite Thatcher quotes is: "I do not know anyone who has got to the top without hard work. That is the recipe. It will not always get you to the top, but should get you pretty near." Baroness Thatcher’s life embodies this hard work and her foundation was in STEM, as she graduated fromOxfordUniversity with a B.S. in Chemistry. She specialized in X-ray crystallography under the supervision of Nobel Prize-winning chemist Dorothy Hodgkin, worked as research chemist at British Xylonite Plastics and Lyons & Company focusing on ice cream preservatives, studied law in her free time, and became a barrister before embarking on her remarkable political career.  Above all, the number one reason why I admire and am inspired by the “Iron Lady” is her steadfast commitment to the cause of freedom around the world.
 

Speakers for the #STEMResults: Ensuring the Impact of Our Programs TownHall Conference Call on Oct. 2nd at 1PM EST

 

Townhall Conference Call

STEM Results: Ensuring the Impact of Our Programs
October 2, 2012 - 1-3PM EDT

 

 

 

Results Matter! The STEM Results Project applies best practices, measurement and data RESULTS to more than 5,000 organizations involved in STEM Education. Our challenge is to inventory, document and make available matching STEM organizational goals, targets and achievements comparing them to measurable Results. Focus is on data and impact with the intent that programs with results can be scaled up and shared. Numbers count. STEMconnectorTM/ASTRA — with the support of Cisco —seeks to share best practices information with the STEM community. STEM Results will document who is providing the best analysis of Results on their STEM programs. Targets are STEM education leaders—businesses, professional societies, non-profits, educational entities, states, federal government and others — identified to measure their own Results against Goals. STEMconnectorTM/ASTRA will recognize and honor those STEM organizations that are accomplishing Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time-bound (SMART) Results. 125 targets from all categories are included in our first Results assessments. STEMconnectorTM adds a section on the STEMconnectorTM Web Site by October, 2012 called "STEM RESULTS.”

Check out the list of speakers below and register to join the call today: stemconnector.org/townhall.

Alex Belous

Cisco Foundation
Alex Belous| Manager

Alex Belous is Education Portfolio Manager for the CISCO Foundation. Alex began his career as a first grade teacher establishing a nationally recognized computer based technical education program in the Cave Creek Unified School District in Arizona. From 1989 to 1998, Alex was Internet Technology Manager for the Arizona Department of Education. There he improved the opportunity of rural and underserved schools and students on Native American reservations and in other high-need school districts to receive equitable instructional resources through the use of technology including the first internet access project to reservation schools. Alex cosponsored Net Day efforts statewide, trained 2000 + parents, teachers, community volunteers to wire schools. Joining Cisco in 1998, Alex served as one of the founders of the Cisco Network Academy - a dynamic learning platform that now serves more than 1 M students per year. After 6 years Alex transferred to the Cisco Corporate Affairs group as the Education Specialist working with teams across the company to address innovative and effective use of network technologies in schools. Presently as the Cisco Foundation and Cisco Public Benefit Investments Education Portfolio Manager, he is responsible for grants with Cisco NGO partners that have helped millions of students and teachers. Working closely with other Portfolio Managers to develop high-impact, replicable, scalable and sustainable models of technology use to enhance student performance. Alex holds a BA Early Childhood Education and two Masters in Elementary Education/Reading Instruction and Counseling Psychology.

Don Floyd

The National 4-H Council
Don Floyd | President and CEO

Through the National 4-H Science Initiative 778 local 4-H councils, including 1,335,640 youth are using 4-H designed science curricula. The National 4-H has also engaged in a multi-year longitudinal study in partnership with Tufts University to measure the impact of is Science Initiative and to plan for the future. Donald T. Floyd, Jr. is President and CEO of National 4-H Council. Under his leadership, National 4-H Council led 4-H in the National Conversation on Youth Development in the 21st Century and created the first national action agenda for youth policy. In addition he has led 4-H expansion in after school programs, science programs, technology and the creation of the Global 4-H network. Don has been associated with innovative leadership of youth-serving, non-profit organizations for more than 35 years. For 17 years, he held local and national level positions, including National Executive Vice President of Junior Achievement, with which he led expansion of the international program and its first venture into classroom-based programming, which today is JA’s largest program.
 
