2015 US Black Engineer & Information Technology | BACK TO SCHOOL - VOL. 39, NO. 3

Black Engineer of the Year Award Winners on Corporate Boards

Energy leaders with hands on the power Setting rules

to power homes and industries USBE&IT Back To School Edition 2015 www.blackengineer.com

The Honorable

La Doris “Dot� Harris Director, Office of Economic Impact and Diversity U.S. Department of Energy

Influencing the environmental footprint S R E E R CA in Y G R E N E

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CONTEN US BLACK ENGINEER & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

BRINGING TECHNOLOGY HOME TO THE BLACK COMMUNITY

Publisher’s Page..................................................3 FEATURES

INTERNSHIPS: How I Spent My Summer..............................................24 Few young people have had such a chock-full summer as these students from Jackson State, West Point, Tuskegee, and Prairie View A&M.

Why Internships are Important.........28 BEYA Winners on Corporate Boards.............32 Joining a still-higher elite corps: Black Engineers of the Year on corporate boards.

BGE’s CEO Strives for Parity and Opportunities............ 40 As more customers turn to solar panels and turbine generators, BGE seeks ways to ensure parity for all its other customers.

The Honorable La Doris “Dot” Harris, Director of the Office of Economic Impact and Diversity at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) 2 USBE&IT I FALL 2015

A Portrait of BEYA STEM’s Generation Next....................42 www.

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Vo l u m e 3 9 N u m b e r 3 PROFILES IN INNOVATION

People and Events.................... 6

American Association of Blacks in Energy honors DTE’s David Johnson, Morgan students on Cross-Cultural Summer Immersion Trip ...

One on One................................ 8 Two energy engineers on the future of energy.

BEST PRACTICES FOR SUCCESS

Career Voices.......................... 13 COVER STORY

Spotlight on The Honorable La Doris “Dot” Harris, director of the Office of Economic Impact and Diversity at the U.S. Department of Energy.

Corporate Life......................... 15 Dare to Soar: Are you ready to soar but feel held back?

Here’s what folks who have come through the trenches have to say.

First Steps.............................. 18 The Federal Bureau of Investigation, National Security Agency and many other federal agencies are looking to hire you.

PUBLISHER’S PAGE

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over to cover, many of the men and women you’ll read about in USBE’s seventh annual Energy issue are members of the American Association of Blacks in Energy.

AABE was founded and is dedicated to ensure the input of African Americans and minorities in the discussions and developments of energy policies regulations, R&D technologies, and environmental issues.

According to a landmark AABE report, African Americans have consistently represented a lower fraction of employees in the energy sector than they have in services, or in manufacturing.

Of the eleven industries examined over two decades, the fraction of employees who are Black rose from 6 to 8 percent. However, the total number of African Americans employed in the energy industry fell over the same period, from a high of 215,000 in 1989 to approximately 176,000 in 2002, with nearly two-thirds of Blacks employed in the energy sector living in the South, due in large part to the higher African American population there.

The report, “Energy, Economics, and the Environment: Effects on African Americans” also noted that the energy intensity of Black-owned firms appears to be roughly equivalent to the energy intensity of all firms. In 1997, Black Americans owned 4.24 percent of U.S. firms in industries with greater than average energy intensities (in contrast to 3.95% average ownership). However, Black-owned firms in sectors with greater than average energy intensities were only responsible for 0.374 percent of sales and receipts (in contrast to 0.384% average sales and receipts).

AABE urged that African Americans should be less concerned about maintaining the status quo insofar as Black ownership of energy businesses and African American employment in the energy sector are disproportionately small.

The good news is at least 7 of the top 10 college majors by salary potential evaluated by payscale.com last fall coincide with positions that energy corporations are desperately seeking to fill. The survey highlights “extreme need” for petroleum, chemical, mechanical, electrical and nuclear engineers, and companies are willing to pay top dollar for top talent in these disciplines.

On the cover is Office of Economic Impact and Diversity Director Dot Harris, who is an electrical engineering graduate. Harris and her staff at the U.S. Department of Energy have participated in more than 300 events across America focused on energy economic development, science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education, research and development programs.

EDUCATION

Education................................ 20 Parent PLUS Loans: What You Need to Know Before You Apply

CAREER OUTLOOK

Tyrone D. Taborn Publisher and Editorial Director

Spotlight on Energy................ 47 ➲ Energy Overview

➲ Career Horizons – Trends in the Energy Sector ➲ Top Blacks in Energy ➲ Leading Energy Employers USBE&IT I FALL 2015 3

ďƒœSave the Date EXECUTIVE OFFICE Tyrone D. Taborn, Publisher and Editorial Director Jean Hamilton, President and CFO EDITORIAL Rayondon Kennedy, Assistant Editor Lango Deen, Technology Editor Michael Fletcher, Contributing Editor Gale Horton Gay, Contributing Editor M.V. Greene, Contributing Editor Frank McCoy, Contributing Editor Garland L. Thompson, Contributing Editor Roger Witherspoon, Contributing Editor GRAPHIC DESIGN Sherley Taliaferro, Art Director Joe Weaver, Global Design Interactive Bryan Clapper, Contributing Graphic Designer CORPORATE DEVELOPMENT Eric Price, Vice President, Recruitment and Training Rod Carter, Recruitment Specialist, College Relations Matt Bowman, Veterans Affairs Angela Wheeler, Manager, Foundation for Educational Development Genevieve Kester, Recruitment Specialist Ty Taborn, Corporate Development Imani Carter, Corporate Communications Specialist SALES AND MARKETING Alex Venetta, Associate Publisher, Manager of Partner Services Gwendolyn Bethea, Vice President, Corporate Development Devin Oten, Senior Account Manager ADMINISTRATION Aisha Eversley, Admin Support

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CONFERENCE AND EVENTS Ana Bertrand, Conference Coordinator Monica Emerson, Women of Color STEM Conference National Chair Sheila Richburg, College Coordinator Toni Robinson, 360 MMG Rutherford & Associate 17304 Preston Road, Suite 1020 Dallas, Texas 75252 ADVERTISING SALES OFFICE Career Communications Group, Inc. 729 E. Pratt Street, Suite 504 Baltimore, MD 21202 Phone: (410) 244-7101 / Fax: (410) 752-1834

February 18-20, 2016 Philadelphia, PA

US Black Engineer & Information Technology (ISSN 1088-3444) is a publication devoted to engineering, science, and technology and to promoting opportunities in those fields for Black Americans. The editors invite submissions directed toward the goals of US Black Engineer & Information Technology. In particular, we wish to present ideas and current events concerning science and technology, and personality profiles of successful Blacks in these fields and related business pursuits. Fully developed articles may be sent for consideration, but queries are encouraged. US Black Engineer & Information Technology invites letters to the editor about any topics important to our readership. Articles and letters should be sent to: US Black Engineer & Information Technology, Editorial Department, 729 E Pratt St., Suite 504, Baltimore, MD 21202. No manuscript will be returned unless accompanied by a stamped, self-addressed envelope. US Black Engineer & Information Technology cannot be responsible for unsolicited art or editorial material. This publication is bulk-mailed to 150 colleges and universities nationwide. Subscriptions are $26/year. Please write to US Black Engineer & Information Technology, Subscriptions, 729 E. Pratt St., Suite 504, Baltimore, MD 21202. Copyright (c) 2015 by Career Communications Group, Inc. All rights reserved. Printed in the U.S.A.

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PROFILES IN INNOVATION We celebrate the men and women who are reinventing and reenergizing STEM, business, and government.

People and Events

by editors@ccgmag.com

MORGAN STUDENTS ON CROSS-CULTURAL SUMMER IMMERSION TRIP

Morgan State University study abroad students show their passports in a group photo with University President David Wilson (center back row) and study abroad coordinator Dr. Sumanth Reddy (far right) before departure.

A group of Morgan State University students went on a two-week summer immersion trip in China in July. Dr. Sumanth Reddy, the study abroad coordinator in the university’s Division of International Affairs who announced the trip back in April, chaperoned the group.

Morgan’s Center for Global Studies and Exchange facilitates efforts to internationalize the curriculum across disciplines, consistent with the President David Wilson’s vision of “Growing Future and Leading the World.”

To achieve this goal, the center works with academic departments to enhance student and faculty development through workshops, study abroad, internships, exchanges and other relevant international education programs.

CAREER COMMUNICATIONS GROUP PUBLISHER AND CEO KEYNOTES BLACK ENGINEERING COUNCIL OF GENERAL DYNAMICS ELECTRIC BOAT ANNUAL SCHOLARSHIP BANQUET Tyrone Taborn, publisher and CEO of diversity media company Career Communications Group, was the keynote speaker at the 20th Black Engineering Council of General Dynamics Electric Boat Scholarship Awards Banquet on May 29 at the Mystic Marriott Hotel in Groton, Conn.

The event recognized two New London County African American high school seniors for winning the 2015 Black Engineering Council (BEC) Scholarships, based on academic achievement, community service and a written essay that answered the question: “How does building and maintaining strong positive relationships with people in your community contribute to the future success of you and your community?”

“I’m going to make three points this evening,” Taborn told guests at the 20th Black Engineering Council Scholarship Awards Banquet.

“One, change is a permanent part of our existence. Two, those who don’t embrace change won’t survive. Three, you must be responsible for your own path.”

The Black Engineering Council of Electric Boat is an employee-run professional organization dedicated to fostering a diverse and inclusive environment within Electric Boat for recruitment, retention, career development and corporate responsibility.

General Dynamics Electric Boat is a subsidiary of General Dynamics Corporation. It has been the primary builder of submarines for the U.S. Navy for over 100 years.

Above, Tyrone Taborn (far left) poses with award recipients Naseef McCray and Damoya Nelson (center). Below, Nelson smiles as she holds up a promotional check featuring her 2015 BEC Scholarship.

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AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF BLACKS IN ENERGY HONORS DTE’S DAVID JOHNSON David L. Johnson, vice president of Customer Service and Marketing for DTE Energy, received the Lewis H. Latimer Award presented by the American Association of Blacks in Energy (AABE), Michigan chapter.

AABE’s 15th Lewis H. Latimer Awards named after the famed African American inventor was held May 19 at the Detroit Marriott.

“The purpose of the Lewis H. Latimer dinner is to honor a person in the energy industry, as well as to provide scholarships to students pursuing education in the STEM field,” said Carla Walker-Miller, AABE’s newly elected president.

“David, as a vice president of DTE Energy, is an excellent honoree as he represents what can be accomplished through hard work, dedication and compassion in the community,” she said.

At DTE, Johnson leads strategy and operations for customer service, including billing and meter reading services, collections and theft, contact center operations, business and residential customer marketing and customer research.

Johnson was honored for outstanding achievement, personal involvement and professional leadership in the energy-related field.

“I’m proud to be honored by AABE,” Johnson said. “Through initiatives such as the Lewis H. Latimer Scholarship Awards, AABE is investing in future engineers, vice presidents and CEOs of our state, and giving back to the community along the way.”

AABE awarded scholarships to top-performing minority high school students who are planning careers in the science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields.

PROS ON THE MOVE

MORGAN STATE UNIVERSITY ALUM ELECTED VICE CHAIRMAN OF CORNING CORPORATION Lawrence D. McRae was elected vice chairman and corporate development officer of Corning Inc. in July. McRae, 57, who joined Corning in 1985, assumes responsibility for management of the Chief Executive Officer’s office. McCrae has served as a member of the company’s management committee since 2006. He led negotiations leading to a strategic agreement between Corning and Samsung Display Co., Ltd., which included Corning’s full ownership of Samsung Corning Precision Materials, Co., Ltd. McRae received his bachelor’s degree in accounting from Morgan State University and a master’s degree in business administration from Harvard University. He serves on the board of directors of the Dow Corning Corporation, Samsung Corning Advanced Glass, LLC, and the Corning Foundation. www.blackengineer.com

RICKY D. SMITH, CEO, BALTIMORE/ WASHINGTON INTERNATIONAL THURGOOD MARSHALL AIRPORT

Governor Larry Hogan appointed Ricky D. Smith, CEO of Baltimore/ Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport.

In this capacity, Smith, a 27-year government transportation official, will also serve as executive director of the Maryland Aviation Administration, overseeing BWI Marshall, Martin State Airport and public-use airports across the state.

Smith returns to BWI Marshall after serving as director of Cleveland Hopkins International Airport since 2006. BWI Marshall is ranked 22nd for the number of passengers in the United States with more than 22 million passengers traveling through the airport every year.

After graduating from high school, Smith attended Virginia Union University where he pledged Omega Psi Phi. He subsequently transferred to Howard University where he earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting. Smith holds degrees from Howard University and Loyola University of Maryland.

USBE&IT I FALL 2015 7

PROFILES IN INNOVATION

One on One

by Lango Deen ldeen@ccgmag.com

8 USBE&IT I FALL 2015

www.blackengineer.com

Fueling the Future R WHAT’S HAPPENING IN RENEWABLE ENERGY?

ecently, energy engineers led a Career Communications Group seminar on the future of energy. The experts touched on hot-button issues such as emissions, energy efficiency, and the use of alternative energy.

Taking a jump right into the future, Claire Alicia Nelson, founder and president of the Institute of Caribbean Studies, asked the audience to imagine — 15 years from now — an energy news update that says “EU surpasses its target for 27 percent renewable energy; with 35 percent energy mix.”

By 2020 the European Union wants to have 20 percent of its energy consumption from renewable sources. This target is distributed between twentyeight European Union (EU) countries, with action plans designed to plot a pathway for the development of renewable energies in each member state.

www.blackengineer.com

USBE&IT I FALL 2015 9

PROFILES IN INNOVATION

One on One According to the latest information, Nelson said Germany fuels. Experts agree that although the amount of fossil fuel usage was the largest producer of renewable energy among the EU 28, varies greatly by region, the world is slowly adopting renewable with a 17.5 percent share of the total. energy technology. Renewable energy technologies range from Italy (12.2 %) and France (12.0 %) were the only other EU solar power, wind power, hydroelectricity/micro hydro, biomass, member states to record double-digit shares, followed by Spain and biofuels for transportation.

(9.1 %) and Sweden (8.7 %).

Among renewable energies, the most important source in New World Vision Europe was biomass and renewable waste, accounting for 64.2 “That is the vision cities, states, and countries face,” percent of primary renewables production in 2013.

Nelson said.

Hydropower was the A July 2015 report, other main contributor to “State of the States: A the renewable energy mix New Perspective (16.6 % of the total). Alon the Wealth of Our Projected Energy Consumption though levels of producNation,” details the tion remained relatively Ecological Footprint and low, there was a rapid resource availability of 50 expansion in the output states and the District of Electricity Liquid Fuels of wind and solar energy, Columbia.

10.70 19.62 which accounted for 10.5 According to the Renewables Natural Gas percent and 5.5 percent report, California became 9.96 76.52 respectively of the first state to generthe EU-28’s renewable ate over 5 percent of its energy produced in 2013. electricity from utilityThe remaining shares scale renewables earlier were 3.1 percent for geothis year, but six states thermal energy and 0.02 are farther ahead than the Coal percent for tide, wave, Golden State in overall 871 and ocean energy, the renewable energy depenlatter being found in only dence.

France and the United The majority of Kingdom. the renewable energy in Total Energy those six states comes Consumption Leading the Clean from hydropower, which Energy Race the report points out is In the United States, “well-exploited and very Source U.S. Energy Markets Summary the Aloha State of Hawaii geographically specific.” has announced a bold enCurrently Idaho, ergy agenda — to achieve Washington, and Oregon 100 percent clean energy are generating more than by the year 2045.

