STEM Diversity Summit at the USA Science & Engineering Festival on April 25 at the DC Convention Center.
STEM Education is the entry point to two pipelines of productivity: High-wage, tech-based workforce and High-growth, tech-driven entrepreneurship. Black and Hispanic Americans are severely under-represented in the STEM fields and as high-growth entrepreneurs in the knowledge-based, tech-driven, globally competitive innovation economy.
America needs to cultivate all of its talent to reach its highest economic competitiveness goals in the 21st century. The STEM Diversity Summit is focused on developing pathways to prosperity through inclusive competitiveness, starting with the STEM education pipeline.
STEM Diversity Summit - USA Science & Engineering Festival 2014
1. The STEM Diversity Summit
Connecting Communities of Color to the Innovation and Tech-Economy
USA Science & Engineering Festival
Friday, April 25, 2014
Rm 152a (8:30 am – 3 pm)
Washington DC Convention Center
PRESENTING
2. 2
Mission
The mission of the STEM Diversity Summit is to address the challenges and opportunities facing
underrepresented minorities (URM) in the STEM fields.
Theme
“Connecting Communities of Color to the Innovation and Tech-Economy”
Background
At a time when the innovation and tech-economy are increasingly the source of economic
opportunities – including job and wealth creation – African-Americans, Hispanics, Latinos and
Native Americans are woefully underrepresented across all STEM fields and disciplines.
Distressing Data
Recent data show URM represent <1% of tech-entrepreneurs and approximately 5% of the
STEM workforce.
Challenge
Given the challenges presented by the broken K12 STEM system and misaligned priorities and
expectations between K-12, Higher Education and Industry, there is a need to re-envision and
better align federal STEM and innovation policies with community-based approaches that will
yield more STEM talent, entrepreneurs and innovation across underrepresented minority
(URM) communities.
Summit Focus
The STEM Diversity Summit will explore current trends in federal policies that impact URM
STEM yield as well as innovative community-based approaches that are being implemented by
STEM professional societies and associations, nonprofits and intermediary organizations to
address the challenge of connecting the URM STEM pipeline to the innovation and tech-
economy.
EDUCATION
STEM EDUCATION
is the entry point to
two pipelines of
productivity:
High-wage,
tech-based workforce
High-growth,
tech-driven
entrepreneurship
3. 3
The STEM Diversity Summit is Co-hosted by the UNCF, DC Innovates and ScaleUp America in
partnership with the Coalition of Hispanics, African and Native-Americans for the Next
Generation of Engineers and Sciences (CHANGES).
Summit Organizers
Summit Partners
CHANGES
White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities
STEMconnector
4. Time Session Sponsor/Partner Speakers
9 – 9:30 Welcome & Intro Remarks Chad Womack – Director, UNCF STEM Initiatives
9:30 – 10:15 Session I: URM STEM programs and
initiatives, best practices and exemplars
CHANGES
DC Innovates
UNCF
Antonio Tijerino – Founder & CEO, Hispanic
Heritage Foundation
Sondra Lancaster- Director of External
Relations/Program Manager, NASA OSSI for PBIs
Institute for Broadening Participation (IBP)
Victor McCrary - Senior VP, Morgan State
University and Co-Founder, CHANGES
Talmesha Richards – Program Director,
STEMconnector
Dwayne Johnson – Executive Director, TAO
Foundation
10:15 – 10:30 Q & A
10:30 – 10:45 Break
10:45 – 11:30 Session II: URM STEM programs and
initiatives, best practices and exemplars
CHANGES
DC Innovates
UNCF
Knox Tull, CEO of Jackson and Tull Chartered
Engineers (NTA)
Representative from NOMA
Talitha Hampton, NOBCChE Young
Entrepreneurs Program
Annie Whatley – U.S. Department of
Energy/Minorities in Engineering
Barry Nagle – Senior Research Associate, Gates
Millenium Scholars Program, UNCF
11:30 – 11:45 Q & A
11:45 – 1 pm LUNCH
1 – 1:15 pm
KEYNOTE: (STEM & Tech Inclusion) Johnathan Holifield – Vice President of Inclusive Competitiveness, NorTech
1:15 – 1:30
Q & A
1:30 – 2:40 Session III: Diversity & Inclusion in
Innovation Ecosystems and Tech-
Entrepreneurship
ScaleUp America
DC Innovates
Chad Womack – UNCF/HBCU STEM ICE
Jenifer Boss – Director, Business Development
and Strategy, Office of the Deputy Mayor for
Planning and Economic Development (DMPED),
District of Columbia
5. 5
Kimberly Marcus, Associated Director, Minority
Business Development Agency
Claudia Rankins – Program Director, HBCU-UP
and CREST, National Science Foundation
George Cooper – Executive Director, White
House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges
and Universities
Chris Ford – Technical Advisor to the Director,
U.S. Department of Energy
2:40 – 3:00
Q & A
Close of STEM Diversity Summit
“The United States will not, indeed cannot, achieve its
highest economic competitiveness goals without more
Americans contributing more to the nation’s economic
productivity.”
Johnathan Holifield (STEM Diversity Summit Keynote Speaker)
Vice President of Inclusive Competitiveness
NorTech