Session 1: Foundations & Opportunities

Session 1 will serve as the foundation of the series, level setting the importance of diversity in STEM, highlighting the opportunities for STEM education and talent development, and showcasing unique and innovative projects, career paths, and companies in the region.

The session will feature a panel discussion with Q&A, company/project spotlight with Kaiker Development + Construction, and time for open networking. Our expert panelists for session 1 are:

• Dr. Whitney Gaskins | Founder, The Gaskins Foundation and Assistant Dean of Inclusive Excellence & Community Engagement, University of Cincinnati
• Christina Misali | Director, Talent Pipeline, Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber

We look forward to seeing you there, providing meaningful connections, and giving you plenty to take back to your organizations. If you are unable to attend in-person, a Zoom meeting link will be sent to those registered Tuesday, September 27th by EOD.

About the Diversity in STEM Event Series

According to a 2021 Pew Research Center report, Black and Hispanic workers remain underrepresented in the science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) workforce compared with their share of all workers, while the representation of women varies widely across all STEM occupations. According to the same report, current trends in STEM degree attainment appear unlikely to substantially narrow these gaps.

Within the Cincinnati region, we've seen an increasing need for STEM talent at companies of all sizes in all industries, making a diverse STEM talent pipeline essential to the growth of our region.

This quarterly event series is a partnership between the Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber, Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky African American Chamber, Hispanic Chamber Cincinnati USA, The Gaskins Foundation, and Apprenti Cincinnati. The goal of the series is to showcase the need to bridge the diversity gap in STEM education and careers – as well as initiatives and available resources supporting these efforts – to continue building our region for the future.