70 percent of their electricity from renewable energy. The states Along with reducing the islands’ dependency on fossil fuels with the lowest percent of their electricity generation coming and increasing efficiency, the Hawaii State Energy Office has from renewable energy are Ohio, Delaware, and Rhode Island, embarked on a plan to position Hawaii as a proving ground for the report said. clean energy technologies and accelerate the state’s transformaMaryland is leading the way toward sustainable investment tion to a clean energy economy. by including environmental and social factors to evaluate major According to Hawaii News Now, Hawaii residents typically capital decisions, including fleet vehicles, weatherization and pay between two and three times the national average for elecland conservation investments. tricity, but officials believe the addition of new renewable energy Last October, EU leaders agreed on the domestic 2030 resources will help stimulate price decreases, reducing the state's greenhouse gas reduction target of at least 40 percent. reliance on the more than $4 billion spent annually on imported This 2030 policy framework aims to make the European oil, the paper said.

Union’s economy and energy system more competitive, secure, In May 2015, 21.3 percent of Hawaii’s electricity was genand sustainable and also sets a target of at least 27 percent for erated from renewable sources. Renewable electricity production renewable energy and energy savings by 2030. on the island is primarily from bioenergy, the wind, and geother“2030 is a pull year,” Nelson added. “It’s a year for decision mal, with solar, especially distributed photovoltaic. making for 8.3 billion people who need energy.” Recognized as Coal, oil, and natural gas are the three major forms of fossil a White House Champion of Change, Nelson is a member of the

2016

98.92

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www.blackengineer.com

Renewable energy is an important player for future needs of consumers. However, it won’t compete with a ‘true’ traditional resource such as a fossil fuel until it can compete on price.

Renewable energy standing on its own will be most important to its future viability.

Editorial Advisory Board of the World Futures Society and an emerging voice as a Black Futurist.

The first Jamaican woman to earn a doctorate degree in an engineering discipline, she holds Industrial Engineering degrees

from the State University of New York at Buffalo and Purdue University and a doctorate in Engineering Management from George Washington University.

Nelson warned, however, that 2030 was also “a year of the perfect storm,” with rising population growth, demand for food, and billions of people still using wood charcoal as fuel.

Abner Tsadick, a principal structuring analyst with Constellation, an Exelon company, was optimistic that steps are being made both in the regulatory space and through technology improvements.

“The world is generally receptive to this new technology, and it is increasingly showing up in the energy mix,” said Tsadick. “Renewable energy is an important player for future needs of consumers. However, it won’t compete with a ‘true’ traditional resource such as a fossil fuel until it can compete on price,” he said. “Renewable energy standing on its own will be most important to its future viability.”

Tsadick’s professional experience includes engineering, development, risk, credit, and finance as a trading floor analyst for Exelon, the nation’s leading competitive energy provider in the United States. Exelon’s energy company specializes in the supply of gas and electricity to commercial and industrial customers.

UNITED STATES Leads the Way While Idaho, Washington, and Oregon are generating more than 70 percent of their electricity from renewable energy, Hawaii is seeking to become one of the greenest states — from spending $5 billion on 40 million barrels of imported oil a year to using 100 percent renewable sources, by the year 2045.

Local enterprises in Hawaii are replacing polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles with glass bottles, building bee colonies for honey, and rewarding employees for carpooling

www.blackengineer.com

Recognizing Hawaii’s commitment, the International Union for Conservation of Nature Council selected Hawaii as the venue for the 2016 IUCN World Conservation Congress – the world’s largest conservation event

This will be the first time the World Conservation Congress will be held in the United States

USBE&IT I FALL 2015 11

BEST PRACTICES FOR SUCCESS Some of the brightest minds in STEM, business and government offer their insights and advice about living and working to one’s best potential.

Career Voices

By Lango Deen ldeen@ccgmag.com

REMEMBER THE NAME LADORIS “DOT” HARRIS

H

THE HONORABLE LADORIS “DOT” HARRIS • Director, Office of Economic Impact & Diversity, U.S. Department of Energy • President & CEO, Jabo Industries, LLC • Synergy Leader/Service Director, GE Energy • Vice President, Operations & Production, ABB Service Inc. • Operations Manager/Field Services Engineer, Westinghouse Electric

www.blackengineer.com

arris runs one of the most powerful offices in the federal government focused on minority education, businesses, and communities. She was nominated by President Barack Obama and confirmed by the U.S. Senate and serves in an Assistant Secretary level position at the U.S. Department of Energy. Harris is the Director of the Office of Economic Impact and Diversity where she ensures that minorities and historically underrepresented communities are granted opportunities to engage in the Department’s programs. She leads the agency’s offices of Diversity and Inclusion, Civil Rights, Equal Employment Opportunity, and Minority Economic Impact (offices of Minority Education and Community Development, Minority Business and Economic Development). In 1977, Congress created the Office of Minority Economic Impact with the mission to ‘ensure minorities are afforded an opportunity to participate fully in the energy programs of the Department’.

Additionally, she leads the Department’s Minorities in Energy and My Brother’s Keeper initiatives, serves on the White House Council on Women and Girls, oversees funding strategy for minority-serving educational institutions, develops and implements minority business opportunities; and advocates for and protects the civil rights of employees and recipients of multi-billion dollar funding from the energy department.

She and her staff have participated in more than 300 events across America focused on energy economic development, science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education, research and development programs. Through publications and community events, she and her staff have reached over 80 million people on the topic of diversity, economic development, and the sustainability of a STEM workforce.

Seamless narrative By 2011, when President Barack Obama nominated Harris to direct the Office of Economic Impact and Diversity at the DOE, she had already garnered the respect of her industry.

Harris was President & CEO of Jabo Industries, LLC a successful engineering and consulting firm cofounded with her sister, Lillie G. Reid and named after their father, William “Jabo” Guess.

Harris served as Synergy Leader for General Electric (GE) Energy’s $7 billion Energy Services business. She was focused on sharing best practices to increase effectiveness across the $54 Billion GE Infrastructure businesses. Prior, she was GE Energy’s Central U.S. and Canada Region Service Director responsible for a nearly $500 million Power Generation Service business.

She joined GE in 2000 as the e-Business leader for GE Industrial Systems’ Engineering Services business as one of its first African American female executive band employees.

USBE&IT I FALL 2015 13

BEST PRACTICES FOR SUCCESS

Career Voices

Director Dot Harris (center) served as a keynote speaker at the Spelman Girls Institute STEM Day event.

Before GE, Harris was Vice President of Operations and Production for ABB Service, Inc. As an officer of the company, she was responsible for all service operations in the U.S. with nearly 450 employees. Harris was the highest-ranked AfricanAmerican woman in ABB during the time when ABB was the world’s largest electrical engineering firm, with annual revenue of nearly $40B and over 230,000 employees.

Harris began her career as an Instrumentation & Controls field service engineer with Westinghouse Electric where she was later promoted and named youngest manager in the history of its Nuclear Services Division.

In many ways, she encapsulates the best of a seamless narrative.

Engineering a career As a sophomore in high school, Harris planned to major in English, but that all changed after her H.S. Chemistry teacher, Mrs. Crum took her 10th grade class on a field trip to the Savannah River National Laboratory, a Department of Energy facility located near Aiken, South Carolina.

“During the field trip, the tour guide talked about how engineering was a growing career path opening up to attract more women and minorities; and how vast opportunities exist to travel around the world and be an engineer earning the highest salary potential of any graduate right out of college ” said Harris.

Harris earned a bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of South Carolina and a master’s degree in Technology Management from Southern Polytechnic State University. She also holds honorary doctorate degrees from Chicago State University and Clark Atlanta University. Over the years she has obtained extensive engineering, project management, and leadership training. Engineering as a career prepared Harris to be the exceptional leader she is today.

The Energy field How, we ask, did she enter the Energy field?

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“I was fortunate to receive thirteen engineering job offers during my senior year of college, and I decided to accept the one in the Energy industry” said Harris.

The Energy Department plays a huge role in helping shape our nation’s Energy agenda regarding policy, technology, research, and other keys areas. Harris’ role allows her to positively impact the lives of Americans in historically underserved communities.

“As a senior official in the Obama Administration, I have a once in a lifetime opportunity to assist Minority-serving Institutions, minority businesses and communities across America seeking access to the Energy Department’s resources and partnerships. I enjoy giving back to students and communities through my work, and addressing problems that have national impact on our energy and economic security,” she said.

What she finds difficult about her job?

“One of the most difficult duties of my job is the challenge of being able to establish sustainable processes/policies to institutionalize the amazing work put in place during my time in the Obama Administration. That is always a difficult task from one Presidential administration to the next. The stability of federal programs is so critical in maintaining the much needed support in our minority communities. With the increasing demographic shifts in this country toward a more diverse population and the growth of energy development, key longterm initiatives of the Office of Economic Impact and Diversity become even more important” Harris said.

Tips, advice, and next steps Are there any tips and advice she would give a successor?

“I would be most pleased if my successor continues to implement the Minorities in Energy Initiative that I had the pleasure of leading!” said Harris.

In September of 2013, Secretary of Energy Dr. Ernest Moniz launched the Minorities in Energy Initiative (MIE) as the Department’s sustainable platform to increase engagement of minority and tribal communities in the broader energy sector.

MIE focuses STEM education, workforce development, energy economic development, and engagement of the President’s Climate Action Plan.

As for next steps, Harris plans to return to her company, Jabo Industries after she leaves office and continue to build its legacy alongside her sister, Lillie G. Reid.

“Jabo is named after our deceased father, William “Jabo” Guess who instilled in us a strong foundation of faith, integrity, loyalty, and excellence. Excellence is my brand and growing Jabo will surely give honor and appreciation to the most amazing man I have ever known.” she said.

www.blackengineer.com

BEST PRACTICES FOR SUCCESS

Corporate Life

By Lango Deen ldeen@ccgmag.com

DARE TO SOAR 5 Important Tips You Need to Know

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re you ready to soar but feel held back personally and professionally? Do you see yourself as somewhat limited in your career or that you’ve gone as far as you can in your current position? You’re making improvements, but you’re just not in the mode you want to be. Now what?

In a recent Career Communications Group seminar, we probed senior-level executives in the defense industry on career growth, advancement, strategies, and direction. Running throughout their responses were a few major characteristics.

They included knowing who you are, what you stand for, your contribution to the organization, and how to bring your skills to the table.

Each one of us has to be responsible and accountable for our career growth, but we don’t have to do it alone. In many cases, being able to share with someone — here’s what I’m trying to do, what I’m thinking about — can provide invaluable perspective. The same people that were part of the team that made the call to you about the role you’ve been in for 11 months, 2 years, or 4 years can help. You did not get here all by yourself. The fact that you’re interested in moving actually puts your name in the minds of people when they’re hiring for a position. There are lots of opportunities out there, so seize the moment and soar!

www.blackengineer.com

“In my 12 years, I’ve had 14 bosses. I’ve learned the good, the bad, and the ugly from them.

The best leaders are those able to be on the team and know how to collaborate across the organization.”

The executives all seem to agree that things aren’t always crystal clear. Mentors, sponsors, and champions can help bring you along, but a lot of it has to do with one decision you have to make for yourself: “Is this the right job for me at this time, and can I commit to that?”

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BEST PRACTICES FOR SUCCESS

Corporate Life Making it a point to understand a little more about the organization and how your team interacts with this group or that helps prepare you for opportunities. Being flexible is also a plus as well as showing an interest in and a willingness to take on lateral assignments with different responsibilities.

The broader the experiences you have, the better.

“It used to be a bit of a joke,” recalls one executive. “They said I couldn’t hold a job because I changed positions every two years. But I think they were all building blocks.”

As a mechanical engineering graduate, he had the foundational skills to solve problems, but as he coursed through assignments, he added an ability to lead and work across experience regimes to his toolbox.

Corporations are not looking for one-trick ponies, he added.

“I’m not saying don’t develop deep expertise, but get some breadth to those experiences.”

You’re probably thinking that’s all very well for the technical track, but what about management? What do you specialize in for leadership? How do you develop that as you go through career milestones? How will you know when you're ready?

TED CHILDS, LLC Workforce Diversity: The Bridge between the Workplace and the Marketplace

5 Important Tips You Need to Know 1. Raise your hand.

2. Take on projects and assignments that give you the opportunity to lead.

3. Seek professional development

opportunities where you can learn how

to lead, how to talk to people, and how to communicate.

4. U nderstand the landscape and what it takes to be a leader.

5. Don’t think it comes innately. Leaders are not born. They’re made.

Lastly, leverage your boss. Bosses are your best press agents and oftentimes the individuals that could really be a great resource.

“In my 12 years, I’ve had 14 bosses,” shared one manager.

“I’ve learned the good, the bad, and the ugly from them. The best leaders are those able to be on the team and know how to collaborate across the organization.”

At the end of the day, it’s all about the network, leveraging your management chain, and expressing your interest. So go shadow people you admire, and find out how they got where they are. What are their roles? What do they do? Learn about the opportunities out there, put your hats in various rings, and get ready to soar.

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Learn how we can help you establish and manage your Corporate Workforce Diversity Council and ensure its compatibility with your Employee Relations policies and practices.

Visit http://tedchilds.com for more information.

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Calling all employers Are you an employer looking for great ways to share your company's new job opportunities for an incredible career in STEM?

Let us help you!  Post job openings  Connect with qualified candidates  Become a featured employer If you are ready, visit

http//www.ccgjobmatch.com

Career Communications Group, Inc. | 729 East Pratt St., Suite 504 | Baltimore, MD 21202 | (410) 244-7101 | www.ccgmag.com

BEST PRACTICES FOR SUCCESS

Michael A. Fletcher mfletcher@ccgmag.com

First Steps

GOVERNMENT INTERNSHIPS

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ot long ago, the Central Intelligence Agency issued a damning report about the state of diversity in the nation’s best known, and perhaps most crucial, spy agency.

Led by esteemed civil rights veteran and counselor to official Washington, Vernon E. Jordan, it found the CIA lacking.

Its conclusion, in the words of CIA Director John Brennan: “CIA simply must do more to develop the diverse and inclusive leadership environment that our values require and that our mission demands.”

The report said the culture of the agency contributed to the problem. It said the CIA did not do enough to develop its officers and to hold itself accountable for maintaining “a diverse and inclusive workplace, or consistently promote an inclusive culture.”

Brennan emphasized that better diversity was not just a matter of political correctness for the CIA — a point that can be made for any federal agency. Instead, Brennan called diversity central to a governmental goal, which he described as: “Having both a workforce and leadership team that better resemble the nation we help protect. Achieving that outcome is not only a matter of fairness and integrity, but one that is absolutely critical to the CIA’s success. Given our global mission, no government agency stands to benefit more from diversity and inclusion than does the CIA.” It is unlikely that any top officials from other government agencies would disagree with Brennan. The Federal Bureau of Investigation, the National Security Agency, the Defense Department, the Treasury Department — and many other federal agencies are looking to hire more minorities. And one of the best ways to identify, groom and eventually hire them is by bringing them on as interns.

18 USBE&IT I FALL 2015

John Brennan, CIA Director

www.blackengineer.com

Most federal agencies offer internship programs. Some opportunities are even available to high-achieving students on the high school level as they are entering college. They also can come with enviable perks: scholarship money, good hourly pay, fringe benefits, year-round employment, and, in many cases, ultimately, a secure federal job.

