(Baltimore, MD) December 2012—Workforce leaders in industry, education, government, and professionals and students in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields will meet in Washington D.C. February 2013 at the annual Black Engineer of the Year Award (BEYA) STEM Conference to address the challenges of recruitment and retention in STEM and promote opportunities in technical and scientific careers.

BEYA is the nation’s largest gathering of STEM professionals and leaders committed to increasing the percentage of underrepresented communities in the technology workforce.  The annual conference is hosted by the Council of Engineering Deans at Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Lockheed Martin Corporation, and US Black Engineer & Information Technology (USBE&IT) magazine.

According to USBE&IT magazine Publisher and BEYA Chairman Tyrone Taborn, “The need for this initiative is more important than ever. Education is the key to American competitiveness, and our nation is falling behind.  That’s why leading military officers, U.S. government officials, and Fortune 500 executives have committed to addressing this crisis by attending and supporting the national conference to strengthen the STEM pipeline.”

Taborn also pointed out that, “Fewer young people are selecting STEM study paths as the global demand for technological workers increases.  To keep engineering and scientific jobs in the United States, and ensure America maintains her leadership, we need to inspire a new generation of Americans to pursue STEM careers.  One way to do so is to spotlight successful role models already in these fields.”

The BEYA STEM Conference—which is scheduled for February 7-9, 2013 at the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel in Washington D.C.—will recognize a number of technology leaders who will be acknowledged for their career achievements and their efforts in strengthening the STEM pipeline. Among them is Freeman Hrabowski, III, the president of University of Maryland Baltimore County, considered one of America’s best leaders by U.S News & World Report.

This three-day national event brings together students, college administrators, recruiters, engineering and IT professionals, scientists, and high-level decision-makers from the corporate, government, and military communities, in an effort to broaden diversity in this country's technical and scientific workforce. Formore information, visit  www.beya.org

Black Engineer of the Year

Freeman Hrabowski, III
President
The University of Maryland, Baltimore County

Career Achievement-Government

G. Derrick Hinton
Principal Deputy Director, Test Resource Management Center
Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics
Department of Defense
 
Career Achievement-Industry

Alicia Boler-Davis
Vice President, Global Quality and U.S. Customer Experience
General Motors

Robert L. Curbeam, Jr.
Vice President, Mission Assurance, Quality & Raytheon Six Sigma
Raytheon Company

Community Service

Rhonda Thomas
General Engineer
Federal Aviation Administration

Diversity Leadership-Government

Barbara Miller, Ed.D., LCSW
Director, Office of Diversity & Equal Opportunity
NASA Ames Research Center

Diversity Leadership-Industry

Patricia L. Lewis
Vice President, Human Resources
Information Systems and Global Solutions
Lockheed Martin Corporation

J. Anthony Wingate
Manager, Subsystems and Components Quality Engineering
Sandia National Laboratories

Lifetime Achievement

General Dennis L. Via
Commanding General
U.S. Army Materiel Command
United States Army

Most Promising Engineer-Government

Tonya Bazemore
Architect
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

Moses Nii Kpakpo Mingle
Chief of Electronic Warfare Systems Ground Branch
Communications Electronics Research, Development
and Engineering Center
U.S. Army

Most Promising Engineer-Industry

Richard A. Johnson
Engineering Systems Operator
The Boeing Company

Terrell D. Neal, Ph.D.
Senior Electrical Engineer II
Raytheon Company

Outstanding Technical Contribution–Industry

Jama A. Mohamed
Senior Principal Systems Engineer
Raytheon Company

Donnell Walton, Ph.D.
Manager
World-Wide Applications Engineering Gorilla Glass
Corning Incorporated

Pioneer Award

Shan Cooper
Vice President & General Manager
Lockheed Martin Corporation

Cynthia M. Shelton
Vice President
General Dynamics

Lauren C. States
Vice President, Chief Technology Officer
IBM Corporate Strategy
IBM Corporation

President's Award

Theodore Colbert, III
Vice President, Information Technology Infrasuructure
The Boeing Company

Marachel L. Knight, PE, PMP
Vice President, Program Management
AT&T Services Inc.

Professional Achievement-Government

Omarr Tobias
Operations Officer, 2nd Naval Construction Regiment
Civil Engineer Corps
U.S. Navy

Professional Achievement-Industry

Roy Foreman
Electrical Engineer Manager
Northrop Grumman Corporation

Samer A. Saleh
Director, Planning and Services, Operations Strategy
Abbott Diagnostics

Promotion of Education

Bobby L. Wilson, Ph.D.
L. Lloyd Woods Distinguished Professor of Chemistry
Shell Oil Endowed Chaired Professor of Environmental Toxicology
Texas Southern University

Student Leadership – Graduate level

Je’aime (Jamie) Powell
Grid Manager/Graduate Researcher/Network Analyst
Center of Excellence in Remote Sensing Education and Research
 
Student Leadership-Undergraduate

Nahom Tewolde
FAMU-FSU College of Engineering

Technical Sales and Marketing

Eric L. Anderson
Director, Integrated Business Planning
The Boeing Company

Keith L. Coleman
Structural Design Engineer
CH2M HILL

Visionary Award 

Philip D. Benson, Jr. PE, PMP
Vice President
Water Business Group
CH2M HILL

Larry Williams
Director, Interior Engineering Systems and Components
Chrysler Group LLC