Full Schedule

In order for the United States to maintain its global leadership position, we must preserve a vibrant, future-oriented research ecosystem along with a well-developed STEM workforce pipeline.  This task will require a broad, diverse pool of highly capable, talented researchers and employees in all areas—especially in STEM. To achieve this goal, broadening the participation of students from underrepresented groups in national research and STEM is necessary, which will require key partnerships.  Mutually beneficial and authentic partnerships between Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and Predominantly White institutions (PWIs) provides a unique opportunity to implement this goal.  Panelists will shed light on how PWIs can benefit from recognizing and leveraging the strengths of HBCUs. These benefits include $14.8 billion in annual economic impact from HBCUs as well as graduating in STEM at least 25% undergraduates, including 46% of women and 30% of black doctoral degrees from these institutions.  Panelists will also discuss key points that make these aspirations possible while providing examples and exploring features that are essential for their success.  This session will include panelists from higher education and governmental entities with experience in developing successful research partnerships between PWIs and HBCUs.  They will discuss personal and career examples of successful collaborations, factors that are essential to consider in developing these relationships, and funding opportunities for a 21st century diverse workforce.

Learning Objective:
Exploring an array of messages received from family, friends, media, and society may cause some to question their knowledge, skills, and abilities. These messages can also lead to struggles with confidence and self-limiting thoughts on the roles they apply for. Historically, minorities and women have received messages that they are not capable of achieving the heights of success; they must work harder than others; or their natural hair, choice of style and clothing are not deemed professional. In other words, they “don’t belong,” or they must fit in to succeed. The pressure to compete can cause some to internalize these messages. They may succumb to perfectionism or feel like they are carrying the weight of their whole race or gender on their shoulders.

These experiences can become internalized leading to negative self-talk and reduced confidence. “Can I listen to the music I enjoy in the comfort of my office or cubicle?” “Will I be judged for growing up in a low-income neighborhood?” “Will I be deemed unprofessional for wearing cultural attire to work?” This fear of judgement and perceptions based on messages or experiences can cause some to hide aspects of their identities at work (covering), code switch, and in some cases, morph into a completely different person during work hours.

Learn from and interact with a multi-generational panel of industry leaders as they share experiences, challenges they’ve conquered in their careers, the power of owning your diversity, and advice to build confidence in your truth.

After this seminar, participants will be able to:

a. Identify and learn skills to combat negative self-talk when it appears.
b. Learn skills to navigate societal norms and interpersonal barriers.
c. Understand what it means to bring your authentic self to work and walk in your truth.

At Amazon, invention and innovation are two sides of the same coin. Both require breaking through the constraints of convention and apparent technical limitations. Invention requires you to imagine a future where things are markedly different, and then to imagine what it would take to get there. Innovation takes an existing process or product and blows apart the constraints that make it behave the way it does today and imagine what it could become. This seminar is an intimate conversation with some of Amazon's top Senior Principal Technologists to discuss their role as individual contributors and how they have used their expertise to invent and innovate to optimize the output for their respective organizations.

The US government has an infrastructure crisis. This crisis affects the military and the government at large. America owns or maintains over 400 bases in 80 countries. These bases face risks from flooding, hurricanes, wildfires, outdated water systems, patchwork of electrical grids, aged airfields, and environmental pollution. These challenges are exacerbated by climate change, budgetary constraints, and the lack of research on technologies or processes that can help mitigate these risks.

The United States is the world leader in simulation, artificial intelligence, and 3D. One of the cornerstones of this primacy is the ability of simulation centers of excellence to work public - private partnerships. Learn about the groundbreaking work that is taking place across the country in simulation, artificial intelligence, and Human Capital Management in Florida and Texas.

Enabling objectives:

• Managing challenges in addressing the underlying root causes of recurring infrastructure challenges
• Managing risks to achieve goals; enhancing award, administration and oversight processes over new and existing funded programs and projects.
• Executing federal priorities related to the impact of climate change, advancing equity, and promoting resilience in infrastructure.
• Coordinating effectively to address capacity challenges to successfully deliver Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act programs.
• Maximizing the benefits of workforce flexibilities and the hybrid work environment to enhance efficiency, effectiveness and engagement.

1. Explore the different broadcast technical roles that bring the shopping experience to life.
2. Examine the advantages of storytelling in Video Commerce and real time interactivity to keep customers engaged.
3. Discuss the step-by-step process that goes into executing a live broadcast across multiple platforms.

During this Crucial Convo session, we’ll take a look at the past implications of military service after Executive Order 9981 which integrated the military. President Truman signed Executive Order 9981 on 26 July 1948. Since then, military leaders have been developed to serve in a digital environment of artificial intelligence, big data, cybersecurity, and engineering. This panel will take deep dive in the past and project a bold new future for military service.

Learning Objective: Discuss critical leadership and team-building skills that inspire leadership growth and development.

It is critical to be a great leader in today's environment of constant change and focus on high-performing teams that are inclusive and diverse. Learn from a panel of experienced professionals who have successfully managed and navigated the challenges of Corporate America. This Panel will share experiences that will provide you with the leadership tools to create successful teams and be a leader who will accelerate your organization's growth.