The trick is often just learning about the opportunity and being on top of the various deadlines and other application requirements. There is no single centralized source for finding information on every opportunity. A Congressional Research Service report from several years ago compared applying for a federal internship to applying for admission to a college or university. The process takes time and effort, often requiring essays and interviews. Most importantly, applicants should begin their search early and explore what best suits their career goals. Application deadlines fluctuate from agency to agency, and sometimes for different programs run by the same agency.

The best idea is for students to search the Websites of the federal agencies in which they are interested. That search should commence in late summer for an internship a year later. Those interested should also scour the federal government’s official employment website, USAJobs.com. The opportunities are varied and abundant, and also highly competitive.

The giant National Security Agency hires summer language experts and analysts. The application for students hoping to work for the agency in the summer of 2016, opened in September 2015.

The agency also hires interns to work in cybersecurity, cryptanalysis, signals collection, data management and other fields.

The agency also funds a fellowship program, called the National Physics Science Consortium, aimed at increasing the number of U.S. citizens with doctorates in the physical sciences and related engineering fields. Its applications are accepted between Sept. 1 and Nov. 30. The program offers a six-year doctoral fellowship that comes with summer jobs and other benefits.

NSA also offers a scholarship named after late Democratic Congressman Louis Stokes. The scholarship offers students up to $30,000 a year for tuition and fees, as well as summer jobs related to their course of study. Students must major in computer science or computer/electrical engineering and maintain a 3.0 GPA. They also are required to work for the agency after graduation for at least 1.5 times their time of study. Applications are accepted between Sept. 1 and Oct. 31 each year.

“Stokes provides a tremendous opportunity to gain valuable experience in your field while attending college and getting a degree,” the NSA says.

The CIA is another agency that hires a wide range of interns. Applications for the slots have to be submitted between nine and 12 months before a desired start date. Graduate students with an interest in working for the agency have a wide range of

options: analysis, computer engineering, contracts and acquisitions, data science, education and training, engineering, human resources, science and researcher, and more. And people are hired each season: summer, fall, winter and spring. The same is true for undergraduates who want to work for the agency.

Meanwhile, graduating high school students who want to work for the agency have their own set of opportunities — and deadlines. The CIA hires incoming college students through a generous scholarship program. Students in families earning under $70,000 a year can apply for the program, called the Undergraduate Scholar Program. It was developed, in part, to assist minority students, but is open to students of all backgrounds.

It provides participants with what the CIA calls “unmatched experience.” They are required to complete work sessions during summer breaks, allowing them to increase knowledge of the job and increase responsibilities working alongside intelligence pros.

The program is tailored to students in a wide range of majors. According to the CIA Website, Information Technology students might be given increasingly complex projects involving sophisticated computer systems. An engineering major might help produce a piece of state-of-the-art equipment. A finance major could be involved in developing and analyzing budgets for a worldwide operation. A foreign language major might be instrumental in translating documents for policymakers. Human resource students could have the opportunity to develop and implement personnel policies and procedures.

The pay is good: beyond an annual salary, students receive a benefits package that includes health insurance, life insurance and retirement, and up to $18,000 a year for tuition, mandatory fees, books and supplies. Students must maintain a 3.0 GPA, and students from outside of the Washington D.C. area are given a stipend that covers the cost of transportation and a housing allowance. But scholars are making a career choice once they accept it: like Stokes scholarship recipients at the NSA, every scholar is required to work for the CIA for a period equal to 1.5 times the length of their college scholarship.

The FBI also offers a range of internships. The FBI Honors Internship program is open to both undergraduate and graduate students. Interns are assigned to FBI field offices, while others work at the bureau’s Washington D.C. headquarters, the FBI Academy in Quantico, Va., or the Criminal Justice Information Services Division in Clarksburg, W.Va. The program offers a 10-week summer job that allows interns to work side-by-side with FBI employees. Applicants must be able to receive a top-secret security clearance and have a 3.0 GPA. The bureau said its application window generally opens in September of October, final decisions are typically made by January and work typically begins in early June.

The FBI, the NSA, and many other federal agencies are looking to hire more minorities.

www.blackengineer.com

USBE&IT I FALL 2015 19

EDUCATION

Education

by Lango Deen ldeen@ccgmag.com

STUDENT SURVIVAL GUIDE

PARENT PLUS LOANS

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW BEFORE YOU APPLY

F

ive Octobers ago, the U.S. Department of Education changed the way it interpreted the definition of “adverse credit” for the Parent PLUS Loan (PPL) program — which parents and students may use to help pay college expenses.

Under the new definition, delinquencies older than 90 days could result in denial of a PPL. Delinquencies include charge offs, medical collections, and even issues as simple as late payment for mobile telephone bills.

Across America, an estimated 400,000 students were impacted. But historically Black colleges and universities were disproportionately affected.

“It disproportionately impacted HBCUs because 90 percent of our student body relies on loans,” explained Johnny Taylor, president and CEO of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund (TMCF.) TMCF is the only organization representing 300,000 students attending America’s 47 publicly supported historically Black colleges and universities.

“They argued about the merits of making this change, but the fact that (they) didn’t tell us and we were going to be impacted is problematic,” Taylor said.

“Taking Action” Taylor still finds it troubling that the four leading advocates for Black education — the Thurgood Marshall Fund, United Negro College Fund, (which awards 10,000 scholarships for

20 USBE&IT I FALL 2015

students from low- and moderate-income families to attend 900 colleges and universities), the National Association for Equal Opportunity in Higher Education (umbrella organization of the nation’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Predominantly Black Institutions), and the President’s Board of Advisers on HBCUs — who meet one on one with the secretary of education every quarter, were the last to know.

The next several months saw a drawn out battle with the education department seeking to justify its new policy. By September 2013, the outcry was so great they backed down. They also conceded that Parent PLUS loans default at a significantly lower rate than the federal Stafford loans, the most popular student loan program available to undergraduate and graduate students. Federal Stafford loans offer low, fixed interest rates and subsidized interest to eligible undergraduates.

“It doesn’t make sense that a parent can get $30,000 for a BMW, but that same parent can’t get a Parent PLUS loan,” Taylor said.

“Meanwhile, we’d already lost a class of students. Literally within the middle of their education and they had to drop out. We had seniors, juniors, STEM majors, specific names of people,” he added. “Our position has always been if you’re going to change the rules, do it on a going forward basis not to students who are already in the program.”

But efforts to have students already in the PPL program grandfathered failed. www.blackengineer.com

“We pushed for a rule that would let incoming freshmen understand [PPL] is not going be a source of funding to parents with less than good credit. But for students already in school, matriculating and getting ready for graduation, pulling the rug from underneath them is fundamentally unfair. Even if you take the legal requirement that there must be consistency between programs, at least grandfather people who were already in the program,” Taylor said.

On Capitol Hill, Congressmen and women said it wasn’t a legislative issue. So the education advocates decided, as a last resort, to take the Obama administration to court. Although hundreds of Black parents lined up behind TMCF, UNCF, and NAFEO, and despite having children working jobs, no longer in college, they just weren’t prepared to see the action through.

“I was frustrated obviously,” Taylor said. “But I could understand the level of pride in the Black community in having an African American president. Even though the community was disproportionately affected, they weren’t going to support court action. We backed off of it.”

But not before laying out what he called “the doomsday scenario.”

“You’re going to wake up four, five, six years from now and it’s going to show there was a significant drop in enrolment at HBCUs,” he warned. “The enrollment of African American students has been impacted for years to come. You’re going to have financial problems, higher default rates.”

Education, business and policy In the end, business leaders interested in the future of education rallied to the fund’s appeal. Lowe’s Companies Inc., which operates a chain of retail home improvement and appliance stores in the United States, Canada and Mexico, made an unbudgeted donation of $500,000, swelling the coffers of a gap scholarship program set up to help struggling students and their families who were impacted by PLUS loan changes graduate.

The program ran successfully in 2013 and 2014.

Last April, Congressional Black Caucus Members, Rep. Corrine Brown (FL-05) and Rep. Cedric Richmond (LA-02) introduced the Protecting Educational Loans for Underserved Students Act (the PLUS Act), a bill that will restore core credit standards used by the Department of Education prior to the change to the definition of “adverse credit” made in 2011.

The bill will also provide additional criteria for determining whether a parent has an “adverse credit history” and includes a new loan counseling provision to help ensure that parents who receive PLUS Loans fully understand the terms and conditions of the loans and their repayment obligations.

“We’re continuing the process,” Taylor said. “We’re working on a financial aid literacy education program targeted at 10/11/12th grade students, first generation college students and underrepresented students.

“Our community has to understand that Uncle Sam doesn’t go away; a loan has to be repaid. You can’t just walk away.

We’re having lots of conversations about financial aid literacy.

We have to do much better in our community before kids go to college,” Taylor said.

Take 5

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college for the first couple of 1. Consider going to com munity ear degree can be reduce d by years — the cost of a four-y at a com munity or junior colspending the first two years e. lege or attending college in stat when you enroll — college do to t 2. Be clear on what you wan life; you don’t go to college to is not an exploration time of ors three times. That means find yourself. Don’t change maj to seven years. you might not gra duate for six before you get a parent or 3. Think of the consequences ’t put grandma in a retirement grandparents to co-sign — don ents paying off debt. Underhome at risk or leave your par arents are being subjected stand what parents and grandp

Johnny C. Taylor Jr. President & CEO Thurgood Marshall College Fund www.blackengineer.com

to.

Black lives matter. Black college obilize aro und education— 4. M stu dents no longer in school stu dents matter, 14,000 Black matters. ion is y — we already know educat 5. Talk abo ut inco me disparit abo ut financial aid. a great equalizer. Get literate

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USBE&IT I FALL 2015 21

EDUCATION

Education Morgan State University Director of Financial Aid Tanya Wilkerson on the

Do’s and Dont’s

of College Loans USBE: What should students know ahead of applying for loans?

Tanya Wilkerson: The first thing students should know about loans are the costs associated with attending their chosen school. How much is tuition? Room and board? Are there any additional costs that will need to be covered, like buying a new computer, books, registration fees, deposits, etc.? Will you be receiving assistance in the form of scholarship, grants or even out of pocket from a family member? After you filled out the FAFSA, what were you awarded and will that cover the costs?

Basically, you need to find out what resources will be assisting you with the cost of education, and the remainder is what will be covered in loans. Now that has been determined, you need to know what kind of loan you will need. Will a parent, if dependent, be able to take out a Parent PLUS Loan? If not, your only choice is an alternative loan. Most students will need a co-signer. You will need to know if you can get a co-signer before you apply. Students should also know their credit score. Lastly, it is important to understand the basic loan terms, like APR, interest, principal, disbursement, origination fee, etc.

USBE: What should they expect?

TW: Students should expect a process. Applying for loans requires you to fill out forms, get information, and fill out more forms. In the instant age that we are in, peoples’ expectations are for instantaneous decisions. You may be able to receive that for a Parent PLUS Loan, but alternative loans could ask for more information, such as W2s, employment verification, disclosure statements, promissory notes and other various documents.

Students should also expect to get denied. The loan process can be a finicky beast at times; you may have to apply for multiple loans, you may have to find another cosigner or you may have filled out the application wrong and have to start again. I always counsel my students to be prepared to be a little frustrated about the loan process.- U

Do’s

- Use the parent or cosigner with the best credit score.

Alternative loans’ interest rates are credit score driven. The better the rate the lower the payment.

- Apply to more than one alternative loan. You have 30 days, from first loan application, to apply for as many loans as you can. I recommend three to five loans.

- Apply early. Everyone waits till to the last moment to apply, so the volume goes up and you have to wait longer. If you apply in June, you should be all set by end of the month, and can relax for the rest of the summer knowing your school will be paid for.

- Check your credit report and National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS) to make sure you have the correct loans on file. Schools/lenders can make mistakes. It is in many ways up to you to make sure that no mistake was made. Also getting in the habit of checking your credit will not only help you improve your credit, but also help you find any discrepancies earlier.

- Read the fine print!

Don’ts

- Take out more than you need. Loan refunds are helpful, but remember you have to pay the loan back; so everything you buy with loan money has an additional cost due to interest being accrued on your loans.

- Go with a lender you have never heard of before. Ask a professional before applying to make sure it is a legitimate resource.

- Wait till the last minute to apply. If you are applying the week before school starts, be prepared to have to wait in lines and have some issues.

- Wait to pay back your student loans. If you can make payments earlier, you should.

- Drop out or fail classes. If you stop school you will start paying within six months. Taking loans out, paying them back and not having a degree is not recommended.

22 USBE&IT I FALL 2015

www.blackengineer.com

By Gale Horton Gay ghorton@ccgmag.com

How I Spent My Summer FORWARD-THINKING STUDENTS USE INTERNSHIPS AS STEPPING STONES

A

cross the country, many college students waited until the end of the spring semester to begin thinking about how to spend their summer. However, forwardthinking students planned early, applied to companies and programs throughout the year, and by the close of the 2014–2015 school year, had their plans lined up.

Many students turn to internships as a way to gain work experience, to help them determine if their area of study is what really interests them, and to find companies where they may be able to turn summer work into a future full-time job. It’s also a way to earn money for the next school year.

Here are a few students who turned summer vacation into a time to gain rich, life-changing experiences:

24 USBE&IT I FALL 2015

Sabrina Welch, BSCE ‘16 Jackson State University

S

abrina Welch spent her summer a long way from her Bridgetown, Barbados, home. The 22-year-old senior at Jackson State University conducted research at Indiana University’s Bloomington campus as part of its STEM Summer Scholars Institute research program.

She worked under the mentorship of Dr. Steven Lulich, assistant professor in the Speech and Science Department. She worked on a project investigating the mechanics of the tracheal walls in response to acoustic (air) pressures in the trachea. Welch was working in collaboration with another member of the program on an additional portion of the project where they were expected to develop 3D image processing on vocal tract structures.

Welch, who is majoring in civil engineering and is a 2015 BEYA Leadership Award winner for athletics, said it was a classmate who took part in the same program last year who made her aware of the research program.

“I hope not only to add to my research experience and broaden my knowledge base but also to discover new ways to apply the knowledge I have acquired in the classroom to fields that are not traditionally civil engineering but still utilize similar principles,” said Welch.

Welch said her ultimate goal is to acquire her professional engineering license and pursue a career focusing either on water resources engineering or water and wastewater treatment engineering. “It is also a dream of mine to later in life teach an engineering course at a college or university because the act of teaching and giving back provides a feeling of personal fulfillment,” said Welch. www.blackengineer.com

Christian Nattiel, BSc ‘17

United States Military Academy at West Point

F

ew young people have had such a chock-full summer as Christian Nattiel, a cadet at the United States Military Academy at West Point.

For the first three weeks of summer, he participated in Cadet Leader Development Training, where he conducted field training exercises to experience maneuvering a platoon (30-40 soldiers) under fire to complete a mission.

“This experience will allow me to develop military competencies and the confidence to effectively manage the welfare of future soldiers,” he said.

After that, he flew to Washington, D.C., to intern with Congressman Steve Chabot from Ohio for three weeks. “This is part of a Kimsey Scholars program that provides me the opportunity to work during the day with leaders in Congress and socialize during the evenings with some our nation’s premier leaders in public service,” said Nattiel.

During the last three weeks of his summer vacation, Nattiel traveled to Beijing, China, to study Chinese at Tsinghua University.

“Tsinghua is the Asian equivalent of our MIT,” he explained. “This experience will immerse me right in the heart of China’s political and cultural center, and it will improve my ability to utilize the Chinese language.”