4-H Results: 4-H STEM programs are data driven initiatives with a goal of filling the STEM workforce pipeline. The 6 million 4-H youth across every county in America thrive through the science, technology, engineering, and applied math experiences they receive. In fact, 4-H youth are two times more likely to get better grades in school and they are more likely to pursue future courses or a career in science, engineering or technology. Fifty-six percent of 4-H program participants want to pursue a job related to science.
Patrick D'Amelio

Washington State STEM
Patrick D'Amelio| CEO

Washington STEM’s goal is to reimagine and revitalize STEM education across Washington by investing $100 million in 10 years through grants supported by technical assistance and evaluation to spread innovations statewide. Patrick D’Amelio is Chief Executive Officer of Washington STEM. As CEO, he is responsible for the management, programs, and infrastructure of the organization. With his vision, Patrick leads Washington STEM in advancing equity, excellence, and innovation in STEM education. Patrick has spent his career bringing educational opportunities and critical developmental support to children, particularly those from underserved populations. His work in the non-profit sector reflects his commitment to ensuring that every child has an opportunity to succeed in life. Patrick has also served as President and CEO for the Alliance for Education and as Executive Director of The Catholic Youth Organization in Seattle. Patrick holds a Bachelor of Arts degree with an emphasis in Nonprofit Leadership from Evergreen State College. He has participated in Pacific Northwest Executive Leadership Institute at the University of Washington and Strategic Perspectives in Non-Profit Management at Harvard Business School Executive Education.
 
Washington STEM Results: Washington STEM has developed a set of outcomes to define student success and has begun the process of researching indicators to measure progress toward those outcomes. In support of their theory of change they have developed initial drafts of interim outcomes for teachers and community engagement. Future work will define interim outcomes for out-of-school experiences and business partnerships.

Kim ReynoldsIowa
Lt. Governor Kim Reynolds

In 2010-2011, nearly 1,500 mathematics and science teachers in 185 Iowa communities in 88 counties intersected with the Iowa Mathematics and Science Education Partnership (IMSEP) activities involving over 100 university faculty and staff. On June 24, 2010, Reynolds was named former Governor Terry Branstad’s running mate, and on November 2, she was elected lieutenant governor of the State of Iowa. Lt. Governor Reynolds serves as Co-Chair of the Iowa STEM Advisory Council. She has been instrumental in bringing together business, policy and education leaders from across Iowa to improve bolster STEM Education and innovation. Reynolds began work as a motor vehicle clerk in the Clarke County Treasurer’s Office, and was elected Clarke County Treasurer in 1994. In this position, she took a very active role at the local, state and national levels. In 2000, she served as President of the Iowa State Treasurers Association. Reynolds served as Clarke County Treasurer until she was elected to the Iowa Senate in 2008 where she was the ranking member on the Local Government Committee and served on the Economic Growth, Environment & Energy Independence, Rebuild Iowa, and Transportation committees, as well as the Economic Development Appropriations Subcommittee.
 
Iowa STEM Results: The Council is made up of 40 dedicated leaders from across the state representing Iowa’s education, business and non-profit sectors, as well as legislators, state agency directors and national STEM experts. The Council is building on the outstanding work of the Iowa Mathematics and Science Education Partnership and the Iowa STEM Education Roadmap. Achievements for the inaugural year of the Council include: building a three- to five-year plan for STEM education reform in Iowa; selection of 12 STEM education scale-up programs for use by educators throughout Iowa; the creation of STEM regional hubs; and a set of indicators to gauge the effectiveness of STEM education in Iowa.
Eunice Heath

Dow Chemical
Eunice Heath | Senior Director

Through Dow's partnerships with leading organizations, including Keystone Center and International Year of Chemistry, the involvement of employees as volunteers, and sponsorship of countless programs, Dow has supported science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education for more than 100 years. Eunice Heath is the Senior Director for Government Affairs in the northeast and Corporate Citizenship for STEM education at Dow Chemical. Eunice is responsible for developing public policy stakeholder engagement strategies related to Dow’s growth agenda in key northeast states. She is also responsible for guiding the strategy and implementation of the international Science, Technology, and Engineering and Math (STEM) components of Dow’s overall corporate citizenship strategy globally. Throughout her 20+ year career at Dow, Eunice has demonstrated the ability to integrate and lead complex, newly developed organizations. Eunice received a Master’s of Business Administration at the University of Michigan and a Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial & Systems Engineering at the University of Florida. Eunice has a strong passion for the development and advancement of people and support of STEM represented by her leadership on the corporate Diversity & Inclusion Council and executive liaison for the African American Network for The
Dow Chemical Company.
 
