Cigna’s Chief Diversity Officer, Rosanna Durruthy,  works closely with human resources and information technology colleagues to identify sources of Latino talent and to retain talent hired into Cigna’s Technology Early Career Development Program (TECDP). To meet the STEM challenge at Cigna, Mark Boxer, Cigna Executive Vice President and Global Chief Information Officer, and John Staines, Cigna IT Human Resources Senior Director, sponsored a process to attract students from the University of Puerto Rico, along with other schools that host a diverse student population. These efforts are already paying off with Cigna’s first direct hire from the University of Puerto Rico in 2014. Durruthy added that “we recognize the importance of an agile, diverse workforce. And to attract the right talent, we are adapting and making our processes more responsive to different cultures in order to meet future IT leaders where they are.”

National Instruments is a strong partner of FIRST (For Inspiration of Recognition and Technology). Its mission is to inspire youth to become science and technology leaders by engaging them in exciting robotics competitions and programs that teach STEM skills, inspire innovation, and foster well-rounded life capabilities. FIRST provides a fun, hands-on way for students to develop STEM skills by actually doing STEM. “FIRST proves that engineering is a powerful tool for improving STEM education and career readiness.  FIRST kids are significantly more likely to attend college, major in science or engineering, and be outstanding future employees and citizens,” says Ray Almgren, Vice President of Corporate Marketing and  chairman of FIRST in Texas and a member of the National FIRST Executive Advisory Board. All students ages 6-18, elementary through high school, can participate.

National Grid provides natural gas and electricity to more than 7 million customers in the Northeast, connecting 25 million people across hundreds of communities to vital energy sources. To serve and represent the needs of its customers and communities requires a talented, diverse employee base and a corporate culture that embeds inclusion and diversity.

“Broadening STEM opportunities for every student, from every background, will produce our best and brightest recruits,” said Roger Young, Chief Diversity Officer and Senior Vice President. “By supporting the STEM pipeline in the communities we serve throughout Massachusetts, New York and Rhode Island, National Grid strengthens workforce diversity and local job creation.”

BP invested approximately $45 million in STEM education across the U.S. in 2012 and 2013. Through BP’s community investments, the company is working to strengthen student pathways to engineering and other STEM fields. “The demand for qualified STEM professionals is high, but the supply of STEM workers to fill these positions is at risk if underrepresented groups are not engaged in STEM fields,” added Kathleen Martinez, BP’s Sr. Director of Strategic Relationships. “BP’s strategic community partners are essential to advancing our STEM efforts; credible organizations such as the National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering, Inc. (NACME) help us make a real impact.” NACME has provided more than $124 million in undergraduate and graduate-level scholarships and program support to more than 24,000 students.  BP’s support of NACME goes back to the founding of the organization and it remains strong today. NACME is celebrating its 40th Anniversary this year.

Symantec has long been supportive of advancing STEM education and recognizes the need for a diverse and skilled workforce in the cyber security industry has never been greater. To make a positive impact with an important societal issue, Symantec developed a first-of-its-kind program, the Symantec Cyber Career Connection (SC3) and invested $2 million to provide new career opportunities for underserved young adults who may not be college-bound. Announced at the Clinton Global Initiative America meeting, a pilot of the program kicked-off in the fall of 2014 in New York City, Baltimore and the San Francisco Bay Area, and will be implemented through a network of Symantec’s partners. Of the 50 students enrolled across the three pilot program locations, Symantec expects 80 percent of students to be placed into internships and 75 percent into full time positions following their participation. Overall, the goal is to scale the program to train 15,000 students a year over the next several years.

IBM launched the first Pathways in Technology Early College High School
(P-TECH) in Brooklyn, NY three years ago. P-TECH is a grades 9-14 public school that brings together the best elements of high school, college, and career.  Students will graduate with an associate in applied science degree in technology fields and be first in line for jobs at IBM or continue to earn a four-year degree. P-TECH is open to all students at no cost to them and their families. All students are matched in one-to-one relationships with IBM mentors, and participate in real-world projects through internships and apprenticeships. IBM is committed to helping commuinities create a new model of education that will equip students with the 21st century skills to be successful. President Barack Obama, during an October 2013 visit to P-TECH in Brooklyn, said, “This country should be doing everything in our power to give more kids the chance to go to schools just like this one.”

Comcast and the Comcast Foundation have dedicated more than $200 million in cash and in-kind support since 2011 to fund digital readiness initiatives nationwide, reaching more than 1.75 million people through non-profit, digital literacy partners. Internet Essentials is the nation’s largest and most comprehensive broadband adoption program, providing low-cost broadband service for $9.95 a month plus tax. Participants have the option to purchase an Internet-ready computer for under $150 and multiple options to access free digital literacy training in print, online and in-person. To qualify, families must have at least one child eligible to participate in the National School Lunch Program, including public, parochial, private and homeschooled students. Throughout the back to school season, Comcast will actively engage with parents, teachers, non-profit partners and elected officials to help spread the word to low-income families about the program. “We’ve had a tremendous amount of support in the Latino community. Education is the most important issue for Latinos, and families understand internet access is what they need to have their child succeed at school,” said Jackie Puente, Comcast’s Director of External Affairs.