Nattiel, who’s majoring in mathematical sciences and philosophy and is a 2015 BEYA Leadership Award winner for military leadership, is expected to graduate in 2017. He has both military and civilian ambitions.

“Ultimately, I hope to improve the human condition any way I can by serving as an impact player in the lives of others,” said Nattiel. “I plan to serve as an Army infantry officer longer than my initial five-year commitment that I incur by graduating from West Point. After the Army, I aim to begin a political career by serving as an elected official. There, I can work inexorably to revitalize the American Dream.”

His diverse opportunities came about in diverse ways.

“Kimsey Scholars program was actually a surprise offer to me from our Department of Law here, and I just couldn’t turn down the opportunity. As far as my study of Chinese in Beijing, that was an opportunity I secured by earning top marks throughout the year in Chinese I and Chinese II at West Point.”

At the start of the summer, the St. Petersburg, FL, native said he hoped “to become a more cultured and well-rounded leader” as well as gain “an understanding of patriotism from a civilian perspective instead of from a military perspective.”

www.blackengineer.com

USBE&IT I FALL 2015 25

Melanie Tolbert, ChE ‘15 Tuskegee University

F

our summer internships have paid off handsomely for Melanie Tolbert. The 22-year-old, who graduated in May 2015 cum laude from Tuskegee University with a degree in chemical engineering, went to work the next month at Lockheed Martin as a quality assurance analyst.

Tolbert’s first full-time career position came about after she made initial contact with a company representative on campus. Later, she was invited to interview with Lockheed Martin at the Black Engineer of the Year Awards Conference in Washington, D.C. However, she credits the varied experiences she gained interning for preparing her for post-graduate employment.

During the summer of 2011 Tolbert completed an internship at the University of Kentucky performing research. In 2012 she interned with the NASA Ames Research Center as a lab-on-a-chip development engineer. During the summer of 2013 she completed a researchbased internship at Florida International University, and in 2014 she interned with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the Center for Global Health.

Asked what she hopes to gain from her position with Lockheed Martin, Tolbert said, “I am looking forward to a challenging yet exciting experience, where my leadership and management skills and creative problems solving techniques will be applied to assist my department (and the company as a whole) in advancing efficiently and productively. I am also looking forward to establishing powerful networks and meeting mentors within Lockheed Martin.” Tolbert’s position as a quality assurance analyst involves designing strategic tests and procedures that will ensure that products meet company standards.

“In order to maintain my technical ability and foster the continuous growth of my leadership skills, I intend to enroll in Lockheed’s Engineering Leadership Development Program (ELDP), an intensive three-year rotational program that allows employees to develop their technical and leadership skills and sets them on the fast track to leadership roles within the company,” she said. “Upon successful completion of the ELDP, I would like to matriculate into a managerial role.”

A native of Tuskegee, AL, Tolbert is a 2015 BEYA Leadership Award winner for research.

“During my internship, I did three rotations; the first one was on the production side, second was in warehouse, and the last one was done on the sales side. Each division was very different, and all had their own style to accomplish each individual mission to reach the same common goal.”

26 USBE&IT I FALL 2015

www.blackengineer.com

Kehlin Swain,

BSc Comp. Eng. ‘16

Prairie View A&M University

K

ehlin Swain, 20, is spending his summer interning at Intel in Austin, Texas. The senior at Prairie View A&M University, where he’s majoring in computer engineering, performed product testing for Intel’s hardware and communications group.

“As a member of NSBE [National Society of Black Engineers], I was introduced to the recruiting team,” shared Swain, explaining how he learned of the internship.

Asked what he learned from the experience, Swain said, “The ability to communicate ideas effectively and motivate team members.” Swain is a 2015 BEYA Leadership Award winner for research.

Swain, a native of Houston, has ambitions to one day be the owner of a start-up company.

Benin Saffo, BSc Applied Phys. ‘15 Florida Agricultural & Mechanical University

A

fter graduating with a bachelor of science degree in applied physics from Florida Agricultural & Mechanical University, 23-year-old Benin Saffo spent her summer trying to make up her mind — graduate school or beginning a professional career.

www.blackengineer.com

She’s fully prepared to do either.

Saffo, a 2015 BEYA Leadership Award winner for community service, comes to this crossroads after completing her coursework as well as her internship during the summer of 2014 at PepsiCo as a future leader supply chain operations M&W production intern in Jacksonville, FL. “During this opportunity, I provided support to each supervisor’s team for testing activities and defect resolution by designing a schematic representation of all relevant operations occurring during the process flow of the blend system for the Bottle and Can Line Production Facilities,” said Saffo.

“My results contributed measurable flow rates and other experimental techniques that will aid and benefit on a current Lean Six Sigma Project in future diagnostic planning and trouble-shooting and develop mitigation strategies to minimize issue impact.”

“Working for Pepsi was a very rewarding experience,” said Saffo. “This is an ever-changing company with a long American history in the innovation of the product as well as the leadership of business. There is always something new developing at Pepsi. During my internship, I did three rotations; the first one was on the production side, second was in warehouse, and the last one was done on the sales side. Each division was very different, and all had their own style to accomplish each individual mission to reach the same common goal.”

Saffo said that during her internship, she gained a reputation. “Most of the people I worked with daily would called me ‘the girl who asked all the questions.’ I wouldn’t ask just one question but had several follow-ups, wanting to know what, when, where, why, and how that particular thing operated.”

Saffo’s career goal is to “travel the world while being a seasoned professional within a technical corporate company that will allow me to effectively and professionally contribute my creative, technical, and analytical skills to…help the people in our everyday communities.”

USBE&IT I FALL 2015 27

By Gale Horton Gay ghorton@ccgmag.com

Interns get first-hand experience in what it is like to be a professional in their field and have the ability to translate classroom learning into workplace realities.

Secondly, we assign our interns to real work that needs to be accomplished.

Everyone Benefits from Summer Internships

I

f a summer internship sounds like a tremendous benefit for a college student, it is. However, some companies that bring in interns say it’s not just a one-sided affair; they benefit also.

Internships throughout the year as well as in the summer provide college students with an array of advantages, including work experience, exposure to a professional environment, career guidance, colleagues that are veterans in the field, and, often, a way to make some money.

Computer giant Intel hires 1,500 interns annually in the U.S. and officials describe it as a win– win situation.

Headquartered in Santa Clara, CA, Intel has

28 USBE&IT I FALL 2015

more than 100,000 employees in 63 countries and serves customers in more than 120 countries. Intel designs and manufactures a variety of technologies, including microprocessors and chipsets and the additional hardware, software, and related services.

“Interns work side by side with other Intel employees on key strategic projects and deliver real results,” said Paulette Hanson, Intel U.S. college manager. “They bring a fresh perspective on projects and challenges that can re-energize a team and introduce possibility thinking and risk taking.” Hanson said the interns, who are paid, work across all of the company’s business groups and more than 30 sites in the U.S. “The majority of our interns are in technical positions, but we do host interns in non-technical fields as well,” said Hanson. “All interns are leveraged in three key ways; first and primarily, we provide interns with an opportunity to obtain real-world/hands-on experience in their area of study. Our interns get first-hand experience in what it is like to be a professional in their field and have the ability to translate classroom learnings into workplace realities. Secondly, we assign our interns to real work that needs to be accomplished. Interns truly deliver tangible results during their time with us; they are key contributors to the projects and/or programs they are placed within and enable us to deliver great products.

Finally, we leverage our interns to influence our culture.”

Hanson added that the students come to the workforce with creative thinking, new ideas, and youthful vitality. “We love the energy that interns bring with them into their roles, their fresh perspective, and their ability to up skill our existing teams with the latest academic learnings in their fields,” she said.

Students benefit in various ways from spending their time as interns whether it’s in the summer or throughout the year. Hanson cited the following as among those benefits: • Real-world work experience and validation that they are going for a degree in a field they will enjoy working in

www.blackengineer.com

• Understanding of what it is like to work at Intel and hopefully a confirmation that we are the place they want to grow their career • A broad connection of professional contacts in their area of study Asked how often internships at Intel lead to full-time jobs at the company, Hanson said it varies each year, but “approximately 40–60 percent of our college grad hires are former interns.”

The multinational beverage and food company PepsiCo is another firm that gives college students internship opportunities throughout its operation.

“PepsiCo uses interns by having them support frontline supervisors in analyzing and/or creating processes to improve loading/operating productivity and line efficiencies using the Lean Six Sigma approach,” said Marcus Williams, operations manager with PepsiCo. Asked what PepsiCo hopes students gain from their experiences, Williams replied, “Hopefully an opportunity to work for

one of the, if not the, greatest companies in the world.”

PepsiCo, which generated more than $66 billion in net revenue in 2014, is driven by a food and beverage portfolio of 22 brands that includes Frito-Lay, Gatorade, Pepsi-Cola, Quaker, and Tropicana.

“PepsiCo is an ever-changing and innovated company that prides itself in developing young, promising talent into future leaders,” said Williams.

Interns are paid at PepsiCo and work at various plants and offices, with some plants bringing in three or four interns for the summer, according to Williams.

In a 2013 Business Insider article, a Goldman Sachs managing director offered the following tips to turn a summer internship into full-time employment: being a good team player and going the extra mile. Common mistakes interns make are not writing down information, forgetting the information when needed, and failing to ask enough questions so that they understand the job and company.

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USBE&IT I FALL 2015 29

Linda R. Gooden

Alfred W. Zollar

Lydia Thomas

Rodney C. Adkins

Black En Winners on Boards

By Garland L. Thompson gthompson@ccgmag.com 32 USBE&IT I FALL 2015

www.blackengineer.com

James A. Bell

Gen. Lester L. Lyles

Shirley Ann Jackson

Freeman A. Hrabowski, III

gineer Corporate JOINING A STILL-HIGHER ELITE CORPS: BLACK ENGINEERS OF THE YEAR ON CORPORATE BOARDS www.blackengineer.com

USBE&IT FALL 2015 2015 33 33 USBE&IT II FALL

T

he accession of former Lockheed Martin executive Linda Gooden to the board

of directors of automaker General Motors is no small accomplishment. Gooden, who retired as Lockheed’s executive vice president two years ago, now becomes the fifth woman on the board and the second African American member.

The backdrop is stunning: As Black Enterprise magazine’s Registry of Corporate Directors shows, only 176 African Americans serve as directors of the 250 companies identified by Standard & Poor as America’s largest companies. Dig a little further down, to a 2012 report by the Alliance of Board Diversity, and it is revealed that white men hold three-quarters of all the board seats at the 500 largest publicly traded companies, versus 5.5 percent for African-American

Rarified air at the top Thus, Linda Gooden joins Errol Davis Jr., former superintendent of the Atlanta Public Schools, ex-CEO of WPL Holdings and a former Black Engineer of the Year, in breathing rarified air in Corporate America.

Add to that elite group former IBM executive Rod Adkins who, even after leaving Big Blue, still wears many hats.

In addition to sitting on the boards of technology marketer Avnet, energy provider PPL Corporation, industrial equipment and tool marketer Grainger, and parcel delivery and logistics powerhouse UPS, now is top executive at 3RAM, a corporation he founded with his family.

3RAM (Three Rodneys and Michelle), based in Miami Beach, Florida, is an — angel investor more than a venture capital — outfit that funds investments in early-stage technology companies not doing business in IBM’s computer world.

3RAM offers a range of consulting services relating to strategic vision, “all designed to help our company address unique challenges, reach new markets and deliver growth opportunities,” as 3RAM’s Web site puts it. It also offers “highquality and luxurious residential properties for sale and lease, delivering an experience consistent with your lifestyle and financial flexibility.”

Charting a different path In a phone interview, Adkins said he’d decided to go a different route after his IBM retirement. Rather than launch into another high-level corporate job with any of the several firms that called him, he’s having fun working with start-ups developing new technologies for the consumer market.

One client is working out ways to “metacommercialize cryotherapy services,” Adkins said, with a better therapy than traditional ice-pack therapy for certain injuries.

men, and only 1.9 percent for African-American women.

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Another is developing a sensing device to allow consumers to recall the exact color of paint on a wall. “Many times,” Adkins said, “after someone’s painted a room, they throw away the paint left over.”

Then, when they want to do touch-up or repair work, or to add that color to another room, they can’t recall what the exact color was, or what the manufacturer was. With this device, the exact color can be named and, with major manufacturers, the color can be matched with the specific product. ’The world’s greatest parttime job’ Serving on corporate boards, Adkins said, “is the greatest part-time job in the world.” Although board members must spend time prepping for corporate meetings, the meetings themselves only require eight days or so a year, with several telephone discussions during the year.

And for that work, the pay is great, Adkins said. “The compensation you get on corporate boards, on the low end is about $200,000 and on the high end $300,000 a year.”

Gooden, asked about how a person gets named to a corporate board in the first place, replied in an e-mail that, “most public boards are looking for candidates to fill out the specific skill matrix needed to supplement existing [members’] skills. Candidates are identified in a number of ways. The two most used methods are by search firms which are hired to identify new board members, or by other board members identifying candidates.

Tough standards “Each Board candidate is interviewed by the CEO and designated individuals on the board.” Then, assuming success, “each candidate is nominated by the nominating committee and then elected as a director by the full board. Each year, at the annual shareholders meeting, the shareholders of record elect each director.

“My selection was based on my leadership of a large organization and my technical background, which includes an in-depth knowledge of cyber technologies,” Gooden said.

Adkins, discussing the same question, put it simply: Reputation, contacts and expertise.

It is easy, then, to see why Arthur E. Johnson, former Lockheed Martin strategic-development veep and yet another Black Engineer of the Year, wound up on the board of Booz Allen in 2011. He also serves as a director at AGL Resources and Eaton Corporation, and also as an independent trustee of the Fixed Income and Asset Allocation Funds of Fidelity Investments, as well as the founding Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the National Defense Industrial Association, where he now heads the Audit Committee.

Savvy hands on health, leadership Dr. Lydia Thomas, former CEO of Mitretek Corporation, now Noblis, and yet another Black Engineer of the Year, joined the board of Noblis after she retired as top executive. She also sits as a director at GAM Technology Co. Ltd, is Treasurer and Trustee at Inova Health Systems, Inc. and is Director, Chairman of Safety, www.blackengineer.com

Health & Environmental Affairs, and a member of the Audit Committee for Cabot Corporation, in addition to being an independent director and Chair of the Environmental Health and Safety Committee and member of the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee of Mueller Water Products, Inc. Dr. Shirley Ann Jackson, the first woman Black Engineer of the Year among many other firsts, is an even busier hand. She’s a director of the New York Stock Exchange, IBM Corp., FedEx Corp., Marathon Oil Corp., Medtronics Corp., Public Service Enterprise Group Inc., where former IBM executive Al Zollar also serves. In addition she also serves on the U.S. Council on Competitiveness, where she’s the Vice Chair.

Enough is never good enough She’s also a Life Member of the MIT Board of Trustees, Past President and former Trustee Board Chair of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, where she still serves.

Al Zollar, a Black Engineer of the Year category winner and former leader of IBM’s Tivoli software unit, also serves as an Executive Partner with SIRIUS Capital Group, LLC, and is a board member for the Chubb Corporation, Stratus Technologies, a SIRIUS portfolio company, and Pulse Secure, another SIRIUS portfolio company.

Dr. John Slaughter, the first Black Engineer of the Year, earlier sat on the board of IBM, before his retirement.

