Contributions Council II Round-Up: STEM Education
By Tony Tapia, Program Director, The Conference Board Contributions Council II
The fall meeting of The Conference Board Contributions Council II, a peer-networking group of corporate philanthropy executives from some of the best-known and best-run companies in the United States and around the world, took place over a day and a half in mid-September in Philadelphia, PA. The theme of the meeting, “STEM Education,” brought speakers addressing the gaps in STEM education. Here, we summarize some of the content that resonated with members.
Before she founded Girls Who Code in 2012, Reshma Saujani, also the organization’s CEO, found herself asking: Why are so few girls working in the tech industry and studying for computer science degrees? Reshma is passionate about closing the gap that exists for girls in the computer science industry in the United States. This encouraged her to start the nonprofit, which inspires, educates and equips girls with computing skills to pursue 21st century opportunities.
Reshma’s goal is to encourage girls to become software professionals. Girls Who Code’s eight-week program provides girls with the skills they need to obtain internships at tech companies and is helping move families into the middle class. In addition, Reshma is developing a support network for women and girls to help them advance in their careers. She is creating a pipeline of future workers in an industry historically dominated by boys.
In addition to Reshma’s presentation, members heard about other issues dominating the corporate philanthropy world, including:
- Giving in Numbers Released on September 22, Giving in Numbers: 2015 Edition, provides important benchmarking information on the corporate philanthropy industry. Alex Parkinson from The Conference Board and CECP’s Jinny Jeong provided an overview of some of the key trends emerging from this year’s analysis, which include the fact that the community investment function is becoming more embedded in companies. Council members expressed the value of the benchmark, particularly how it has helped them maintain and grow their giving programs.
- Education 2.0 The Science Leadership Academy (SLA) in Philadelphia has a unique teaching methodology that educates children for the 21st It provides a rigorous, college-preparatory curriculum with a focus on science, technology, mathematics and entrepreneurship. Chris Lehmann, the academy’s founding principal, provided an overview of the teaching methodology at the SLA, and about “Building Schools 2.0.”
- STEM internships at corporations STEM internships at corporations can give high school students an opportunity to learn the basic skills of working in a professional environment, while giving corporations a chance to nurture the next generation of talent. In a panel moderated by Richard Robbins from Upper West Strategies, Scott Mendelsohn from New York City Department of Education’s Office of Postsecondary Readiness gave an overview of the program and John Sasso from Ernst & Young, which has hosted several interns, talked about securing champions within his organization to advocate for an internship program and the subsequent mutual benefits gained by the young people and the corporations.
- Discovery fueled by curiosity Equal parts science, technology, engineering, arts and math, First Hand Philadelphia’s mission is to provide curious minds access to the knowledge and resources of the University City Science Center. By fueling discovery and exploration with interactive programming, they are opening the doors for the minds of tomorrow. David Clayton and Danielle Stollak led the group in a “card game” that demonstrated the various components available at First Hand to bring ideas to reality—scientists, funders/investors, and a facility/labs. First Hand works with students to not only teach them how to leverage their creativity within the sciences, but also how to get their ideas funded.
In addition to these speakers, council members had the opportunity to learn from each other during “Member Snapshots,” presented by representatives from Duke Energy and TIAA-CREF. A unique session on “mindfulness at work” encouraged members to explore the value of mediation in the workplace and how it can be a useful tool for overall quality of life, while a tour of the Barnes Foundation building and art collection gave everyone a taste of Philadelphia.
Meeting details
Date September 16-18
Location The Franklin Institute, Philadelphia, PA
Speakers:
- Gianna Jackson, TIAA-CREF
- Betsy Conway, Duke Energy
- Reshma Saujan, Founder and CEO, Girls Who Code
- Alex Parkinson, Researcher, The Conference Board
- Jinny Jeong, Evaluation and Data Insights Associate, CECP
- Richard Robbins, CEO, Upper West Side Strategies
- Chris Lehmann, Founding Principal, Scienve Leadership Academy
- Michael Carroll, COO, Global Coaching Alliance
- John Sasso, Ernst & Young
- Scott Mendelsohn, New York City Department of Education’s Office of Post-Secondary Readiness
- David Clayton, First Hand Philadelphia
- Danielle Stollak, First Hand Philadelphia
About The Conference Board Contributions Council II
As leaders in the field of corporate contributions, we influence by example. That requires keeping up not only with current issues and trends, but with best practices and best programs. We create initiatives that advance community building while enriching our companies’ profiles and social activism portfolios. The council includes representatives from some of the best-known and best-run companies in the United States and around the world. Council members also have the opportunity to visit the communities, campuses, and nonprofit organizations that benefit from their grant-making. The council will next meet on June 20-22, 2016 in Toronto, Canada, during a joint meeting with The Conference Board Contributions Council I and the Global Investing Council), and later over September 14-16, 2016, in Charlotte, North Carolina.
About the author:
Tony Tapia
Program Director, Contributions Council II
The Conference Board
Tony Tapia is President of Bridging Worlds Philanthropic Advisors. Bridging Worlds provides services to private, corporate, community and family foundations. Bridging Worlds advises on an array of issues including global philanthropy, economic development, corporate giving, performing arts, immigration, Latino and aging issues. Current activities include project consultant for the Colorado Latino Age Wave and Program Director for the Conference Board’s Contributions Council II.