Shell works with the Houston Hispanic Forum to provide a platform to reach and teach students, parents and teachers about our industry while bringing greater awareness and importance of careers. This year’s forum averaged a little over 10,000 participants which included students, teachers and parents. As part of the Shell Workforce Development Initiative group, Shell supports math and science programs for middle and high school students to encourage an interest in energy and to prepare for technical careers. “Encouraging students in middle and high school to study math and science is critical to the future of the energy industry,” said Michael Alvarez, manager, workforce development initiative. “Introducing these skills early and having students begin to develop them will help prepare them for a future career in a technology-driven industry.”

Samsung’s  Solve for Tomorrow is a national education contest that encourages students to combine their creativity and STEM knowledge to become innovators. Students are challenged to show how STEM can be applied to help improve their local communities. The $2 million contest is open to all public middle and high school teachers and students in the U.S. One winner from each state receives a video technology kit to compete in the video phase of the contest. Fifteen finalists chosen from that pool win additional prizes in technology and the opportunity to be chosen as one of five grand prize winners---three by a panel of judges, one by Samsung employees, and one by public online voting. “This year, three of the five national winning schools were comprised of majority Hispanic student populations, each winning $140,000 in technology for their education campuses,” said Maritza Kelley, Samsung’s Senior Manager of Government Relations.

Lockheed Martin is committed to developing programs that educate and inspire tomorrow’s scientists, engineers and mathematicians. In April, Lockheed Martin was proud to have served as the founding and presenting host of the third annual USA Science and Engineering Festival. Over 325,000 attendees visited Washington, DC to engage in inspiring, hands-on exhibits designed to drive excitement in the next generation of engineers. The objective was to educate and inspire students from diverse backgrounds to pursue STEM careers by directly engaging in fun, hands-on activities.

“Our STEM-related outreach starts at the middle and high-school level. We believe strongly in introducing Latino youth to STEM careers at an early age and aim to spark an interest long before they enter college. One example includes our long-standing relationship with Great Minds in STEM,” said John Lucas, Senior Vice President, Human Resources and Communications. “Last year, we expanded our support of the organization with a grant to support their Viva Technology Program. The program provides underrepresented K-12 students an avenue for college and career awareness in STEM through innovative lesson plans and hands-on activities.”

Rainia Washington serves as Vice President, Culture, Diversity and Equal Opportunity Programs. In this role, she is responsible for the workforce engagement and compliance strategy for the corporation’s 113,000 employees worldwide. “We have to be able to fill the pipeline with employees in the STEM field,” she explains. “It’s a business imperative for the company.”

Rainia recalls that she herself participated in a program called Mathematics and Science for Minority Students (MS2). It was founded in 1977 to address the compelling need to cultivate the mathematical and scientific abilities of economically disadvantaged students, many of which are Latinos. Based in the historic Phillips Academy campus, the three-summer program challenges students intellectually and exposes them to peers and educators with diverse backgrounds, life experiences, and aspirations. This inspired her to pursue an engineering degree at the University of Pennsylvania, and later, her 20 year career at Lockheed Martin.

Ingersoll Rand supports the National Hispanic Business Group (NHBG), which recently hosted their 29th Annual Gala Dinner and Awards Presentation in New York City and presented the Hispanic Corporate Leader Award  to Nereida (Neddy) Perez, Vice President and Chief Diversity Officer, Ingersoll Rand. Three Latino students were honored with scholarships as a commitment to developing the next generation of Latino entrepreneurs, corporate leaders and captains of Industry. As Samuel Padilla, President, Padilla Construction Services, Inc. and Chairman of the National Hispanic Business Group, has stated, “Latino business success is important to our communities. Successful businesses create jobs, investment, opportunities, and are an important link to community empowerment. Investing in rising Latino business students is a smart business decision.”

Northrop Grumman supports Viva Technology, a partnership between the Northrop Grumman Foundation, Great Minds in STEM, and One Adelante, Northrop Grumman’s Hispanic ERG. The program engages students, teachers, and parents with STEM challenges that stimulate their interest in the applications of technology and provide STEM-focused career pathways.   Since 2011, One Adelante has coordinated eight Viva Technology programs at schools on the East and West Coasts. The organization has enhanced the company’s talent and leadership pipeline, and promotes Northrop Grumman as an outstanding partner in the community both locally and nationally. It was recognized with the Chairman’s Top Performing ERG Award for 2012 and 2013. Ana Luisa Ramirez is a founding member and leader within One Adelante, which has over 1400 members across the company.

Northrop Grumman supports Viva Technology, a partnership between the Northrop Grumman Foundation, Great Minds in STEM, and One Adelante, Northrop Grumman’s Hispanic ERG. The program engages students, teachers, and parents with STEM challenges that stimulate their interest in the applications of technology and provide STEM-focused career pathways.   Since 2011, One Adelante has coordinated eight Viva Technology programs at schools on the East and West Coasts. The organization has enhanced the company’s talent and leadership pipeline, and promotes Northrop Grumman as an outstanding partner in the community both locally and nationally. It was recognized with the Chairman’s Top Performing ERG Award for 2012 and 2013. Ana Luisa Ramirez is a founding member and leader within One Adelante, which has over 1400 members across the company.