Most boards are not termlimited, Gooden said, but most have mandatory retirement ages, typically 70 to 75 years. Looking at it as Adkins says, it thus is no surprise that members of corporate boards so often are in it for the long haul.

USBE&IT FALL 2015 2015 35 35 USBE&IT II FALL

James A. Bell Former President, EVP and CFO The Boeing Company

Freeman A. Hrabowski, III President, The University of Maryland, Baltimore County

Gen Lester L. Lyles, USAF (Ret.) Managing General Partner Four Seasons Ventures, LLC.

Apple Names James A. Bell to Board While Black men and women have made only small gains in increasing their representation in corporate boardrooms, Black Engineer of the Year Award (BEYA) winners have seen some increase at the decision-making table of boardrooms. In October 2015, Apple’s board of directors elected James A. Bell, former CFO and corporate president of Boeing and 2012 Black Engineer Pioneer Award winner. During his 38-year career at Boeing, Bell held leadership positions in finance, strategic planning, oversaw Boeing Capital Corporation and Boeing Shared Services, and was interim CEO of The Boeing Company in 2005.

Bell is also a member of the board of directors of JP Morgan Chase, Dow Chemical Company, CDW, a Trustee of Chicago’s Rush University Medical Center, and he serves on many communitybased boards.

Another BEYA Tapped Freeman A. Hrabowski, III, 2013 Black Engineer of the Year, was another BEYA tapped by corporate America.

Hrabowski, who has served as president of UMBC (The University of Maryland, Baltimore County) since 1992, sits on the boards of the T. Rowe Price Group, Inc., McCormick & Company, and the Baltimore Equitable Society.

He also serves on a number of foundation boards, including Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, France-Merrick Foundation, Marguerite Casey Foundation (Chair), and The Urban Institute. He served previously on the boards of the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and the Maryland Humanities Council (member and Chair).

A child-leader in the Civil Rights Movement, Hrabowski was featured in Spike Lee’s 1997 documentary, Four Little Girls, on the racially motivated bombing in 1963 of Birmingham’s Sixteenth Street Baptist Church.

Crossing Over from Military to Corporate Gen. Lester Lyles, 2003 Black Engineer of the Year Award winner for Lifetime Achievement, has proven his leadership skills are transferrable from the U.S. military to corporate America. Lyles is an active board member of a number of large companies, including Battelle. He has been a director of General Dynamics Corporation since December 3, 2003, BAE Systems Science and Technology, Inc. since October 2003 and Battelle Memorial Institute, Inc. since March 2006, Precision Castparts Corp. since May 21, 2008 and KBR, Inc. since November 2007. He serves as a member of the Advisory Board at Georgia Aerospace Systems Manufacturing Inc., a member of the North America Advisory Board at Sodexho, Inc., and a director of Battelle Energy Alliance, LLC. He has been a director of United Services Automobile Association since 2004.

BEYA winners on corporate boards have high-end management experience. They have served as chief information officer (CIO), chief financial officer (CFO), chief operation officer (COO) chief executive officer (CEO), and as senior commanders in the armed services, having ranks such as admiral and general.

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1997 Black Engineer of the Year

Arthur E. Johnson, also known as Art, served as chairman of the Board of Calcomp Technology, Inc. He is a Arthur E. Johnson Former SVP, member of Corporate Strategic Development the Advisory Lockheed Martin Board at FiCorporation delity funds, an independent director of Eaton Corporation PLC, and a director of AGL Resources Inc. He has been a director of Booz Allen Hamilton Holding Corporation, Calcomp Technology, Inc., Trend Mining Co., Ikon Office Solutions Inc., Ricoh USA, Inc. and Delta Air Lines Inc. 1996 BEYA Career Achievement in Industry Joseph Cleveland serves on the board of The William Cos. Inc. He was responsible for all of Lockheed Martin’s IT operaErroll B. Davis tions and services, and formulates the company’s information technology vision and strategy. He received his B.Sc. in electrical engineering from Tennessee State University.

1988 Black Engineer of the Year

Previously, Mr. Davis served as chairman of the Board at Alliant Energy Corporation and a chairman of the Carnegie Mellon UniJoseph R. Cleveland versity board Former Chief Information Officer, of trustees.

Lockheed Martin From 1998 Corporation to 2010, he was a non-executive director of multinational oil company BP plc.

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A

BEYA Winners on Corporate Boards

recent snapshot of diversity on corporate boards shows very little if any change since a study of directors for 2005. In addition, these findings were found to be consistent with a study done in 2013 by the Alliance for Board Diversity, an organization that includes advocacy groups for corporate diversity, one for women, one for African Americans, one for Latinos, and one for Asian Americans.

Below is a list of BEYA winners who serve on more than one corporate board.

Rodney C. Adkins

2007 Black Engineer of the Year

Avnet, PPL Corporation, Grainger, UPS

James A. Bell

2012 Pioneer Award

Apple, CDW, Dow Chemical Company, JPMorgan Chase & Co.

Joseph R. Cleveland

1996 Career Achievement in Industry

Williams Companies, Inc

Erroll B. Davis Jr.

1988 Black Engineer of the Year

Union Pacific Corporation, Industrial Energy Applications, Inc.

Linda R. Gooden

2006 Black Engineer of the Year

Automatic Data Processing, Inc, The Home Depot, Inc., WGL Holdings Inc. and Washington Gas Light Company, General Motors Company

Ira D. Hall

1996 Lifetime Achievement Award

Praxair Inc., Pepsi Bottling Group Inc., Océ Imagistics, Inc., Williams Companies, Inc., American Express Funds

Freeman A. Hrabowski

2013 Black Engineer of the Year

Baltimore Equitable Society, McCormick & Company, Inc., T. Rowe Price Group, Inc.

Shirley Ann Jackson

2001 Black Engineer of the Year

New York Stock Exchange, IBM, FedEx, Marathon Oil, Medtronics, PSB

Arthur E. Johnson

1997 Black Engineer of the Year

Booz Allen Hamilton, AGL Resources, Eaton Corporation

Gen. Lester L. Lyles

2003 Lifetime Achievement Award

General Dynamics Corp., BAE Systems Scence and Technology, Inc., Battelle Memorial Institute, Inc., Precision Castparts Corp., Battelle Energy Alliance, LLC., USAA, Battelle Laboratories

Leo S. Mackay Jr.

2012 Career Achievement in Industry

Cognizant Tech Solutions Corp.

Rodney O’Neal

2002 Black Engineer of the Year

Delphi Automotive plc.

Lydia Thomas

2003 Black Engineer of the Year

Noblis

Hansel E. Tookes II

1999 Chairman’s Award

Corning Inc., NextEra Energy

Lloyd G. Trotter

2005 Most Important Blacks in Technology

PepsiCo Inc.

Alfred W. Zollar

2004 Most Important Blacks in Technology

Public Service Enterprise Group, Chubb Corporation, Stratus Technologies, Pulse Secure

USBE&IT USBE&IT II FALL 2015 37

40%

According to New CBcampus.com Survey

of hiring managers would hire college interns for full-time, permanent positions.

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By Gale Horton Gay ghorton@ccgmag.com

BGE’s CEO

strives for

parity &

opportunities

T

he future of delivering power to nearly 1.2 million customers is becoming more complicated and unpredictable.

According to Calvin Butler, chief executive officer of Baltimore Gas and Electric (BGE), as interest grows in finding alternative energy sources, BGE experiences greater challenges in maintaining parity for all customers.

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Butler, who took over leadership of Maryland’s largest natural gas and electric utility in March 2014, is pleased with where the company is today with 2014 revenues of approximately $27.4 billion. In fact, he pointed out that 2014 was the company’s most successful year to date citing unprecedented achievements in reliability (based on outages and length of outages), safety and customer satisfaction. “The company is performing well,” said Butler. “We just have to sustain it.”

What lies ahead is a frontier of challenges that utilities such as BGE are just beginning to meet head on. Butler notes that BGE will celebrate its 200-year anniversary in June 2016, is the nations “first” gas utility. He said he’s proud to be part of a company “with such a rich history and long legacy.”

Headquartered in Baltimore, BGE delivers power to more than 1.25 million electric customers and more than 650,000 natural gas customers in central Maryland. Butler explained that as more customers turn to alternative energy sources such as solar panels and turbine generators, which reduce those customers’ utility distribution costs, BGE seeks ways to ensure that parity is maintained for all its other customers.

He said in 2014 BGE received three times the number of customer applications for renewable energy (primarily solar, but some wind) than the previous year. And some commercial users are adding on-site generators — some for backup, others for fulltime use. All these shifts to alternative energy sources mean less reliance on BGE with base utility distribution expenses shared among a narrowing pool of customers, Butler pointed out.

“People who can afford it are thinking about it,” said Butler of the interest in solar panels. “What happens to the rural community, low income? The cost shifts to them.”

“My whole focus is delivering value for our customers,” Butler said. He added that when customers have a choice of which company will deliver their electricity and gas, he wants them to choose BGE based on reliability and trust.

In 2015, BGE tied for second place in business customer satisfaction among gas utilities in the East region, according to J.D. Power. In the 2015 rankings, J.D. Power also ranked BGE 5th out of 17 is residential customer satisfaction among electric utilities in its region, a jump from the previous year when the company was in 11th place. Butler credits the company’s approximately 3,200 employees for the stellar stewardship of BGE, which is a subsidiary of Exelon Corporation, the nation’s leading competitive energy provider.

He wants employees not to think of the utility as a monopoly that takes its customers for granted but to seek to earn their favor and respect each day.

Butler, 46, was born and reared in St. Louis and lived in Chicago for 15 years. He earned an undergraduate degree in public relations from Bradley University in Peoria, Ill., and a law degree from Washington University in St. Louis.

Butler’s been with BGE and Exelon for nearly eight years.

However, the path to CEO started when he graduated from law school and went to work for a utility company in central Illinois as in-house counsel, focusing on corporate and compliance law.

He would go on to hold various positions including as a lobbyist who helped write the first deregulation bill in the country in the mid-1990s. Before joining Exelon in 2008, Butler held management positions for eight years with the print, digital and supply chain solutions company RR Donnelley, including vice president of manufacturing, senior director of government affairs and senior vice president of external affairs. He had been recruited by www.blackengineer.com

People who can afford it are thinking about it... What happens to the rural community, low income? The cost shifts to them.

RR Donnelley to start its state and local affairs program. Butler also managed RR Donnelley’s supplier diversity and government sales groups and served as president of the company’s nonprofit foundation.

Asked about BGE’s relationship with historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs), Butler said the company is fully committed. “We have a very significant involvement, and it’s still growing,” said Butler, citing BGE’s “strong partnership” with Morgan State University as well as other HBCUs such as Bowie State University.

BGE offers internship opportunities to college students, mostly in the summer, but also some throughout the year.

Engineering, training, regulations and rates as well as communications are some of the departments in which interns are put to work. The work is meaningful and provides the young people with real-world experience and challenges. “We are not having them get coffee,” Butler commented. The interns are paid, and Butler said about 20 percent of interns are later hired for fulltime employment.

“I want BGE to be an employer of choice,” said Butler.

Butler advises young people to find what they are passionate about, what they enjoy. “Because people will pay you to do what you do.” He cautions against making decisions solely based on financial gain, explaining that such rationale can lead to short-term gain and long-term unhappiness. “Take strategic risks,” advises Butler. “Don’t be afraid to make lateral moves.”

He added that several of the moves he made probably left colleagues wondering what he was doing. The position he took at one of RR Donnelley’s plants was one that others may have thought was a step backward, Butler said. However that position — working second shift — was where he gained valuable experience and confidence in leadership, he points out.

“Does this step help me with my plan?” is a question Butler suggests young people periodically ask themselves. Learning to listen to one’s inner voice is also a key to maturing personally and professionally.

“Don’t get caught up seeking advice; know your plan,” he said.

Butler, who moved to Maryland in 2013, is extremely civic minded and has been actively involved in the various communities in which he’s lived. He currently serves on the board of directors for the Greater Baltimore Committee, the Maryland Zoological Society and was the 2014 chair of the American Heart Association’s Greater Baltimore Heart Walk. He is on the board of governors for The Center Club and is a governor appointee to the Private Sector Economic Development Commission. Butler is also a member of the Baltimore Community Foundation, the Enoch Pratt Free Library and the Economic Club of Washington D.C. He serves in multiple capacities at Bradley University — board of trustees, executive committee member and chair of student affairs.

“My plate is full,” said Butler. “At the same time, that’s what really drives me, looking at ways to make a difference.”

USBE&IT I FALL 2015 41

BEYA 2015

A Portrait of BEYA STEM’s

GENERATION NEXT BEYA Students Excelling

m Master m: Watch Hi K-12 Progra Program 12 Kg rin Robotics Du

P

eople at BEYA STEM Conferences encompass a broad span of generations — Boomers, Generation X and Seniors. But all indications show Generation Next (Millennia’s 18-25-year-olds) have been growing in size and influence at BEYA STEM professional development/award events.

No surprises there. In the first quarter of 2015, America’s Generation Next workforce rose to 53.5 million, surpassing that of Boomers which has declined as they retire.

BEYA STEM’s young and upwardly mobile talent is part of the demographic cohort that makes up the largest share of the U.S. workforce.

Meet BEYA Generation Next. All photos were taken at various events at the 29th annual BEYA STEM Conference held in Washington DC February 2015.

42 USBE&IT I FALL 2015

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BEYA 2015

BEYA and YouTube recruiters at the STEM students meet Google 2015. Employers of historiuary Febr held air JobF ce STEM Conferen s include ersity (HBCU) STEM graduate cally Black college and univ enture, Google, Intel, Acc , man Grum hrop Nort IBM, Lockheed Martin, the U.S. Air Force.

Qualcomm, Raytheon, and

It’s a compe titive environ ment at the BE ment retailers YA STEM Ca and global cr reer Fair with yptologic ag from historic home improv encies jostlin ally Black co eg side by sid llege and un A Lowes recr e for top talen iversity (HBC uiter gestures t U) Engineerin as she presen g Schools. ts her compa to an HBCU ny’s opportu nities student.

s and ing and math (STEM) executive Science, technology, engineer ts ensure M event. BEYA STEM even STE A BEY a at ork netw students in their potential mentors to include students meet recruiters and re of influence sphe their nd expa and ork netw

Two West Po int female ca dets stride into th e BEYA STEM Conference Job Fair in Washington DC February. www.blackengineer.com

These Studen

t’s Love for ST

EM is Larger

than Life.

USBE&IT I FALL 2015 43

BEYA 2015 Students Connecting

Greek Life Unite at the BEYA Student Leadership Awards (Left to Right) Alpha Phi Alpha, Phi Beta Sigma, Kappa Alpha Psi

HBCU Students find Internships

Students having a great time the Career Fair Floor

on

Students from Tuskegee University in attendance at a DIEL Student Seminar, one of many events taking place at the BEYA STEM Conference 44 USBE&IT I FALL 2015

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BEYA 2015

The women of Alpha Kappa Alpha enjoy photo opportunity at the BEYA Student Leadership Awards.

The men of Alpha Phi Alpha are stron gly represented at the BEYA After Party

Dean Harris of Prairie View University Presents the Student Leadership award to student

www.blackengineer.com

at th me together e country co m all over th event. g kin or tw Students fro Ne t BE YA Studen

e the

USBE&IT I FALL 2015 45

February 18–20, 2016

SAVE the

DATE Philadelphia Marriott Downtown

1201 Market Street • Philadelphia, PA

Count Us In: Standing on the Shoulders of Excellence Don’t miss this historic event! www.beya.org For more information, call us at 410-244-7101

CARRER OUTLOOK An in-depth look at a cutting-edge industry within STEM. We tell you where the jobs are, why you want them, and, most importantly, how you get them.