Dow Chemical Results: Dow is committed to advancing interest in, access to, and the quality of STEM education to develop an innovative and competitive workforce and create a knowledgeable society that values science and education. The need for high-quality learning opportunities is prevalent and requires many cross-sector partnerships and a commitment from multiple players. As outlined in Dow’s Advanced Manufacturing Strategy, they will invest in and address obstacles to success through partnership with industry, non-profits, government and educational institutions.
Ann Randazzo

Center for Energy Workforce Development (CEWD)
Ann Randazzo|Executive Director

Ann Randazzo is the Executive Director of the Center for Energy Workforce Development (CEWD). Formed in March 2006, the Center for Energy Workforce Development (CEWD) is a non- profit consortium of electric natural gas and nuclear utilities and their associations - Edison Electric Institute, American Gas Association, Nuclear Energy Institute, and National Rural Electric Cooperative Association. CEWD was formed to help utilities work together to develop solutions to the coming workforce shortage in the utility industry. It is the first partnership between utilities, their associations, contractors and unions to focus on the need to build a skilled workforce pipeline that will meet future industry needs. Ann assumed this position when the organization was incorporated in March 2006 bringing extensive experience in the energy industry including information technology, finance and customer operations in management positions with Georgia Power, a Southern Company. Prior to her involvement with CEWD, Ann provided strategic planning consulting to electric utilities, concentrating on Human Resources, Training and Development, and Organization Effectiveness through her consulting firm, Randazzo Consulting.
 
CEWD Results: To date, 682 students have been recruited to participate in CEWD's signature Get into Energy Career Pathways (GICEP) program. Energy Industry Fundamentals is a course that provides a broad understanding of the electric and natural gas utility industry. Instructor and student guides and other materials have been downloaded by nearly 250 educational institutions and utility companies.
Jennifer McNelly

Manufacturing Institute
Jennifer McNelly|President

In partnership with its affiliate, the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM), the Manufacturing Institute issued 84,738 certifications in 2011. Jennifer was appointed President of The Manufacturing Institute, the non-profit affiliate of the National Association of Manufacturers, on April 1, 2012. Jennifer is driving an agenda focused on improving and expanding manufacturing in the United States. Jennifer has extensive experience in workforce development, employer engagement, and business. She is a proven leader at the Institute as the chief architect of one of the organization's flagship initiatives, the NAM-Endorsed Manufacturing Skills Certification System.
 
Manufacturing Institute Results: The Manufacturing Institute is a Washington, DC-based organization dedicated to improving and expanding manufacturing in the United States. The Institute is the authority for U.S. manufacturing on the attraction, qualification, and development of world-class talent. By issuing 84.738 industry-based certifications in 2011 the Manufacturing Institute is well on its way to reaching its goal of 500,000 by 2016.
Melissa Gregson

Teach for America
Melissa Gregson | Managing Director, National STEM Initiative

Currently, Teach for American has 3,200 corps members teaching math and science in the United States. Melissa Gregson serves as the Managing Director of Teach For America’s STEM Initiative. After graduating from MIT with a B.S. in Biology, Melissa joined Teach For America where she taught middle school science at MS 321 in New York City. In 2008, she joined Teach For America’s staff in Boston as the Recruitment Director for MIT and other Boston area schools. She believes passionately that all children should have the opportunity to experience the wonder of math and science. She resides in Washington, DC. Outside of work Melissa served as a board member for the Young Non-Profit Professional Network and was a School Board Fellow working with Somerville Public Schools. She resides in Washington, DC.
 
Teach for America Results: In 2011-2012, around 3,200 secondary STEM corps members reached approximately 320,000 students across the U.S. To date 6,000 corps alumni have taught math and science. A 2009 Urban Institute and CALDER study of secondary teachers found the effects of Teach For America teachers in the math and sciences are about twice the effect of having a teacher with three years or more experience relative to having a novice teacher.
Rex Bolinger

Project Lead the Way (PLTW)
Rex Bolinger | Senior Vice President and Chief Engagement Officer

Dr. Rex Bolinger is responsible for directing PLTW initiatives in development, government relations, and strategic partnerships. He brings a wealth of experience working within schools and philanthropic organizations and creating high value-added partnerships. Prior to joining PLTW, Bolinger was the Vice President of Educational Services at Edison Learning, Inc. Before that, he was the Executive Director of Team HOPE (History Opens Eyes) and worked directly with former U.S. Secretary of Education William J. Bennett in developing online teacher and student supplements to Bennett's American history books. Bolinger received an EdD in Educational Leadership from Ball State University, an MS in Education from Purdue University, and a BS in Education from Ball State University. He received the Milken Family Foundation National Educator Award and Indiana High School Principal of the Year award. Bolinger is the founding CEO of Herron High School, an urban charter school in Indianapolis that was named the 27th best high school in America by Newsweek in 2010.
 
