Contact: Imani Carter
410.244.7101 x 124
icarter@ccgmag.com
30th Annual BEYA STEM Conference To Attract More Than 8,000 STEM
Leaders, Educators, Employers, Professionals, and Students
Philadelphia to host the largest gathering of individuals committed to increasing the percentage of
people from historically under-represented communities in the technology workforce.
Baltimore, MD – Hosted by US Black Engineer & Information Technology magazine, The Council of HBCU
Engineering Deans, and Lockheed Martin Corporation, the 30th Annual BEYA STEM Conference will take
place on February 18-20, 2016 at the Philadelphia Marriott Downtown in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
As the conference reaches its significant 30-year milestone, events and presentations aim to address the
inequities of diversity in technology and science as a means for increasing awareness, improving
attitudes, and expanding opportunities for the current and future workforce. Today, the United States
graduates fewer engineers when compared to countries like China and India, at 70,000, 600,000, and
350,000 respectively. If continued, this trend will diminish our global power. Combine this with the fact
that minority students are more than twice as likely to switch to other majors as are white and Asian
students. In fact in 2006, just 5.2 percent of the engineering degrees awarded to U.S. citizens went to
African Americans.
This event-packed three-day event unites more than 8,000 industry entrants and professionals including
college representatives and leaders embodying the upper echelon in STEM. The agenda will include
training and networking opportunities, seminars and workshops, and the conference’s popular career
fair, which provides access to leading employers.
Also included on the agenda is the Black Engineer of the Year awards ceremony recognizing the
industry’s most notable achievements and accomplishments in 2015. Award recognition continues to be
a powerful avenue for employers looking to acknowledge and applaud the achievements of minorities in
STEM disciplines within their organizations.
The recipients of the 2016 Black Engineer of the Year Awards are:
Black Engineer of the Year
Christopher Jones
Corporate Vice President & President, Technical Services
Northrop Grumman Corporation
Lifetime Achievement
John Tracy
Chief Technology Officer, Senior Vice President, Engineering,
Operations & Technology
The Boeing Company
Thomas P. Bostick
Command/Chief of Engineers
Headquarter U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Community Service – Government
Ken Holley
Recruiting Specialist
Sandia National Laboratories
Afrachanna Butler
Research Physical Scientist
US Army Engineer Research and Development Center
Community Service – Industry
Monique Smith
Mission Excellence Engineer
Northrop Grumman Aerospace Sector
Community Service – Industry
Charlie Dean
Senior Multi-Disciplined Engineer
Raytheon Space and Airborne Systems
Dave Barclay Affirmative Action
Charles Williams
Senior Small Business Specialist
NASA Johnson Space Center
Most Promising Engineer – Government
Renee Reynolds
Engineering Manager, SEA 21 Fleet Technical
Naval Sea Systems Command
Delante Moore
Operations Research Analyst
United States Army
Most Promising Engineer - Industry
Larry Laws
Manager System Analysis and Support
BGE, an Exelon Company
Most Promising Engineer – Industry
Jerome Forbes
Senior Systems Engineer II
Raytheon
Outstanding Technical Contribution – Government
Ernest Yelder
Lead Cybersecurity Analyst
NAVSEA
Outstanding Technical Contribution – Industry
Shawanna Phillips
Executive Director of Technology and Service Management
AT&T
Professional Achievement – Government
Angela Holmes
Program Manager, Global Deployment Program Office
Missile Defense Agency
Professional Achievement – Government
Kelcey Shaw
Battalion Executive Officer
U.S. Army Corps of Engineer, 249th Engineer Battalion
Professional Achievement – Industry
Jeffrey Chavis
Assistant Group Supervisor
Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Lab
Professional Achievement – Industry
Edwardo Gillison
Multi-Function Engineering of Science, Senior Manager
Lockheed Martin Corporation
Technical Sales and Marketing
Bob Goode
Field Sales Support System Engineering Senior Staff
Lockheed Martin Corporation
Anbessie Yitbarek
Regional Sales Director, NE Asia, Commercial Aviation Services
The Boeing Company
College-Level Promotion of Education
Yacob Astatke
Interim Associate Dean for Undergraduate Studies
Morgan State University
Richard Tapia
University Professor, Maxfield -Oshman Chair in Engineering
Rice University
Student Leadership
Malachi Nichols
Student
University of Arkansas
Special Recognition
Tuba Aktaran-Kalayci
Director Advanced Analytics, Big Data
AT&T
Thierry Starr
Aviation Planner
CH2M Hill
Kristal Fears
Manufacturing Engineer
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles
John James, III
Systems Engineer Senior Staff
General Dynamics- Mission Systems
Tonesha Smith
Embedded Software Engineer Senior
Lockheed Martin Corporation
Tamara Crawford
Advanced Technical Leadership Program Senior
Lockheed Martin Corporation
Erica McClain
Ground Test- Acting DTGH Technical Lead
Missile Defense Agency
Derrick Cheston
Chief, Systems Engineering & Architecture Division
NASA
Conrad James
Principal Research Scientist
Sandia National Laboratories
Allen Compito
General Manager, Electronics and Sensors Division
The Aerospace Corporation
David Cade
Vice President, Contracting and Risk Management
The Boeing Company
Mark Braxton
Construction Project Manager
United States Coast Guard
Yuanwei Jin
Associate Professor
University of Maryland Eastern Shore
Andre Evans
Midshipman First Class
United States Naval Academy
About Career Communications Group
Career Communications Group, Inc. (CCG) is an industry-leading media company that supports
businesses and employers in promoting multiculturalism and diversity in STEM (science, technology,
engineering, and mathematics) fields through major national conferences, publications, and websites.
As nationally-renowned experts and thought leaders in the field, Career Communications Group delivers
broad-based, creative diversity solutions to employers. CCG also provides consultative support and
expertise with their internal strategies and programs.
About The Council of Engineering Deans of the Historically Black Colleges and Universities
Focusing on the HBCUs that make up the Council of Engineering Deans is strategic and cost-effective
because they graduate a significant number of minority engineers. Through cultivating partnerships with
HBCUs, employers can attain a truly diverse workforce — a necessary ingredient for the future. Diversity
is what keeps engineering innovations and designs in tune with the diverse society they represent.
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