Spotlight on

Energy

INSIDE  

www.blackengineer.com

T he Energy Sector is Great: Depending Where You Are C areer Horizon: Where Are the Jobs in Energy?



T op Employers



P eople to Know USBE&IT I FALL 2015 47

CAREER OUTLOOK Industry Overview

By Frank McCoy fmccoy@ccgmag.com

Is the Power Profit Barrel Half-Full?

The Energy Sector Is Great: Depending Where You Are

T

here is good news, but the challenges must be addressed first. Increased oil and gas production is great for consumers and other public, private, and nonprofit energy users, tough for oil companies here and abroad as prices have collapsed, and awful for oil patch workers.

Last March, Forbes magazine estimated that there were roughly 600,000 U.S. oil a nd gas workers. In 2013 the Department of Energy Information Administration stated that those employees earned average salaries of $108,000.

However, during the past year, more than 75,000 energy employees were laid off. Service companies, including Schlumberger, Weatherford, Baker Hughes, and Halliburton, shed at least 59,000. Exploration and production companies, including Total, Sasol, and Suncor, fired thousands, and manufacturing companies such as U.S. Steel, Vallourec, and companies manufacturing pipe cut 7,100.

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Industry News On the plus side, last April the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) released its Annual Energy Outlook. The EIA projects that by 2028, due to the ongoing surge of U.S. energy production, particularly in natural gas, energy imports and exports will balance out. Why? The EIA projects that the United States will become “a net exporter of petroleum and other liquids after 2020 in the High Oil Price and High Oil and Gas Resource cases because of greater U.S. crude oil production,” plus the country will become an exporter of natural gas by 2017.

U.S. energy consumption will continue to grow modestly as more energy-efficient technologies and policies promoting increased energy efficiency take hold.

A beneficial ancillary effect of cheaper energy, which will assist future STEM graduates, may be the growth of specific manufacturing industries, including bulk chemicals and primary metals. Manufacturers will also use more Natural Gas Pipeline Company of America feed stocks in place of petroleum-based naphtha feed stocks.

Petrochemical feed stocks, according to the Energy Information Administration, are “derived from refined or partially refined petroleum fraction, principally for use in the manufacturing of chemicals, synthetic rubber, and a variety of plastics.”

Bloomberg New Energy Finance’s 2030 Market Outlook, which makes predictions concerning global power markets, reported, “By 2030 the world’s power mix will have transformed: from today’s system with two-thirds fossil fuels to one with over half from zero-emission energy sources. Renewables will command over 60 percent of the 5,579 Giga Watts of new capacity and 65 percent of the $7.7 trillion of power investment.“ Oil The United States is still the world’s greatest oil consumer, importing about five million barrels a day, and with shale oil gushing, the United States has become the globe’s biggest oil producer.

The EIA forecasts that in 2015, U.S. regular gasoline retail prices will average $2.48 per gallon.

Oil production is projected to keep falling through early 2016 and then resume growing. In 2015 U.S. crude oil production may average 9.5 million barrels per day and 9.3 million barrels per day in 2016.

Alternative Energy Certain states lead the green charge. Clean Edge, a clean-tech research and advisory firm, reported about the 47 percent growth in new U.S. energy generation capacity. Of that spike, 27 percent came from utility-scale wind and 20 percent from solar power.

The clean energy state leader is California, which in 2014 was the first state to generate five percent of its electricity from utility-scale solar.

Clean Edge also says that “eleven states now generate more than 10 percent of their electricity from non-hydro renewable energy sources.”

Iowa, South Dakota, and Kansas generate more than 20 percent, and if biomass and hydropower are included, “Idaho, Washington, Oregon, and South Dakota now exceed 70 percent www.blackengineer.com

renewables generation.”

Hydropower may become the new hot energy sector. CNBC reported in July that utilities are considering installation of inpipe hydropower systems that will turn micro turbines. Alternatively, the devices could capture the energy from water flow through streams and canals.

Coal The use of black rocks is plunging as a resource.

Bloomberg New Energy Finance reports that by 2030, use of coal, which currently supplies 26 percent of the main fuel source for electric power generation, will fall to 17 percent. The industry is also waiting to see what the impact will be of the Obama Administration’s Clean Power Plan to slash the power plants’ emissions of carbon. President Obama has vowed that greenhouse gas emissions will be reduced 28 percent by 2025.

The Clean Power Plan, said Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Gina McCarthy, will be finalized this summer.

In response, the governors of six states, including one Democrat, have threatened that they will not comply with the Clean Power Plan, perhaps to protect jobs and businesses in their coal-producing states. The American Energy Alliance, a political action group, also opposes the Clean Power Plan.

Last June the New York Times reported that coal companies did get a boost when the Supreme Court blocked “one of the Obama administration’s most ambitious environmental initiatives, an Environmental Protection Agency regulation meant to limit emissions of mercury and other toxic pollutants from coalfired power plants.”

Natural Gas In spring 2015, for the first time, natural gas, with its cheaper price, became the major supplier of U.S. electric power generation.

The research company SNL Energy reported that approximately 31 percent of electric power generation in April came from natural gas, 30 percent from coal, and 20 percent from nuclear power.

The U.S. Energy Information Administration says that in June natural gas working inventories were 2,577 billion cubic feet, or 35 percent higher than a year earlier and 1 percent above the previous five-year average.

Nuclear Power World-Nuclear.org, the website of the World Nuclear Association (WNA), says that the United States remains the global leader in nuclear power production. SNL Energy, a research company, reported in June that 20 percent of U.S. electric power came from nuclear power.

There are 100 U.S. nuclear reactors, and 99 are operable.

The WNA says that six new United States reactors could be online by 2020, a reversal of the past three decades, when few reactors were built.

Report released by U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) http://www.eia.gov/forecasts/aeo/

USBE&IT I FALL 2015 49

CAREER OUTLOOK Industry Overview

By Frank McCoy fmccoy@ccgmag.com

Where Are the Jobs in Energy? Many Places, if You Know Where to Look

M

illennial, don’t freak out. You will find jobs despite the plunging oil and natural gas prices due to U.S. fracking and Saudi Arabia’s increased oil exporting. To boost confidence, let’s look at jobrelated happenings across energy sectors.

But first read this: Pew Research says that “roughly 10,000 Baby Boomers will turn 65 today, and about 10,000 more will cross that threshold every day for the next 19 years.” You are their replacements.

The Bloomberg New Energy Finance 2030 Market Outlook projects investment growth that is likely a harbinger of job expansion in select areas. These include the gas supply chain, with its production, transport, and consumption subsets, and continuing growth in alternative energy.

50 USBE&IT I FALL 2015

Oil and Natural Gas: The following are the six main oil and natural gas sectors, and after each name are their STEM energy occupations in demand. The sectors are Exploration: Geoscientists, Oil Drillers, and Seismic Crews; Production: Petroleum Engineers and Petroleum Attorneys; Transportation: Mechanical Engineers and Petroleum Accountants; Refining: Chemical Engineers, Plant Operators, and Human Resources; Distribution: Industrial Engineers, Terminal Operators, and Information Technology; and Marketing: Analysts and Traders.

For additional information on oil and natural gas jobs, go here: http://www. petrostrategies.org/Learning_Center/ people_who_work_in_the_oil_and_gas_ industry.htm www.blackengineer.com

minoring in energy-related areas to boost their hirability.

Oil and Gas Internships: • Indeed.com: use key words “Internship,” “Oil,” “Gas” • Check out shale oil internships: http://www.frackingjobs.co/oil-and-gas-industryinternships/ • Society of Petroleum Engineers career choices: http://energy4me.org/careers/?_ga =1.88230291.908749721.1437065817 • Glassdoor.com: Among 2015’s 25 best-paid internships were energy-related companies Chevron #2, Schlumberger #8, and ExxonMobil #17. Glassdoor list all its internships here: http://www.glassdoor.com/Job/internship-jobs-SRCH_KO0,10. htm • Vault.com: The top energy internships were Anadarko Petroleum Corporation Summer Internship Program, Westar Energy Internship Program, Exelon Inter Program, BP National Internship Program, and the FirstEnergy Co-op/Internship Program. http://www.vault.com/internship-rankings/best-energy-internships Alternative Energy: Last year, UtilityDive.com, which follows environmental news, green living, and sustainable business, listed the “Top 10 states for clean energy start-ups.”

The states, which were analyzed for their use of technology, policy, and capital, were, in order, California, Massachusetts, Oregon, Colorado, New York, Vermont, Connecticut, Illinois, Washington, and Hawaii. What happens in California often occurs nationally. The top clean energy startup state employs 50,000 solar industry employees currently.

To increase your desirability, read California Gov. Jerry Brown’s electricity, transportation, energy intelligence, and green building initiatives at Green California: http:// www.green.ca.gov/.

Sustainability Rocks: Students should consider becoming a sustainability executive or an energy manager. GreenBiz.com reports that many of that field’s professionals have combined an environmental science major with an M.B.A. degree in sustainability.

Salary.com reports that the median salary for an energy manager, “depending on a number of factors including industry, company size, location, years of experience and level of education” is $92,000. The Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) has a 10–12 week smart energy management fellowship.

A recent consolidation deal in the natural gas patch may lead to job opportunities at the merged companies. In July 2015 Marathon Petroleum Corp., a refinery and pipeline company, paid $15.8 billion for MarkWest Energy Partners. It is one of the nation’s largest natural gas processors.

Add Cyber Security to Your Energy Portfolio: Separate yourself from other job seekers. As cybercrime and attacks spike, Black Engineer urges students that excel in STEM fields to add complementary skills in law, business administration, or cyber security.

Plus, computer science, computer engineering, cyber security, and information technology majors should consider www.blackengineer.com

Alternative Energy Internships: • Indeed.com: Renewable Energy Internships: http://www.indeed.com/qRenewable-Energy-Internship-jobs.html • National Renewable Energy Laboratory: http://www.nrel.gov/careers/ internships.html • Green Dream Jobs: Click key words: Internship/Volunteer • http://www.sustainablebusiness.com • WindEnergyInternships.com: http://www.windinternships.com/ • SimplyHired.com: Wind Energy Internships: http://www.simplyhired.com/ k-wind-energy-intern-jobs.html • Solar Energy Industries Association: http://www.seia.org/about/seia/jobs-seia Nuclear Energy: A vote of confidence for nukes. In April the U.S. Department of Energy awarded more than $5 million worth of scholarships to 59 undergraduate and 32 graduate-level students pursuing nuclear engineering degrees. EIP.com (Electric Light & Power) reported that “Since 2009, the DOE has awarded nearly $25 million to more than 500 students for nuclear energy-related scholarships and fellowships. Ninety-eight percent of the students who have completed nuclear energy-related fellowships have subsequently pursued careers in nuclear energy fields at the Department’s national laboratories, other government agencies, academic institutions or private companies.”

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CAREER OUTLOOK Industry Overview Nuclear Energy Internships: • American Nuclear Society: Lists U.S. Department of Energy Science Undergraduate Laboratory Internships and U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Summer Internships: http://www.ans.org/honors/internships/ • Nuclear Energy Institute: NEI.org has a host of industry and federal scholarships, fellowships, and internships.

• U.S. Dept. of Energy: Check out the 17 national laboratories for their information on internships: http://energy.gov/ national-labs • Learn about the Washington Internships for Students of Engineering Program The Department of Energy Wants You: The Department of Energy Information Administration is looking for STEM employees in the following areas: engineers, operations research analysts, industry economists, survey and mathematical statisticians. “Starting General Schedule salaries range from $43,057 to $126,245, however, executives can earn upwards of $183,300.” Find details here: http://www.eia.gov/ about/careers/ • The Department of Energy’s student internships, Student Stipend-based Internship Programs in scientific research, administration, and business fields typically occur in the summer for 8–10 weeks, and Department of Energy Scholars Program introduces students or recent college graduates to DOE’s mission and operations here: http://energy.gov/ student-programs-and-internships • The Mickey Leland Energy Fellowship is a 10-week summer internship for women and under-represented minority students that are pursuing academic majors in science, technology, engineering, and math. The program is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Fossil Energy.

• Energy.gov internships: http://energy.gov/eere/education/ find-internships

gree. The job outlook forecasts five percent growth through 2022.

The estimated median wage is $78,860. Check out the Institute of Industrial Engineers.

Petroleum engineers, who work in offices, research labs, and the field, use many different techniques to extract oil and gas from below ground or water. An entry-level education is a bachelor’s degree, and the job outlook forecasts a faster-than-average 26 percent growth through 2022. The estimated median wage is $130,280.

Petroleum Engineers: The American Chemical Society says that petroleum engineers “apply chemistry, physics, math, geology, and engineering principles” to find means to identify favorable exploration areas, develop access, and refine oil into aviation or auto fuel.

Energy chemists “work with crude oil and the products derived from it.” Chemical engineers earn $134,000 annually, and an energy chemist can earn $114,000. Check out the American Chemical Society’s Oil and Petroleum Careers page: http://www. acs.org/content/acs/en/careers/college-to-career/chemistry-careers/oil-petroleum.html Mathematical statisticians analyze coal, energy, electricity, and natural gas production and reserves for public, private, and nonprofit organizations. They delve into energy distribution and use data science to find the weaknesses and strengths of the energy infrastructure.

Awesome Jobs in Energy: The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics provides background on each of these occupations. The predictable element in energy is that employer hiring demand is predicated upon the price of oil and gas.

Geoscientists study the planet’s physical aspects, including composition, structure, and processes. The nation’s 38,200 geoscientists lead exploration teams to uncover possible excavation points to produce fossil fuels. An entry-level education is a bachelor’s degree, and the job outlook forecasts a fasterthan-average 16 percent growth through 2022. The estimated median wage is $90,890.

Industrial engineers, who work in the field and office, eliminate wastefulness, which is vital to the energy production process. An entry-level education is a bachelor’s de-

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CAREER OUTLOOK TOP EMPLOYERS

The Organizations Below Want to Meet You

T

hese private and public organizations, including the U.S.

Department of Energy, seek STEM students and recent graduates like you to replace retiring Baby Boomers and need intelligence and creativity to expand the burgeoning, diverse energy sector.

Look below to find out the who, what, where, and how of each organization and explore their career, internship, co-op,recruiting, and job posting pages.

ALLIANT ENERGY CORPORATION Madison, Wisconsin Alliant Energy Corporation, publiclytraded on the New York Stock Exchange, provides electric and natural gas services to customers and communities in Iowa, Wisconsin, and Minnesota. The utility has an internship program and advises all interested to create a job agent on Alliant Energy’s Career page. The AEP website reports that Patricia L. Kampling, chairman, president, and CEO of Alliant Energy, is committed to diversity in hiring and in supplier contracting.

To learn more about a career at Alliant Energy, go to: http://www.alliantenergy.com/ Careers/InternshipProgram/ AMERICAN ELECTRIC POWER Columbus, Ohio AEP serves more than 5 million customers in 11 states. It is one of the largest electric utilities, and has the nation’s largest network — more than 40,000 miles of electricity transmission. Check out the company’s diversity policy. Read about its paying internships as well and particularly the Frequently Asked Questions.