PLTW Results: Project Lead The Way (PLTW) is the leading provider of rigorous and innovative Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education curricular programs used in middle and high schools across the U.S. Currently, PLTW curriculum is being utilized by 500,000 students in over 4,700 schools in all 50 states offer PLTW designed courses. To date, PLTW has trained over 12,000 teachers and 7,000 counselors across the US. PLTW alumni are 5 to 10 times more likely to pursue engineering and technology classes than other first-year college students.
Lucy Sanders

National Center for Women in Information Technology (NCWIT)
Lucy Sanders |CEO & Co-Founder

In 2011, 251 young women were recognized for NCWIT's Aspirations in Computing Award, 92% of which reported a major or minor in a STEM field. Lucy Sanders is CEO and Co-founder of the National Center for Women & Information Technology (NCWIT) and also serves as Executive-in-Residence for the ATLAS Institute at the University of Colorado at Boulder. NCWIT works to correct the imbalance of gender diversity in technology and computing because gender diversity positively correlates with a larger workforce, better innovation, and increased business performance. Increasing the number of women in technology and computing also has the potential to improve the design of products and services to better serve a more diverse population, and increase economic and social well-being by providing more women with stable and lucrative careers. Lucy has an extensive industry background, having worked in R&D and executive (VP) positions at AT&T Bell Labs, Lucent Bell Labs, and Avaya Labs for over 20 years, where she specialized in systems-level software and solutions (multi-media communication, and customer relationship management.

NCWIT Results: Since its inception, NCWIT’s Aspirations in Computing program has recognized more than 1300 young women throughout the U.S. and built a database of more than 7000 young women that self-identify as interested in technology fields. NCWIT’s Counselors for Computing (C4C) program has provided C4C kits to over 400 counselors, counselor educators, and teachers to date. The C4C program is on track to train and equip 1000 counselors by 2014. Since 2007, NCWIT’s Academic Seed Fund has awarded $365,450 in funding to develop and implement initiatives for recruiting and retaining women in computer science and information technology fields.
Betty Shanahan

Society of Women Engineers
Betty Shanahan|CEO & Executive Director

Every year the Society of Women Engineers Scholarship Program disburses 188 new and renewed scholarships totaling $540,000. Betty Shanahan became the executive director and CEO for the 20,000 member Society of Women Engineers (SWE) in 2002. Previously, Betty spent 24 years in development, engineering management, and marketing management for the electronics and software industries. Betty has earned a B.S. in electrical engineering from Michigan State University, a Master of Software Engineering from the Wang Institute of Graduate Studies, and an M.B.A. from the University of Chicago. Betty participates in forums that advance the engineering profession, including the National Academy of Engineering’s committee for “Changing the Conversation” in the public understanding of engineering.

SWE Results: In addition to disbursing 188 new and renewed scholarships totaling $540,000 annually, SWE’s Annual Conference draws over 6,000 participants every year. SWE’s has over 200 online professional development webinars for women in engineering. SWE’s Wow! That’s Engineering outreach events are held in three cities per year, and attract 300 young women participants. SWE also publishes its quarterly SWE Magazine and recently celebrated its 60th anniversary with The Journal of the Society of Women Engineers, 60th Anniversary Edition.
Dave Saba

National Math and Science Initiative (NMSI)
Dave Saba – Executive Vice President

David W. Saba serves as the Executive Vice President of the National Math and Science Initiative (NMSI). Prior to the merge of NMSI and Laying the Foundation (LTF) at the end of 2011, Dave served as CEO of LTF. Dave went to LTF to build the research base demonstrating LTF effectiveness, innovate by taking the LTF teacher training program online and provide a long term strategy for success. In a short period of time LTF was able to create a vision for success for LTF which will positively impact well over 100,000 students in the upcoming years. The LTF message of increased college access is already rapidly expanding into more than 14 states.

