U.S. News & World Report Presents The Fourth Annual STEM Solutions National Leadership Conference

WASHINGTON, March 23, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Though jobs in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields are on the rise nationwide, the majority of the future labor pool – women, Latinos and African-Americans – shows disproportionately little interest in pursuing STEM careers. To help solve this crisis, U.S. News & World Report will bring together leaders in education, industry and policy for the fourth annual STEM Solutions conference, taking place Monday, June 29 – Wednesday, July 1.

The theme of this year's conference – "Teach, Inspire, Hire: Discovering and Growing America's Diverse Talent Pool" — is a call to action, and the program will put a special emphasis on increasing the ranks of women, minorities, veterans, and other underserved and underrepresented populations in STEM careers. The keynote and breakout sessions will highlight the solutions, best practices, and model programs making an impact across the nation. The 40 breakout sessions will allow attendees to explore in-depth topics such as  "Recruiting and Retaining Minorities in Your Workforce,"  "Progress on the Gender Front in STEM,"  "Improving Teacher Prep," "Cultivating College Access and Completion," "Engaging Parents in Their Children's STEM Educations," and "Beefing Up Career and Technical Education."

Taking place in San Diego, a global hub for important STEM industries such as telecommunications, biotechnology, medicine and defense, the conference will also highlight topics unique to the local economy, including cybersecurity, veterans and STEAM.

To date, more than 50 leaders in STEM and diversity are confirmed, including:

• Wanda M. Austin, Ph.D., President and CEO, The Aerospace Corporation
• Andrea Beaty, author, "Rosie Revere, Engineer"
• Gary R. Bertoline, Ph.D., Dean, College of Technology, Purdue University
• Sarita E. Brown, President, Excelencia in Education
• Kimberly Wright Cassidy, Ph.D., President, Bryn Mawr College
• John Ewing, Ph.D., President, Math for America
• Antonio R. Flores, Ph.D., President and CEO, Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities
• Jean Hernandez, Ed.D., President, Edmonds Community College, Lynnwood, Washington
• Blake Irving, CEO, GoDaddy
• Brian Johnson, Ph.D., President, Tuskegee University
• Fredi Lajvardi, Teacher, Carl Hayden Community High School, Phoenix
• Arthur Levine, Ph.D., President, Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation
• Michael Lomax, Ph.D., President and CEO, UNCF
• Cindy Marten, Superintendent of Public Education, San Diego Unified School District
• Anna M. Park, CEO, Great Minds in STEM
• Jerome S. Parker, Ph.D., President, Delaware County Community College, Media, Pennsylvania
• Arva Rice, President and CEO, New York Urban League
• Ricardo Romo, Ph.D., President, University of Texas at San Antonio
• Phil Schmidt, Ph.D., Vice President for Compliance and Accreditation; Dean, Teachers College, Western Governors University
• Telle Whitney, Ph.D., President and CEO, Anita Borg Institute
• Kim A. Wilcox, Ph.D., Chancellor, University of California, Riverside
• Joan C. Williams, Distinguished Professor of Law; Founding Director, Center for WorkLife Law, University of California Hastings College of the Law

For a full list of speakers and agenda, please visit http://usnewsstemsolutions.com/.

U.S. News will release the second annual U.S. News/Raytheon STEM Index, the only comprehensive index of its kind that tracks key economic- and education-related STEM activity in the United States over time. Profiles of the speakers, sessions and solutions discussed at the event will be featured on the U.S. News STEM hub, www.usnews.com/STEM, alongside U.S. News' perennial STEM content, including the Best High Schools for STEM and the Best Jobs for STEM.

Members of the media interested in attending the conference or receiving embargoed information about the U.S. News/Raytheon STEM Index should contact U.S. News & World Report's Lucy Lyons ([email protected]). You can also follow the conversation on Twitter via @STEMSolutions, and by using the hashtag #STEMsolve.

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SOURCE U.S. News & World Report

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