Today, the National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering (NACME) announces the speakers for its first, post-pandemic, in person NACME Annual Conference and Symposium. "Pathway to Excellence", kicking off Wednesday, October 12, 2022, and continuing through Friday, October 14th, includes a who's who from the STEM community, including corporate and non-profit c-Suiters, University Engineering Deans and elite NACME Scholars.

Wednesday (10/12) opens up in Atlanta (Buckhead) with NACME Scholars from schools around the country, in town to compete in the NACME Hackathon powered by bp, where teams of university engineering and computer science students will work to solve a real world problem.

Thursday (10/13), NACME events expands across two locations. In Buckhead, the NACME "Pathway to YOUR Engineering / CS Future" mini-conference will be held with about 300 local high school students in partnership with Georgia Tech's College of Engineering Center for Engineering Education and Diversity (CEED) and sponsored by Bechtel, which include a College Career Fair, technical competitions and capped with a luncheon keynoted by Kevin Edwards, Chief Diversity Officer at Bechtel. Thursday kicks-off the 24-hour Hackathon as well.

Also on Thursday, NACME will present it's Annual Symposium, "Expanding Pathways: Promising Practices for Broadening Participation in Engineering and Computing” at the UPS Worldwide Headquarters in Atlanta, moderated by IBM SVP of Transformation and Culture / NACME Board Chair, Obed Louissaint, with panelists UPS's President of Global Buildings and Systems, Joel Stenson, Bechtel Global COO, Craig Albert, SMASH: Career Catalyst CEO, Dr. Hassan Brown, and Executive Director of Student Diversity and Inclusion, S. Gordon Moore.

Friday (10/14), NACME's "Pathway to Excellence" conference will conclude with the Hackathon Awards Luncheon with a keynote speech by Tiffany Washington, bp's Early Careers Manager for the Western Hemisphere, the NACME C.A.S.E Academy certification classes, and an evening of entertainment, before NACME Scholars return to their respective college campuses.

"To have our talented NACME Scholars from across the country, together with our Institution and Corporate Partners (many of whom are one or two reporting levels from the company's CEO) will create immeasurable long lasting impacts on the STEM community," said Michele Lezama, NACME's President and CEO."

NACME will hold a Press Conference on Thursday, October 13, at 3pm ET at UPS, to announce its partnerships and strategic plan to increase the number of Black, Hispanic / Latinx and Indigenous people in STEM careers, to create an engineering workforce that looks like America.

"NACME started out almost 50 years ago to develop and catalyze strategies to increase the participation of historically underrepresented populations in engineering. The announcement on Thursday will show how NACME continues to strive for progress to foster a more equitable economy that can benefit the many, not just a few," added Obed Louissaint."