Career Communications Group, Inc. and the BEYA STEM Conference have announced a new partnership with Four Forces Executive Group, LLC, a leading executive coaching and leadership development firm, to launch an innovative pilot program for 1:1 coaching and training for 300 awardees at the BEYA STEM DTX event taking place this week.

The BEYA STEM Executive Coaching Pilot Program, which is anticipated to launch in late spring/early summer, is designed to strengthen the executive leadership of 300 winners of prestigious awards at the 36th annual BEYA STEM Conference and chart their professional journey based on a solid career strategy.

“Each year, the BEYA STEM Conference provides leading employers across the corporate, government, and military sectors the opportunity to recognize hundreds of Black STEM professionals for their stellar work in developing innovation,” said Tyrone Taborn, CEO of Career Communications Group, Inc. and chairman of the Black Engineer of the Year Awards (BEYA). “However, the BEYA STEM Executive Coaching Pilot Program is designed to allow those same organizations to make a nominal investment in the provision of differentiated executive coaching resources for these outstanding performers, since minority employees historically do not receive access to executive coaching and other career development at the same level and frequency as their majority counterparts. It’s a total game-changer.”

The pilot program will offer research-based executive coaching and leadership development services to boards, CEOs, and senior executives at leading global organizations. However, one key differentiator will be a specifically-selected list of Black executive coaches, who will provide 10 hours of 1:1 executive coaching service over five months for each client.

“We have compiled a very specialized cadre of more than 30 minority executive coaches who are International Coaching Federation (ICF) trained and certified,” said Marshall Williams, director and CEO of Four Forces Executive Group and former principal deputy assistant secretary of the Army for Manpower and Reserve Affairs. “Additionally, each coach has experience as senior officials in corporate, government, military, nonprofit or educational organizations before transitioning to full-time coaching or has been running their successful coaching businesses for many years,” he said.

“This provides an extra level of personal choice for pilot participants since industry studies, and media reports have highlighted that minority employees often have much different workforce experiences and coaching needs than their majority counterparts. Unfortunately, many coaches are unable or unwilling to recognize or address those differences, especially when multicultural-related issues are uncovered,” Williams added.

A unique feature of the BEYA STEM Executive Coaching Pilot Program will be the opportunity for coaching clients to utilize the STEM City USA platform, an interactive virtual community that allows participants to engage 1:1 with their coaches in the metaverse.

The STEM City USA platform combines the physical and digital worlds with unique digital moments (DIM) and rich content that delivers an immersive experience where people make up a diverse digital community. It will also provide a digital community center designed to compile the development resources needed for educational, health, and career success in one place. It can be accessed 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

“Given the major significance and impact of this executive coaching program for the future careers of Black STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) professionals, it only makes sense to weave it into the fabric of the technology earthquake that is happening with the metaverse, since it will help to bridge the digital divide that still plagues underserved communities,” said Taborn. “In every previous tech revolution, Black people and other minorities have been losers, so this is a unique point of inflection in history to help close the gap in professional development and growth for individuals who choose to pursue careers in STEM. We are honored to assist them as they embark on their new journey of success.”

To maximize the effectiveness of the executive coaching program, BEYA will utilize the pilot stage to optimize the experience for its coaching clients. The intent is to make it seamless and enjoyable for the many thousands of future participants. BEYA hopes to support as it grows and expands the program to include much wider audiences at all levels across the corporate, government, military, nonprofit and education sectors over the next year.

Career Communications Group produces the BEYA STEM Conference in partnership with the Council of Engineering Deans of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and corporate sponsor Lockheed Martin Corporation.

This year, Career Communications Group is proud to present the digital twin, or DTX, experience. This new model allows attendees to choose whether they would like to attend the conference in person or digitally.

Career Communications Group, Inc. is a leading media company that supports employers in promoting diversity in STEM fields through conferences and publications, such as US Black Engineer magazine. As nationally renowned experts and thought leaders, Career Communications Group also provides consultative support and expertise with its internal strategies and programs. Visit https://intouch.ccgmag.com.

The Four Forces Executive Group is a global leader in executive coaching and leadership training services. We offer world-class workshops, scalable learning solutions, private coaching, and high-impact consulting. From senior executives to new professionals across the private, government, military, and nonprofit sectors, we help organizations large and small uncover their potential in individuals and teams, inspiring them and their organizations to use their collective advantage. Today, effective leadership demands self-awareness, and aspiring leaders at every level in every environment typically face a diverse span of circumstances, often with complex overtones. Our approach uses the concept of performance tension to help clients move past their current comfort zones into a zone of peak performance. We will test your new behaviors and carry you through challenges to systemize the predictable and focus on the exceptional. To learn more, visit www.fourforceseg.com.