NMSI Results: The National Math and Science Initiatives focuses on three primary programs: the Advanced Placement Training and Incentive Program (APTIP); Laying the Foundation (LTF); and UTeach. The APTIP program, has trained more than 11,000 pre-AP and AP teachers from across the country in the last four years. LTF has trained more than 51,000 teachers across 18 states since its inception. The UTeach program has 5,500 teachers in its 2012 cohort, which spans across 34 universities in 16 states.
Mary Kirchhoff

American Chemical Society
Mary Kirchhoff – Director, Education Division

Mary Kirchhoff is Director of the American Chemical Society Education Division, which serves learners and educators by building communities and providing effective chemistry education products, services, and information. She received her Ph.D. in organic chemistry from the University of New Hampshire and joined the Chemistry Department at Trinity College in Washington, DC in 1992. Mary served as Chair of the Division of Natural Sciences and Mathematics during her tenure at Trinity. She began working in green chemistry as an AAAS Environmental Fellow and Visiting Scientist with the U.S. EPA's green chemistry program. Mary joined the American Chemical Society in 2001, serving as Assistant Director of the ACS Green Chemistry Institute for three years before moving to the Education Division. Mary was elected a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in 2006.

ACS Results: With more than 164,000 members, the American Chemical Society (ACS) is the world’s largest scientific society and one of the world’s leading sources of authoritative scientific information. ACS distributes more than $22 million every year in grants for basic research in petroleum and related fields. The ACS Directory of Graduate Research provides information on 672 departments, 8, 542 faculty members, and 65,995 publication citations on researchers and research universities.

 

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STEM Woman Leader of the Day- Wanda Austin (Aerospace Corporation)

Wanda Austin- President and CEO of The Aerospace Corporation

Dr. Wanda M. Austin is president and chief executive officer of The Aerospace Corporation, a leading architect for the nation’s national security space programs. She assumed this position on January 1, 2008. The Aerospace Corporation has nearly 4,000 employees and annual revenues of more than $850 million. Austin earned a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Franklin & Marshall College, master’s degrees in systems engineering and mathematics from the University of Pittsburgh, and a doctorate in systems engineering from the University of Southern California. Austin was among the first CEOs to support Change the Equation.
 
Why do you believe STEM Education and Workforce are important to our nation?
 
Our society is dependent on science and engineering; it’s virtually impossible to be successful in today’s world without relying on technology in some form. It is widely acknowledged that the majority of jobs in the future will be technology-based. For over a decade, the number of students studying the STEM disciplines has been declining in our country. If this continues, the United States will find itself unable to maintain or advance its own technological systems, or to compete effectively on the world stage.
 
What traits do senior leaders need to effectively support and advance STEM today?
 
We have to be open to new ideas – not just the ideas themselves, but where they come from. There is a tendency to dismiss ideas that come from young people, due to their inexperience. However, it has always been true that young minds are a fertile ground for new ideas. Today’s leaders need to be ready and willing to reach out to our young people, to let them know we value their insight and input.
 
We also have to learn to look beyond “today.” Leaders today can become too focused on the problems immediately facing them. That’s understandable; those problems are formidable and need to be solved quickly. But we have to bear in mind that even as we solve problems today   there will always be new challenges. So it’s essential that we ensure that there will be well-trained experts around in the future to address them.
 
What can we do to assure more women leaders in STEM?
 
Young girls do just as well as young boys in science and math, but around about the fourth and fifth grades, girls seem to lose interest in those subjects. We must proactively get involved as early as possible with the schools, the students, the parents, and the teachers, to counteract the messages those girls are hearing that math and science are “boys’ subjects.” We need to encourage successful women science and engineering experts to remember the obstacles they faced, and to take positive action to ensure that the next generation of girls know that they can succeed in the STEM fields – and perhaps make the path a bit easier for them.
 
How is your company innovating to promote STEM?
 
The Aerospace Corporation has a number of programs in place that promote STEM, both our own, “home-grown” programs and in cooperation with local and national efforts. There is the Herndon Science Competition, named for one of our distinguished scientists and mentors. This competition offers diverse middle- and high-school students the opportunity to create innovative science projects and bring them to our campus, where our scientists, engineers, and Air Force customers judge them. Winners receive savings bonds, which we hope they will use toward education. We’ve also teamed with Industry Initiatives for Science and Math Education, MathCounts, US FIRST Robotics, Change the Equation, and our own Great-LEAP (Greater Los Angeles Education-Aerospace Partnership), which pairs our scientists and engineers with local teachers right in the classroom, to demonstrate real-world applications of science and engineering to the students. 
 

