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
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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
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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
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
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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