At the end of this session, participants will:

1. Learn tactics for:

1. Capitalizing on your leadership strengths; and
2. Converting your weaknesses into strengths

2. Recognize how good leaders build a diverse team of competent experts
3. Understand how to develop a team that is goal oriented
4. Learn how to indulge personality differences while optimizing productivity, efficiency, and accuracy

Moderator: Colonel Al Trimble, Brigadier General Robert Bowie 

- 2:30 – 3:45 pm

DESCRIPTION

Energy is an essential enabler of military capability, and the Department of Defense depends on energy-resilient forces and facilities to achieve its mission. DoD consumed over 85 million barrels of fuel to power ships, aircraft, combat vehicles, and contingency bases at a cost of nearly $9.2 billion. At over 500 worldwide military installations, the Department spent $3.4 billion on energy to power over 585,000 facilities and 160,000 non-tactical vehicles.

Enabling Objectives:

• Understand Energy Resilience: Enhancing the military capability, readiness, and resilience of our installations and forces through assured access to resilient and cyber secure fuel and power.

• Understand Energy Supply —  Understand emerging technologies that can reduce the use of nonrenewable energy sources

• -understand  Energy Risk: Identifying, assessing, and integrating energy-related risks into DoD  decision-making associated with requirements, deliberate planning, wargames and exercises, installation master planning, Energy Resilience and Conservation Investment Program (ERCIP), and investments in forces and installations.

• -understand Energy Performance: Ensuring energy efficiency and lower costs at DoD installations through reliable, efficient use of power and alternative financing mechanisms.

• -understand Cyber Secure risk and Facilities: Reducing the cyber risks to facility related control systems to ensure reliable power for critical missions.

Internal/External Crowd sourcing

At GDMS, our customers rely on us to provide innovative solutions to their toughest problems. With related challenges evolving at lightning speed, we need to fully leverage our talented workforce to address them — faster and more capably than our competitors. The GDMS Internal Challenge aims to do just that by making our top business challenges visible to all employees, so those with the right skill and drive can step up to tackle them, in collaboration with our top technical leaders. When our internal activities are not good enough, GDMS takes the appropriate External Challenge measures to connect with external organizations that provide solutions to important challenges we face with an unrivaled network of expert problem solvers. These actions reach experts both from within our industry, but more importantly experts from outside of our industry that can offer diverse perspectives and fresh insight. With these activities and solutions provided, GDMS can incorporate and expand its cutting-edge technologies and products and extend them to their customers.

After this seminar, the participants will be motivated to:

1. Find innovative ways to solve tough problems in technology.
2. Collaborate with top technical leaders in the industry.
3. Engage top performers in cutting edge research activities.

Virtual Systems Integration & Test

Learning Objective: How to effectively conduct Virtual Systems Integration &Test

Sometimes necessity can lead to innovation. With recent COVID-19 restrictions that affected travel and lab participation for our customers, GDMS engineers found smart ways to continue to meet and exceed customer needs through Virtual Systems Integration & Test. This session will go over the techniques used to conduct successful VSI&T.

After this seminar, the participants will have knowledge of:

1. Key components of VSI&T.
2. Presentation/electronic records.
3. Parallel testing tracks.
4. Minimizing testing errors.

As we transition from a remote to a fully mobile, hybrid workforce, organizations need to re-evaluate their approach to securing their people and data. Perimeter defense is no longer sufficient for achieving cyber resiliency and securing our information enterprise that spans geographic borders, interfaces and external partners, and support to millions of authorized users. The "never trust, always verify" mindset requires organizations to take responsibility for securing devices, applications, assets, and services. For an effective Zero Trust security model implementation, organization should answer the following:

· What do you trust: verify explicitly, authenticate, and authorize (enterprise network)

· Who do you trust: least privilege access (applications, devices, services, users)

• How do you trust: end to end encryption (technology)

Enabling Objectives:

1. Zero Trust Cultural Adoption (mindset that guides the design, development, integration and deployment of information technology across the Zero Trust Ecosystem).
2. Cybersecurity information systems Secured & Defended (cybersecurity practices to incorporate and operationalize Zero Trust to achieve enterprise resilience).
3. Technology Acceleration (zero trust-based technologies deployed at a pace equal to industry advancements to remain ahead of changing threat environments).
4. Zero Trust Enablement (policy, programming, planning, funding, execution).

1. Have awareness and understand the process and requirements to apply for active duty, enlisted, and College Student Pre-Commissioning Initiative (CSPI) opportunities with the U.S. Coast Guard.
2. Understand the process and requirements to apply for the civilian employment opportunities, including the USA Jobs application process and federal resume format
3. Have knowledge of college, early entry, and mid-career employment opportunities with the U.S. Coast Guard.
4. Interact with Coast Guard active duty and civilian employees to get first-hand knowledge of STEM careers, leadership opportunities, benefits, and the Coast Guard global and humanitarian community.