If interested in a career at AEP, go to: https://www.aep.com/careers/ ANADARKO PETROLEUM COMPANY The Woodlands, Texas Anadarko Petroleum Company, with at least

2.79 billion barrels of oil equivalent of proved reserves at year-end 2013, is ranked as one of the world’s largest independent oil and natural gas exploration and production companies. Anadarko looks for interns and potential hires on college campuses each fall in areas that include Accounting, Engineering, Environment, Health & Safety, Geosciences, and Information Technology.

To review Anadarko Petroleum job and career opportunities, go to http://www. anadarko.com/careers/pages/overview.aspx APACHE CORPORATION Houston, Texas Apache Corporation, founded in 1954, is one of the world’s top independent Exploration & Production companies in the oil and gas industry. In 2011 Apache became an early leader in posting the composition of its fracking fluids at FracFocus.org, a joint venture of the Ground Water Protection Council and the Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission. Apache was one of the early proponents of transparency in hydraulic fracturing operations when it posted the composition of its fracking fluids at FracFocus.org. Internships are available in areas that include Engineering, Geologic Engineering, Drilling, and Geosciences: http://www.apachecorp.com/Careers/ United_States/College_recruiting/Interns/ index.aspx

By Frank McCoy fmccoy@ccgmag.com

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CAREER OUTLOOK

BAKER HUGHES INCORPORATED Houston, Texas Baker Hughes is an oilfield company that provides application-specific products and services to oil and gas operators with petroleum reservoirs. Baker Hughes has more than 60,000 employees in over 80 countries. Undergrads studying engineering or engineering-related subjects, geology or geosciences, chemistry, physics, mathematics, supply chain or logistics and business majors that are seeking internships should visit the internship page. Also check out the Baker Hughes Opportunities in the Oil and Gas Industry Brochure. STEM grads should go to http://public.bakerhughes.com/ graduate/graduate-program for information about Field Engineering, Supply Chain, Technology, and Commercial opportunities.

BP Houston, Texas BP, a global producer of oil and gas, has about 84,000 employees. BP’s two main operating areas are Upstream, which finds, develops, and produces sources of energy, and Downstream, which develops those sources into products that customers purchase. There is also a link to upcoming events. Learn about BP internships and coop opportunities in the areas of engineering, science, business, and trading, and try out the BP degree matcher tool. U.S. students and graduates should visit Careers: http:// www.bp.com/en/global/corporate/careers/ students-and-graduates/graduate-locations/ united-states-students-and-graduates.html CHEVRON San Ramon, California Chevron is a leading global integrated energy company. Among other functions, it explores for, produces, and transports crude oil and natural gas; refines, markets, and distributes transportation fuels and lubricants;

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manufactures and sells petrochemical products; generates power and produces geothermal energy; and provides renewable energy and energy-efficiency solutions. Go to Chevron’s undergraduate development programs and its Downstream & Chemicals Engineering Development Programs to see who Chevron hires, what you will do, and where you’ll work. Students and recent graduates will find information on campus visits, internships, and working at Chevron here: http://careers.chevron.com/students/ default.aspx CLEAN LINE ENERGY PARTNERS Houston, Texas Clean Line develops long-haul transmission lines to connect renewable energy resources in North America to communities and cities. Investors include National Grid, which is one of the largest investor-owned energy companies in the world. Here is the Clean Line career page: http://www. cleanlineenergy.com/contact/careers CON EDISON OF NEW YORK New York, New York Con Edison of New York provides electric service to about 3.3 million customers and gas service to about 1.1 million customers in New York City and Westchester County.

There is also information useful to students aspiring to be co-op interns. Students with a background or major in engineering, finance, or information technology and skilled trades are always welcome. ConEd lists more than 50 different job categories on its website: http://apps.coned.com/careers/careers/ jobs.asp CONOCOPHILLIPS Houston, Texas ConocoPhillips is the world’s largest independent exploration and production company based upon production and proven

reserves. ConocoPhillips earned $62 billion in revenue, has operations and activities in 27 countries, has $120 billion in total assets, and has about 18,800 employees.

On its university recruitment page, there is information on Job Search, University New Hire, the University Hiring Process, Scholarships, and a FAQ on campus visits and meeting ConocoPhillips’ University Recruiting Team. Careers can be found on http://careers.conocophillips.com/en/ CPS ENERGY San Antonio, Texas CPS Energy is the nation’s largest municipally-owned energy utility to provide both natural gas and electric service. CPS has more than 741,000 electric customers and 331,000 natural gas customers in and around the nation’s seventh-largest city in a 1,514-square-mile service area. CPS has a variety of intriguing internships. Search for open positions and learn about corporate careers at http://www.cpsenergy.com/About_ CPS_Energy/Careers/ DAYTON POWER & LIGHT, INC. Dayton, Ohio Dayton Power & Light has 500,000 customers in 24 counties throughout Ohio’s Miami Valley, a service area of 6,000 square miles, and 10,552 miles of overhead wire and 3,447 miles of underground cable.

Openings at Dayton Power & Light are in the following areas: engineering and information on types of engineering, informative videos, and a page of helpful resources on engineer societies and energy associations. Graduates and students should look for career information and apply for work here: http:// www.dpandl.com/about-dpl/careers/ DEVON ENERGY Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Devon Energy is a leading independent oil

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CAREER OUTLOOK TOP EMPLOYERS and natural gas exploration and production company. It is also a large North America processor of natural gas liquids with its own natural gas pipelines and treatment facilities in producing areas. Devon produces about 2.3 billion cubic feet of natural gas daily, or three percent of North America’s gas consumption. In 2014 Devon was listed as a Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For. It has internships in areas that include energy land management, engineering, engineering construction management, and information technology. See http://www.dvn.com/ Careers/Pages/Students.aspx DOMINION ENERGY Richmond, Virginia Dominion Energy is one of the nation’s largest energy producers and transporters, with customers and facilities in 10 states.

It controls about 23,600 megawatts of generation, 10,900 miles of natural gas transmission, gathering and storage pipeline, and 6,400 miles of electric transmission lines. Dominion is also a major natural gas storage company with 947 billion cubic feet of storage capacity. Take a look at the experience of previous interns, including a Howard University student. Visit Dominion’s career page at https://www.dom.com/ careers/index.jsp. Its student employment page, its scholarships page, and its internship program.

subsidiaries are DTE Electric and DTE Gas, and these regulated utility companies provide electric and/or gas services to more than three million residential, business, and industrial customers throughout Michigan. The company offers full-time work for students in its co-op program.

DTE is looking for students with chemical, civil, industrial, mechanical, electrical, and environmental engineering backgrounds as well as information technology, human resources, business administration, finance, and computer science backgrounds. Search https://www2.dteenergy.com/wps/portal/dte/ aboutus/careers/details/Search

Find out the who, what, where, and how of each organization and explore their career, internship, co-op, recruiting, and job posting pages.

DUKE ENERGY Charlotte, North Carolina Duke Energy is the largest electric power holding company in the United States. It supplies and delivers energy to about 7.2 million U.S. customers. Duke Energy also has approximately 57,500 megawatts of electric generating capacity in the Carolinas, the Midwest, and Florida and natural gas distribution services in Ohio and Kentucky.

The Fortune 250 Company also owns and operates power generation assets in North America and Latin America and has renewable energy assets. Join its Talent Network for job search and company information. There are panoply of career opportunities at Duke: http://www.dukeenergy.com/careers/default.asp

EATON CORPORATION Cleveland, Ohio Eaton Corporation specializes in electrical, hydraulic, and mechanical power, making customers more energy efficient. The $22 billion company has about 101,000 employees and customers in more than 175 countries for its electrical, hydraulics, aerospace, and vehicle products. STEM students should search for job openings in Engineering, Environmental, Health & Safety (which has two internships), and Information Technology with two internships, and Manufacturing & Operations with one internship. Eaton’s paid co-op/internships are generally 12 weeks in duration.

Learn about Eaton Corporation’s career opportunities here: http://www.eaton.com/ Eaton/Careers/index.htm

DTE ENERGY Detroit, Michigan DTE Energy Co. is a diversified energy company involved in the development and management of energy-related businesses and services nationwide. Operating

ENTERGY Buchanan, New York Entergy Corporation is an integrated energy company mostly involved in electric power production and retail distribution operations. It owns and operates power

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plants with about 30,000 megawatts of electric-generating capacity and also more than 10,000 megawatts of nuclear power. Entergy’s 2.8 million electricity utility customers are in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas. Check out Entergy’s career page and its intern and co-op program titled Jumpstart at http://www. entergy.com/Careers/ EXELON CORPORATION Chicago, Illinois Exelon, the leading u.s. competitive energy provider, with about 32,000 megawatts of owned capacity, operates in 48 states, the District of Columbia, and Canada. Excelonp rovides energy products and services competitively to more than 2.5 million residential, public sector and business customers. Exelon also delivers electricity and natural gas to more than 7.8 million customers in Central Maryland (BGE), Northern Illinois (ComEd), and Southeastern Pennsylvania (PECO). There are 17 colleges, including Morgan State University, where Exelon has “historically recruited professional interns.” Students should take a look at Exelon’s Internship Program and new graduates on their career page: http:// www.exeloncorp.com/careers GENERAL ELECTRIC POWER AND WATER Fairfield, Connecticut General Electric Power & Water is a global leader in power generation and water technologies for utility companies, independent power producers, and industrial applications. Check out GE careers here: http://www.ge.com/careers GULF POWER (A SOUTHERN COMPANY) Birmingham, AL Gulf Power is an investor-owned electric utility with all of its common stock owned by Atlanta-based parent Southern Company.

Gulf Power serves more than 430,000 customers in 71 towns and communities in Northwest Florida. The company operates “three wholly-owned generating plants and a co-generation facility.” Career information for students and graduates interested in Gulf Power and Southern Company is available here: http://www.gulfpower.com/about-us/ careers.cshtml.

MARATHON OIL CORPORATION Houston, TX Marathon Oil Corporation is an independent

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CAREER OUTLOOK

upstream company that operates globally in exploration and production, oil sands mining, and integrated gas. Keep up with Marathon’s social media presence with its Social Matcher. Go to Marathon’s University recruiting page to see the 15 universities and schools where it actively recruits. If you are looking to work at Houston’s Marathon Oil Corporation and want to find out what its featured careers are, click here: http://careers.marathonoil. com/?utm_source=careersite&utm_ campaign=careersitesearch MARATHON PETROLEUM CORPORATION Findlay, Ohio Marathon Petroleum Corporation is the fourth-largest transportation fuels refiner and the biggest in the Midwest, with 1.7 million barrels-per-calendar-day capacity.

Marathon has a seven-plant refinery system and markets petroleum products in the Southeast, Midwest, and Gulf Coast. It also has more than 5,200 Marathon gas stations and about 1,480 Speedway gas stations. The career page contains new college graduate, intern, and co-op student information. http:// www.marathonpetroleum.com/Careers/ College_Graduate_Intern_or_Coop/ NEXTERA ENERGY RESOURCES, LLC Juno Beach, Florida NextEra Energy Resources is the world’s largest generator of renewable energy from the wind and sun. Affiliated with Florida Power & Light Company (FPL), the largest rate-regulated electric utility in Florida, it serves approximately 4.8 million customer accounts. NextEra Energy Resources is a competitive energy supplier with approximately 19,777 megawatts of generating capacity, which includes megawatts owned by NextEra Energy Partners, LP, primarily in 25 states and Canada as of year-end 2014. Check out careers here: http://www.nexteraenergy.com/ careers/index.shtml PG&E San Francisco, California PG&E is among the largest combination natural gas and electric utilities in the United States. Based in San Francisco, the company is a subsidiary of PG&E Corporation. PG&E’s primary job is to transmit and deliver energy in the form of natural gas and electric service to about 15 million people in a 70,000-squaremile service area in northern and central

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California. There are pages about summer jobs and for recent grads. Available positions at PG&E can be found using the job search link: http://www.pge.com/en/about/careers/ index.page PEABODY ENERGY CORPORATION St. Louis, Missouri Peabody Energy, the world’s largest privatesector coal company, with majority share in 27 coal operations throughout U.S. coalproducing regions and in Australia, has metallurgical and coal customers in about 25 countries. Recent graduate should look into the U.S. Operations Associate Program.

Peabody has a partnership with INROADS, the nonprofit that provides minority undergraduate students with internships. To find out about Peabody careers and search job opportunities, go here: http://www. peabodyenergy.com/content/130/Careers

These employers, including the U.S. Department of Energy, seek STEM students and recent graduates like you to expand the burgeoning,diverse energy sector.

PECO ENERGY, A DIVISION OF EXELON Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Based in Philadelphia, PECO is an electric and natural gas utility subsidiary of Exelon Corporation. PECO serves 1.6 million electric and more than 506,000 natural gas customers in Southeastern Pennsylvania and employs about 2,400 people in the region.

PECO delivered 89.9 billion cubic feet of natural gas and 37.5 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity in 2014. See careers here: http:// www.exeloncorp.com/peopleandculture/ careers/Pages/overview.aspx

PEPCO HOLDINGS, INC. Washington, DC Pepco Holdings, Inc. (PHI) is one of the largest energy delivery companies in the Mid-Atlantic region, serving about two million customers in Delaware, the District of Columbia, Maryland, and New Jersey. PHI subsidiaries include Pepco, Delmarva Power, and Atlantic City Electric, which provide regulated electricity service and Delmarva Power, which provides natural gas service. At Pepco’s career page, students can view open positions, apply online, and get involved with employment testing. http://www.pepcoholdings.com/ careers/ PMI ENERGY SOLUTIONS, LLC Batavia, Illinois PMI Energy Solutions is an electrical construction, maintenance, and technical services contracting company focused on the utility industry. PMI’s website cites as its specialties performance of overhead and underground electrical distribution, construction and maintenance, directional boring, fiber optics, storm restoration, and technical services. The CEO and founder is George Williams, an American Association of Blacks in Energy board member. He was the chief operating officer of the El Paso Electric Company and senior vice president of Operations at ComEd. Click here for more information http://pmienergysolutions.com/ POWER GRID ENGINEERING, LLC Winter Springs, Florida Power Grid Engineering specializes in engineering design and consultation for the power system sector through seven divisions. They are relay protection and control engineering, transmission systems planning and power system studies, substation engineering, power systems training, distribution systems engineering, field services, and communications systems.

On PGE’s career page, links can be found for open positions and job applications. http:// www.powergridengineering.com/careers PPL CORPORATION Allentown, Pennsylvania PPL Corporation’s companies include seven operating utilities that deliver electricity and natural gas to more than 10 million U.S. and UK customers. PPL manages 19,000 megawatts of generation with power plants in Kentucky, Montana, and Pennsylvania and 200,000 miles of electric lines. PPL, a Fortune 500 company, is looking for

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CAREER OUTLOOK TOP EMPLOYERS engineers, finance and accounting professionals, plant operators, and IT professionals. Check out the video on the company’s internship, cooperative co-op, and student ambassador program page. http://www.pplweb.com/careers.aspx

looks for top talent for its engineering and accounting/finance intern programs: at college recruiting events at 11 California universities and the University of Arizona. http://www.socalgas.com/careers/ internships-rotations.shtml

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA EDISON Rosemead, California Southern California Edison (SCE), whose parent is Edison International, is one of the largest electric utilities. SCE distributes power to more than 14 million people in Central, Coastal, and Southern California.