Reese News Lab launches STEM initiative with $50,000 grant

 

STEMwire.org aims to invigorate national conversation about science, technology, engineering and mathematics education

CHAPEL HILL, NC (Sept. 27) – The Reese News Lab (http://www.reesenews.org), an experimental news  and research project based out of the UNC School of Journalism and Mass Communication, today launched STEMwire.org (http://www.STEMwire.org), a website designed to advance the conversation about the need for more science, technology, engineering and mathematics teachers in America. 
 
In April 2012, Carnegie Corporation of New York awarded the Reese News Lab $50,000 to launch the oneyear STEM education project. The project is part of the 100Kin10 initiative, a collaboration between more than 100 organizations dedicated to adding 10,000 new STEM teachers to American classrooms in the next  decade. 
 
To celebrate the launch, the Reese News Lab will host a #STEMwire Twitter party from 4 to 5 p.m. on Oct 3. The event will aim to inform and excite readers in an interactive online setting. Readers can follow @STEMwire to join the conversation.
 
Throughout the year, the Reese News Lab will distribute its content to 100Kin10 partners and other media organizations with the goal of increasing audience awareness, informing future coverage and driving change. It will focus on innovation and direct engagement to address an issue of national importance. 
 
DETAILS:
-For more information about 100Kin10, visit http://www.100kin10.org/
-For more information about Carnegie Corporation of New York, visit http://carnegie.org/
 
QUOTES:
“Our students will explore a variety of STEM issues while examining ways to call visitors to action,” said John Clark, executive director of the Reese News Lab. 
 
“We’re excited about engaging with the public, educators and policy makers about the STEM movement,” said Alex Barinka, managing editor of the Reese News Lab.
 
ABOUT THE REESE NEWS LAB:
The Reese News Lab is a student-run news and research project based at the UNC School of Journalism and Mass Communication. The lab was established in 2010 with a gift from UNC alumnus Reese Felts. Its mission is to create engaging content while pushing past the boundaries of traditional media and embracing the risks of experimentation. It aims to refine industry best practices by producing academically grounded insights for media professionals. 
Category: 

STEM Woman Leader of the Day- Mina Stewart (Verizon)

 

Mina Stewart- Vice President - Service Delivery & Assurance National Operations at Verizon
 
Mina currently leads an organization of over 1,700 employees spread throughout the United States. The team is responsible for the overall end-to-end build of Verizon’s Wireline network infrastructure and circuit level provisioning across the network. Central to Mina’s successful leadership is her strong belief in the positive influence technology can have on children. She strongly supports community outreach efforts that help the underprivileged, at risk and disadvantaged with mentoring, training and exposure to technology. Mina holds an M.S. degree in Management Information Systems from the University of Maryland.
 
Why do you believe STEM Education and Workforce are important to our nation?
 
Science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education creates critical thinkers and innovators.  Locally and globally, people with STEM degrees are helping create treatments and cures for diseases, generating ideas for sources of energy, increasing awareness and tools to strengthen security, and providing devices that have quickly become part of our day-to-day lives from the telecommunications industry.  Their work improves all of our lives. It is clear that most jobs of the future will require a basic understanding of math and science—10-year employment projections by the U.S. Department of Labor show that of the 20 fastest growing occupations projected for 2014, 15 of them require significant mathematics or science preparation.  
 
What traits do senior leaders need to effectively support and advance STEM today?
 
With the rate at which technology is advancing, it is more important then ever that a senior leader exemplifies the following:
 
  • Encourage change and nimbleness
  • Motivate employees to operate from a place of passion and curiosity
  • Act with a sense of purpose,
  • Display a strength in cognitive ability, and
  • Empower team members to feel confident in their abilities, challenge status quo, and disagree respectfully with others at all levels of the organizational hierarchy.
What can we do to assure more women leaders in STEM?
 