In 2022, the federal government exceeded its small business contracting goal by awarding 27.2 percent in federal contract dollars to small businesses. How did this impact black owned companies? What are the strategies that led to this success and how can minority owned companies participate? What are the tips for working with large corporations? What type of systems should be in place and what are the basic requirements? There are emergent opportunities in rebuilding the sagging US infrastructure, sustainability projects, technologies like ChatGBT, Dall E.2, Metaverse. cybersecurity, and Artificial Intelligence, As we transition from a remote workforce to a fully mobile, hybrid approach for contractors how do companies ensure that employees are providing optimal support to the government clients.

Enabling Objectives:

1. Understanding Government Annual Scorecard for Small Business; Implications for FY2024 Capture Strategy
2. Mentor - Protege and other opportunities for Small Businesses to partner with larger organizations to win government contracts.
3. HBCU University Affiliated Research Center implications and opportunities for Small Businesses to work with a college and win government contracts.
4. Service Disables Veteran Owned Businesses; how to increase the number of veterans pursuing entrepreneurship and support mechanisms at federal agencies to ensure an opportunity to compete.

Have you ever felt like your seat at the table was two feet lower than everyone else’s or every time you showed up virtually or in person, you felt invisible?  Or maybe you’ve been subjected to the hypervisibility that comes along with being the only minority in the room and dealt with how to “blend in” affecting your ability to be authentically seen and heard. Either way, the challenges associated with visibility for minority populations are real and are being experienced everyday. Can we really overcome the challenges of being seen and heard in today’s culture? 

In this forum, we will hear from individuals who will share their experiences and perspectives about being seen and heard, despite the microaggressions, marginalization and unconscious biases that exist in the workplace.  Their experiences will shed light and give voice to those who have been silently waiting to show up in ways that pierce the darkness of invisibility and inspire all of us to open our eyes and ears to those who have been challenged with being seen and heard. Just know that you are visible, even if others refuse to remove their blindfolds.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

Join us in this session to learn more about the practice of executive coaching and gain a deeper understanding of how coaching can help uncover your potential and inspire you to become a more effective leader, capable of handling the diverse span of circumstances we face in today’s workforce. Leadership coaching can help individuals at all levels (new professionals to senior executives) more accurately gain a better perspective about their abilities, blind spots, and how to better make use of them. Working with an executive coach can provide professionals with key career development benefits, such as:

· Managing Change

· Managing Stress

· Employee Engagement

· Professional Development

· Leadership Presence (showing up with confidence)

At the end of this seminar, participants will be able to:

1. Help with special areas such as managing Imposter Syndrome, operating in the majority vs operating in the minority, and moving from an Individual Contributor (IC) role to a leadership role.
2. Learn how companies like Apple, Google, LinkedIn, Amazon, General Motors, military (Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps) and nonprofit organizations are using coaching to strengthen employee capabilities and capacity.
3. Understand the differences between a coach, mentor, sponsor, and counselor.
4. Navigate reaching peak performance at all levels, Individual Contributor, Mid-Level Manager, Executive, Senior Executive, and C-Suite.
5. Skilling up for success to overcome organizational obstacles, hurdles, and barriers.

This six-member panel will discuss the importance of scientists and engineers (S&Es) in accomplishing the mission of the Department of the Air Force. This diverse panel will address the exciting challenges as well as note the personal and professional fulfillment they experience by working alongside their military partners. Two senior leaders will share their visions of the important roles that S&Es have in advancing our technology in defense our nation; the importance of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility; commitment to public service; and share important points in their careers. Three S&Es will show exciting highlights from projects they have had as well as paint a picture of their work-life balance, impacts of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility in their careers, and their own personal professional and personal fulfillment serving as S&Es in the Air Force.

There are a lot of personal and professional reasons why folks strive for a Ph.D. but a fair generalization is the aim to change the world for the better. Other fair generalizations are that many PhDs leave academia because they don’t find the institution conducive to tangibly change the world and that there is very little guidance on how one can utilize their Ph.D. skill sets in jobs outside of academia. At Booz Allen Hamilton, we have made it a mission to bring together our over 1000 doctorate employees (and our many other engineers willing to roll up their sleeves) to collectively help with the firm’s bigger VoLT Strategy by (1) generating R&D that will advance client products and services, (2) building strategic partnerships with high-level government officials looking to solve their “Ph.D.-level hard” problems, and (3) ensuring that diversity remains paramount as business imperative. We look forward to talking about our experience with you and really look forward to talking with the audience about ways we all can work together in changing the world for the better.

After this panel, the participants will be able to:

1. Better utilize their PhDs/hands-on engineers towards research opportunities that can help your organization’s bottom line
2. Build a pipeline to help both attract more PhDs to join your organization and help members of your current organization in attaining a Ph.D.
3. Build strategic partnerships with outside entities that can lead to further business

Wind down your day STEMulating lounge with your fellow attendees. Enjoy live music, start a card game, and network. BEYA playing cards and a cash bar provided. Join us online!

The resume writing room is equipped with laptops and printers to assist job seekers make last minute updates to their resumes. Corporate representatives will be available to offer suggestions to strengthen your resumes. Additionally, attendees will receive a complimentary professional head shot for their LinkedIn pages.

Wind down your day STEMulating lounge with your fellow attendees. Enjoy live music, start a card game, and network. BEYA playing cards and a cash bar provided.