SCE has 5,574 MW of net-generating capacity from nuclear, hydroelectric, and fossil-fueled power plants. SCE shows students and recent grads how professionals got their start through internships, explains intern qualifications, and has a career page: http://www.edison. com/home/careers.html

SOUTHERN COMPANY Atlanta, Georgia Southern Company, which serves the Southeast United States, has 4.4 million customers. Southern owns Alabama Power, Georgia Power, Gulf Power, and Mississippi Power utility companies and is a licensed operator of three nuclear generating plants and two fiber optics and wireless communications companies, Southern Telecom and SouthernLINC. At Southern’s career page, you can search for jobs, find out about campus recruiting, and if a graduate, click on Experienced Recruiting to see what jobs fit your skills. There is also an internship page. http://www. southerncompany.com/about-us/careers/ home.cshtml

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA GAS COMPANY Los Angeles, California Southern California Gas Company is the nation’s biggest natural gas distribution utility. It provides energy to 20.9 million consumers in more than 500 communities in a service territory encompassing about 20,000 square miles throughout Central and Southern California. SoCalGas careers

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Washington, DC The U.S. Department of Energy’s mission “is to ensure America’s security and prosperity by addressing its energy, environmental and nuclear challenges through transformative

science and technology solutions.” The DoE’s main divisions are Energy, Science & Innovation, Nuclear Safety and Security, and Management and Operational Excellence.

DoE operates 21 labs and technology centers. STEM students should check out its jobs page with links to Nationwide Jobs Opportunities and Internships. http://energy. gov/jobs/jobs XCEL ENERGY Amarillo, Texas Xcel Energy is a U.S. Fortune 500 electric and natural gas company with annual revenues of $11.7 billion. Based in Minneapolis, MN, it has operations in eight Midwestern and Western states and provides energy-related products and services to 3.5 million electricity customers and 2 million natural gas customers through companies in Colorado, Michigan, Minnesota, New Mexico, North Dakota, South Dakota, Texas, and Wisconsin. Most Excel internships are full-time summer jobs, but the company also has part-time, yearround co-op internships that accommodate class schedules. Look for careers here: http://www.xcelenergy.com/stateselector?s tateSelected=true&goto=%2FCompany%2 FCareers

A large percentage of our engineering workforce received their start, or gained a competitive hiring advantage, by being part of an internship program.

Darryl Stokes Vice President, Electric Transmission & Substations BGE, an Exelon Company

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CAREER OUTLOOK PEOPLE TO KNOW

Blacks in Energy by editors@ccgmag.com

T

hese short narratives tell the story of careers in energy

LAKEESHA WILSON

Director American Association of Blacks in Energy

say the most foresighted

LaKeesha Wilson has served as director of member services for the American Association of Blacks in Energy (AABE) since January 2008. Prior to that, she provided administrative support to the director and Board Members at the AABE. As an executive assistant, she also acted as liaison between the association and its 1,250 members and 34 chapters, and planned and coordinated Board meetings and annual conferences. Other positions Wilson has held include serving as executive search coordinator at the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA.) The NRECA is the organization that represents the interests of over 900 electric cooperatives in the United States, to various legislatures. She also worked as employee benefits services coordinator at the NRECA, acting as liaison with over 200 human resources representatives.

energy firms are taking a

SANDRA BRUMMITT

as a whole. Pick through and explore details of the energy careers you’d like, and energy industries. Experts

hands-on approach to finding,

Director, Tax Exelon

developing and retaining

Sandra Brummitt joined Constellation Energy in 2001 in a tax role, building on her career doing public accounting in California and then Maryland for KPMG. She found the energy sector fascinating and enjoyed her role as director of tax planning for Constellation. Brummitt considered pursuing a Master’s degree in taxation, but scheduling class time was a concern. She heard about the Smith School’s Executive MBA from her boss, who suggested that the everyother-weekend class schedule might fit her and that the MBA curriculum would help her career development goals. Six months into the EMBA, Brummitt says she discovered that “there was so much more I needed to know to run an organi-

key personnel, skills and knowledge.

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zation.” Brummitt told her boss she was interested in pursuing opportunities outside the tax realm to widen her experience, and she transitioned to a role in investor relations in 2011, just before Constellation Energy merged with Exelon. Brummitt served as the finance integration lead, preparing for the close of merger process. She continues to leverage her EMBA skills at Constellation.

CARLA WALKER-MILLER President, CEO Walker-Miller Energy

Carla Walker-Miller is the founder, president and CEO of Walker-Miller Energy Services, LLC (WMES). Established in 2000, the Detroit-based firm provides energy efficiency services and offers innovative energy waste reduction solutions that help decrease energy consumption, and contribute to occupant safety and comfort for both commercial and residential customers.

An engineer by degree, she led WMES to double-digit growth after the recession, earning both local and national recognition as an innovative company. In 2014, WMES was selected by Inc. 5000 as one of the fastest growing companies in America, and

by Crain’s Detroit Business as a Top 20 Cool Places to Work in Michigan. Most recently, WMES was selected by the Michigan Small Business Administration as 2015 Woman-Owned Business of the Year. In addition, WMES has been featured in national publications such as Fortune, Ebony, JET, and Black Enterprise magazines. As part of her commitment to the Detroit community, she started a nonprofit organization called The Water Access Volunteer Effort Fund in 2003. WAVE provides water bill assistance to low- income citizens of Detroit and has distributed over $2 million, assisting over 9,200 families. In 2014, Carla was elected President for the Michigan Chapter of the American Association of Blacks in Energy (AABE).

CHARLES PULLIAM

Energy Efficiency Program Inspector Sempra Energy Charles Pulliam is an energy efficiency inspector at Sempra Energy, a natural gas utilities company based in San Diego, Calif. Previously, he was founding consultant with Charles Pulliam Consulting. For more than 38 years (1969 –2007), Pulliam served as a supplier diversity manager of Southern California Gas. He was a member of a team that developed small business enterprise suppliers, women-owned business, minority-owned business, and disabled veteran business for the procurement of materials and services. His team facilitated strategic expansion of supplier utilization to further the organization’s “Return on Community Involvement.” In the community, Pulliam has served as president, and executive director of the American Association of Blacks in Energy - Southern California, first vice president of the NAACP – Altadena, board member, John Muir Business Entrepreneur Academy, and board member of the Allen Chapel AME Community Outreach in San Bernardino County, Calif. Pulliam retired as a sergeant in the United States Air Force.

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VICKY BAILEY

Chairman USEA Vicky Bailey has served as a state and federal regulator, a public utility corporate executive and official for the Department of Energy. Most recently, she has been involved as entrepreneur and principal of BHMM Energy Services LLC, a certified minority owned energy facilities management organization, as well as president of the Anderson Stratton International LLC management consultants in domestic and international energy industries. Bailey’s career includes appointments as the first Assistant Secretary for Policy and International Affairs (20012004) of the U.S. Department of Energy, and appointment to the Office of Commissioner (1993-2000) on the U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. Earlier in her public sector career she served as Commissioner on the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission following appointments by Gov. Robert D. Orr and Gov. Evan Bayh. During her long tenure as an Indiana regulator, she gained experience and a reputation for fairness in the regulation of the electric, natural gas, telephone, water and trucking industries. Most recently, Bailey was appointed by Secretary of Energy Steven Chu to the Blue Ribbon Commission on America’s Nuclear Future. The commission will conduct a review of policies for managing the back end of the nuclear fuel cycle, including alternatives for storage, processing, and disposal of civilian and defense used nuclear fuel, high-level waste, and materials derived from nuclear activities. Also, Bailey recently was elected to the North American Electric Reliability Corporation’s Board of Trustees. NERC is responsible for developing standards that ensure the reliability of the bulk power system and it is an international self-regulatory authority. Her executive experience includes president and board member of PSI Energy Inc., Indiana’s largest electric utility and subsidiary of the holding company Cinergy Corp., now Duke Energy. Bailey’s current corporate activities include directorships on the boards of EQT Inc., Chenier Energy Inc. and Battelle Memorial Institute. She is a former director of Scottish Power PLC, in the United Kingdom. Her non-profit activities include Krannert School Dean’s Advisory Council, current board memberships on Resources for the Future and she serves as chair of the United States Energy Association.

CAROLYN GREEN

President, CEO Professional Environmental Engineers Carolyn Green is president, chief executive officer and chair of the Board of Professional Environmental Engineers Inc. Green has over 30 years of environmental and energy experience, and prior to joining PE, she was vice president - Health, Environment and Safety for Sunoco Inc. She has also served as director of government and public affairs for Ultramar Diamond Shamrock, environmental affairs manager for Southern California Gas Company, deputy executive officer for the South Coast Air Quality Management District and president of the Los Angeles Department of Water & Power Board of Commissioners. A graduate of the University of Iowa, Green also was a HUD Urban Studies Fellow in the Graduate Program in Urban & Regional Planning at Iowa.

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CAREER OUTLOOK PEOPLE TO KNOW RONALD BRADLEY

Vice President, Gas PECO, an Exelon company Ron Bradley was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2014 Black Engineer of the Year Awards (BEYA) STEM Conference. This annual conference honors those who demonstrate outstanding performance and shape the future of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) industries. The Lifetime Achievement Award is given to one individual annually who has attained considerable industry achievements and demonstrates leadership in STEM. Bradley, a veteran of the natural gas, electric and generation industry, has held numerous positions at PECO and PJM Interconnection. In addition to his significant industry accomplishments, Bradley also has worked to advance STEM education, serving as a mentor for the Philadelphia Regional Introduction for Minorities to Engineering program for 10 years. PECO, an Exelon company, has been operating in the Philadelphia region for more than a century.

DARRYL STOKES

Vice President, Electric Transmission & Substations BGE, an Exelon company Darryl Stokes has spent 30 years with BGE, the oldest gas and one of the oldest electric companies in America. Throughout his career he has held assignments in substation engineering, transmission, engineering and standards, and human resources.

Most recently, he played an active role in engineering recruitment through partnerships with colleges and BGE’s Engineering/ Student Recruitment & Development Team. He has served with industry groups such as the Electric Power Research Institute, IEEE and American Association of Blacks in Energy - Baltimore Chapter. Stokes is chair of Advancing Minorities’ Interest in Engineering (AMIE), a non-profit organization whose purpose is to expand corporate, government, and academic alliances to attract, educate, graduate and place historically underrepresented students in engineering careers. He earned a Bachelor of Science in electric engineering from Northeastern University and a Master’s in Electric Power Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. He is a board member of the Baltimore Polytechnic Foundation and formerly served on the Howard Community College Educational Foundation Board, Howard County Public Works Board, and the boards of Bluford Drew Jemison STEM Academy, Maryland Business Roundtable Strategic Committee and Leadership Howard County.

MICHAEL SANTIAGO

Director, Multifamily Energy Solutions greeNEWit A visionary in the energy efficiency industry, Michael Santiago is committed to green initiatives with a focus on the convenience of energy efficiency. At greeNEWit, Santiago is responsible for providing strategic direction for the multi-family housing industry. He has implemented energy audits and retrofits for 40,000 multi-family units, over 250,000 components and more than $3.2 M in revenue. He oversees technical implementation, client relations and contract negotiation for projects. He 62 USBE&IT I FALL 2015

aspires to expand greeNEWit’s capacity. Santiago is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Science in computer science at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County.

CHRISTOPHER SMITH Assistant Secretary for Fossil Energy U.S. Department of Energy

President Obama nominated Christopher Smith for the position of Assistant Secretary for Fossil Energy at the U. S. Department of Energy in November 2013. He was confirmed by the U. S. Senate and sworn into office in December 2014.

Smith leads the Department of Energy’s Office of Fossil Energy, including scientists and engineers working at 11 sites across the United States. In this capacity, he oversees the Department’s fossil energy program (coal, oil and natural gas) and the National Energy Technology Laboratory. He is also responsible for U.S. Petroleum Reserves, the largest strategic petroleum stockpile in the world. Prior to his Senate confirmation, Smith served as principal deputy assistant secretary for Fossil Energy and as deputy assistant secretary for Oil and Natural Gas. During that tenure, he served as the designated federal official for the National Commission on the BP Deep-water Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling, established by Obama to investigate the root causes of the Gulf oil spill. Before his appointment in 2009, Smith served in managerial and analytical positions of increasing responsibility in the private sector. Most recently he spent 11 years with two international oil companies focused on upstream business development and LNG trading, including three years negotiating production and transportation agreements in Bogotá, Colombia. He began his career as an officer in the U.S. Army and served tours in Korea and Hawaii. He subsequently worked for Citibank and JPMorgan in New York City and London in the area of emerging markets and currency derivatives. Smith holds a bachelor’s degree in Engineering Management from the United States Military Academy at West Point and an MBA from Cambridge University.

ANTHONY LUCAS

Fed Program Manager, Infrastructure Security and Energy Restoration ESF12 U.S. Department of Energy Anthony Lucas is a federal program manager with expertise in emergency management, firefighting and planning. Before joining the DOE, he was force protection and global response advisor to the Marine Corps. Currently, he works with White House National Security staff, Congress, federal agencies, State and local jurisdictions, energy owners and operators to enhance security of critical infrastructure and restoration of damaged energy systems. During disruptions or energy-related disasters, he coordinates Department of Energy’s energy emergency operations as energy sector advisor to leadership across government and the private sector on restoration of the energy system. In this capacity, he works with the Department of Homeland Security, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, the Department of Transportation, Environmental Protection Agency and the Army Corps of Engineers, to maintain energy supplies. A former www.blackengineer.com

professional firefighter, Lucas has served as emergency manager for the Veterans Administration and as emergency management specialist with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.The United States Energy Association (USEA) is the U.S. Member Committee of the World Energy Council (WEC.) USEA is an association of public and private energyrelated organizations, corporations and government agencies.

USEA represents the broad interests of the U.S. energy sector by increasing the understanding of energy issues, both domestically and internationally.

TED DORSEY

Consultant Avalon Energy Consultant Ted Dorsey has worked as an energy consultant for Avalon Energy Services since February 2011. Avalon Energy Services offers a wide range of energy consulting services, including energy supply management, energy efficiency and sustainability studies. Over the same period, Dorsey has also served as an advisor for Win creek Financial. Prior he was loan officer at Homestead Funding Corp. for two years, a mortgage banker at Resource Mortgage (Nov. 2006-Nov.2007), Access National Mortgage (Nov. 2007. Feb. 2009) and Resource Mortgage (Nov. 2006 – November 2007). Earlier in his career, he was a loan officer for MSM Funding Corp. Dorsey graduated from the University of Maryland Baltimore County and earned a Certificate in Project Management from Penn State University.

www.blackengineer.com

JOI M. HARRIS

Vice president of Gas Operations, DTE Gas DTE Energy As vice president of gas operations, Joi Harris is responsible for managing utility gas operations, transmission, distribution and gas storage systems at the Detroit-based diversified energy company. Harris joined DTE Gas (formerly Michigan Consolidated Gas Company) in 1991, after earning a bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering from Wayne State University. She also earned an M.B.A. from Wayne State, located in Detroit’s Midtown Historic District. Still closely linked to her alma mater, Harris serves as a member of the Wayne State University Industrial Engineering Advisory Board and is vice president of the board of directors for the Detroit Area Pre-College Engineering Program (DAPCEP). DAPCEP is a nonprofit organization that provides diverse young people with access to programs in science, technology, engineering, math, and medicine. During a 20 year career, Harris has served in distribution field operations, system control, and transmission operations. She has been recognized for her achievements by “Who’s Who in Black Detroit” and was chosen by the Michigan Chronicle as one of the “Women of Excellence.” DTE Energy’s natural gas utility provides service to 1.2 million homes and businesses.

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