New Survey on Gender Inequality in STEM Education Underscores Critical Need for Learning & Mentorship Opportunities to Prepar...
July 13 2018 - 12:41PM
Business Wire
The Exelon Foundation and the United Nations
(UN) Women HeForShe launch inaugural STEM Innovation Leadership
Academy to advance gender equality and develop a pipeline of future
leaders
A new survey conducted by the Exelon Foundation shows that only
50 percent of the next generation of women remain optimistic about
the future of women in science, technology, engineering and math
(STEM). In fact, nearly six times as many high school girls believe
companies view men as more qualified for STEM jobs than women.
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As part of Exelon’s ongoing efforts to empower young women and
advance gender equality, the Exelon Foundation, with the UN Women
HeForShe initiative, is launching its inaugural STEM Innovation
Leadership Academy for teen girls in Chicago, followed by the
launch of a second academy in Washington, D.C. With only 15 percent
of high school girls in the U.S. expressing interest in STEM majors
or careers – compared with 40 percent of high school boys1 – the
week-long immersive STEM Innovation Leadership Academy is designed
to provide hands-on learning and mentorship opportunities.
“The City of Chicago continues to set the national standard for
STEM education, and we are committed to providing all students,
regardless of gender, with the skills and confidence they need to
succeed in the 21st century,” said Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel.
“Initiatives such as the STEM Innovation Leadership Academy provide
access to real-world experiences and mentorship opportunities that
are vital to empowering our future female leaders here in Chicago
and around the world.”
The Chicago STEM Innovation Leadership Academy, which will take
place July 15-21 at the Illinois Institute of Technology, will
bring together nearly 50 young women ages 16 to 19 for engaging
interactive experiences, field trips and conversations with leaders
in STEM fields, including one-on-one mentorship opportunities with
Exelon executives Chris Crane, president and CEO, and Amy Best,
senior vice president & chief human resources officer, as well
as other Chicago based leaders, including Melissa Bean, chairman of
the Midwest for JP Morgan Chase & Co.; LaTanya McDade, chief
education officer of Chicago Public Schools; Anne Pramaggiore, CEO
of Exelon Utilities; and Celena Roldan, CEO of the American Red
Cross of Chicago & Northern Illinois.
The STEM Innovation Leadership Academy will also include several
energy-focused workshops, led by the National Energy Education
Development Project (NEED), as well as visits to Exelon
Generation’s Dresden Generating Station for a hands-on experience
in the plant’s simulator control room and to the Museum of Science
& Industry. Finally, a STEM-focused competition will challenge
participants to redesign sustainable versions of Chicago’s iconic
parks for a chance to win a nominal cash prize.
“By creating opportunities for young women to learn about and
pursue STEM-related careers, we are nurturing the next generation
of leaders,” said Crane. “Initiatives such as the STEM Innovation
Leadership Academy empower female students through education and
mentorship, enhance our workforce through diversity and equality
and ultimately foster fundamental change and a brighter future for
all.”
The STEM Innovation Leadership Academy is just one component of
Exelon’s three-year commitment to the HeForShe initiative, to which
the company’s charitable foundation has made a $3 million
commitment. Launched by UN Women in 2014, HeForShe was created to
foster a movement with a systematic approach and targeted platform
where men can become agents of change for gender equality. In 2017,
Exelon President and CEO Chris Crane was named one of HeForShe’s
Thematic Champions, a program that recognizes global leaders who
stand out as visionaries for gender equality and women’s
empowerment.
In 2017, Exelon contributed a total of $10.3 million to
education-related causes. In addition to the company’s investment
in STEM programs for young women and girls, Exelon’s partnership
with HeForShe also includes a commitment to improving the company’s
retention of women by 2020, with a goal of reaching parity in
voluntary turnover of men and women professionals.
To learn more about Exelon’s initiatives to promote gender
equality and support the communities where its employees live and
work, visit exeloncorp.com.
About Exelon
Exelon Corporation (NYSE: EXC) is a Fortune 100 energy company
with the largest number of utility customers in the U.S. Exelon
does business in 48 states, the District of Columbia and Canada and
had 2017 revenue of $33.5 billion. Exelon’s six utilities deliver
electricity and natural gas to approximately 10 million customers
in Delaware, the District of Columbia, Illinois, Maryland, New
Jersey and Pennsylvania through its Atlantic City Electric, BGE,
ComEd, Delmarva Power, PECO and Pepco subsidiaries. Exelon is one
of the largest competitive U.S. power generators, with more than
32,700 megawatts of nuclear, gas, wind, solar and hydroelectric
generating capacity comprising one of the nation’s cleanest and
lowest-cost power generation fleets. The company’s Constellation
business unit provides energy products and services to
approximately 2 million residential, public sector and business
customers, including more than two-thirds of the Fortune 100.
Follow Exelon on Twitter @Exelon.
About HeForShe
Created by UN Women, the United Nations entity for gender
equality and the empowerment of women, the HeForShe solidarity
movement for gender equality provides a systematic approach and
targeted platform where a global audience can engage and become
change agents for the achievement of gender equality in our
lifetime. HeForShe invites people around the world to stand
together as equal partners to craft a shared vision of a gender
equal world and implement specific, locally relevant solutions for
the good of all of humanity. For more information, visit
http://www.HeForShe.org/en
1 myCollegeOptions.org®/STEMconnector Cooperative Research
Program (2015)
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ExelonRobin Gray202-637-0317robin.levy@exeloncorp.com
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