Although great advancements have been made in the area of STEM, women still lag far behind in STEM fields. According to the Congressional Commission on the Advancement of Women and Minorities in Science, Engineering and Technology Development, if women and members of other traditionally underrepresented groups joined the STEM workforce in proportion to their representation in the overall labor force, the shortage of STEM professionals would disappear. The barriers and obstacles to women’s advancement are numerous and complex including gender bias and a lack of mentoring.  I think to gain additional traction; we need to get to young girls.  Studies have shown focus in the sciences drop off as girls approach junior and high school.  We need more programs specific to girls during their early education.
 
What is your concept of mentoring and sponsorship of others for STEM careers?
 
I think it is very important to communicate, to today’s youth, the importance of STEM.  I set aside time to mentor college interns, as well as, sponsor youth related technological programs on behalf of Verizon.
 

STEM Woman Leader of the Day- Amy Alving (SAIC)

 

Amy Alving- Chief Technology Officer and Senior Vice President at SAIC
 
Amy Alving, Ph.D., is the chief technology officer and senior vice president at SAIC. Alving joined SAIC in 2005 as the CTO for the Engineering, Training and Logistics Group, and later served as the corporate chief scientist. Prior to joining SAIC, Alving served as the director of the Special Projects Office at DARPA; was a White House Fellow (1997-98) serving at the DOC; and was an associate professor of aerospace engineering at the University of Minnesota. Alving graduated from Stanford University with a B.S. in mechanical engineering and from Princeton University with a Ph.D. in mechanical and aerospace engineering.
 
Why do you believe STEM Education and Workforce are important to our nation?
 
STEM is important from an economic standpoint because technology powers innovation, and innovation drives a strong economy.  More fundamentally, STEM education and workforce are important to mankind because technology improves lives.  From refrigeration that enables a safe food supply, to medical cures for life-threatening disease, to airplanes that connect the most distant lands, human-created technologies have made the world better and safer.  They’re the result of the hard work of generations of people educated in science, technology, engineering and math, and the innovations that will create our future will rely on the same.
 
What about STEM gives you passion?
 
STEM fields are exciting because they allow us to understand – and change – the world.  Science is about understanding how the world works at the most basic level: how stars are made, what creates volcanoes, how cells replicate, what drives electron behavior.  Each answer is fascinating in its own right, like a mystery that humans have learned to solve.  The more we learn, the more we’re able to understand other aspects of nature – and to predict the way the world behaves.  From there, it’s a short leap to technological innovation, applying the underlying laws of nature to make the world a better place.  I love all facets of that cycle, from expanding our basic understanding of the physical world to addressing some of the most important problems faced by society.
 
What traits do senior leaders need to effectively support and advance STEM today?
 
In the workplace, our leaders need to ensure that STEM careers are attractive by offering robust pathways for career advancement in technical fields.  They also need to recognize the special needs of technical professionals, for instance by offering relevant opportunities to maintain currency and growth in fast-changing technical fields.  In the community, they need to help spread the word about what STEM careers can offer.  And in the political arena, they can help maintain support for world-class educational programs.
 
Of what one initiative you are most proud?
 
I’m very proud of SAIC’s K-12 STEM program, with its focus on empowering our employees to engage in their communities.  SAIC started the program a few years ago, and the response of our colleagues has been tremendous.  They volunteer in support of hundreds of STEM events and activities in communities around the country.  Their participation breathes life to the vision underlying SAIC’s program, “exponential inspiration”.  SAIC employees volunteer their time and knowledge in order to get kids excited about STEM, and these kids get their friends interested as well.  At the same time SAIC employees also draw in their colleagues, so the “exponential” growth happens on both sides.  The more people we can get involved in generating interest in STEM, the more likely we are to be successful.
 

Featured New Profile: ELATE at Drexel

The New Profile of the Day blog series highlights some of our newest and greatest profiles on STEMconnector.org. To have your organization, company, foundation, non-profit, competition, or other STEM-related group added to STEMconnector, simply fill out our contact form.

ELATE at Drexel® is a national leadership development program designed to advance senior women faculty in academic engineering, computer science, and related fields into effective institutional leadership roles within their schools and universities. ELATE is an intensive full-year, part-time fellowship program modeled on the highly successful ELAM® program for women in medicine, dentistry and public health, and tailored to the needs of faculty women in engineering and technology. Three in-residence sessions of 4-6 days each are used to enhance knowledge and skills in business practices of higher education, project management with diverse stakeholders, and effective communication in a variety of leadership platforms. Head to STEMconnector.org to check out more great STEM Programs in the STEM Directory!

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