BALTIMORE, MD — Career Communications Group (CCG), a leader in STEM workforce development, recruitment, and professional advancement, announced that Lockheed Martin has once again earned the top ranking among supporters of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) engineering schools in the 2026 edition of US Black Engineer & Information Technology magazine’s annual “Deans Issue.”
The recognition comes as national attention on HBCUs continues to grow following President Donald Trump’s Executive Order establishing the White House Initiative to Promote Excellence and Innovation at Historically Black Colleges and Universities. The initiative reinforces federal support for expanding HBCU capacity, research opportunities, workforce readiness, and innovation leadership in STEM fields.
While the Executive Order highlights the national importance of HBCUs, the Top Supporters of HBCU Engineering Schools survey is an independent industry and academic recognition program that has been conducted for years by Career Communications Group and its engineering education partners.
Lockheed Martin’s recognition reflects a longstanding commitment to HBCU engineering education and workforce development that predates the Executive Order. The company has consistently ranked among the top supporters through sustained investments in scholarships, internships, research partnerships, cybersecurity and AI initiatives, leadership development, and recruitment pipelines for engineering students.
The annual rankings are determined through a national survey conducted among engineering deans and academic leaders from Historically Black Colleges and Universities with accredited engineering programs, along with members of the Advancing Minorities’ Interest in Engineering (AMIE) consortium.
Participants cast votes based on each organization’s demonstrated commitment to advancing engineering education, student success, and workforce readiness at HBCUs. Organizations were evaluated across several areas, including:
Scholarship and fellowship support
Research partnerships and sponsored programs
Student internships and recruitment initiatives
Workforce development and mentorship opportunities
Long-term institutional engagement
Measurable impact on student achievement and career readiness
Joining Lockheed Martin among the organizations recognized for outstanding support of HBCU engineering schools are:
Corporate Leaders
Boeing
Northrop Grumman
RTX (Raytheon Technologies)
IBM
Intel
Microsoft
Siemens
Chevron
Toyota
General Motors
WWT
Federal Agencies and National Laboratories
U.S. Department of Defense (DoD)
U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)
NASA
Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA)
Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL)
National Security Agency (NSA)
Sandia National Laboratories
Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
Naval Research Laboratory (NRL)
“As America continues investing in innovation, national security, artificial intelligence, and advanced engineering, HBCUs remain essential to building the nation’s STEM workforce,” said Tyrone D. Taborn, CEO of Career Communications Group. “The organizations recognized in this survey understand that supporting HBCU engineering schools is not simply a moment in time — it is a long-term investment in American competitiveness and talent development.”
HBCUs continue to produce a disproportionate share of Black engineers and STEM graduates in the United States, making public-private partnerships critical to sustaining educational excellence, research innovation, and workforce readiness.
The annual Top Supporters of HBCU Engineering Schools feature serves as a benchmark for corporate and government engagement and highlights organizations making measurable contributions to engineering education, innovation, and STEM workforce development across the HBCU community.
About Career Communications Group
Career Communications Group, Inc. (CCG) is a leader in STEM workforce development, diversity recruitment, and professional advancement. Through nationally recognized publications, conferences, leadership summits, and strategic partnerships, CCG connects industry, government, academia, and students to build pathways for success in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). CCG is the publisher of US Black Engineer & Information Technology, Hispanic Engineer & Information Technology, and the producer of the BEYA STEM Conference and Women of Color STEM Conference.
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