Miguel Alemañy
Interim CEO
Fernando Paz
Board Chair
Hola Familia!
It’s that time again when we take a moment to reflect on the accomplishments of 2022 and acknowledge the exciting changes and sometimes difficult ones too. It was a year of embarking on new journeys while paying our respect to old ones.
It is impossible to think about this past year without acknowledging a huge loss. Rod Garcia, SHPE Founder and STEM visionary passed away in July. The saying goes, “We’re standing on the shoulders of giants,” and Rod was our giant. He was an architect, leader, advocate, and friend. The SHPE of today – and tomorrow – is only possible because of the work he started almost 50 years ago. We miss Rod every day but are so grateful for the impact he made and the thousands of lives he changed. He will never be forgotten.
As we said goodbye to Rod and committed ourselves to honoring his memory, SHPE looked to future horizons with a new strategic plan, organizational structure, board leadership, and government relations.
The year started with the National Board of Directors approving a three-year Strategic Plan. After thoughtful discussions with the SHPE Board, staff, regional leadership, and membership, a comprehensive framework was laid out based on three foundational objectives – Protect our Core, Grow to Prosper, and Establish Prestige & Respect in STEM. These goals were designed specifically to fill the gap between Hispanics and STEM and ensure that this workforce reflects the true diversity of our country. While it might evolve as the environment around us changes, this plan is the blueprint for SHPE’s growth through 2025.
In the summer, we appointed several new Board Members, including a new Board Chair, Fernando Paz. Fernando is Associate Vice President of Software Engineering at Cox Automotive, and a passionate advocate for SHPE’s mission. His leadership style is poised to take SHPE to the next level and prepare us for another 50 years of Hispanic excellence in innovation and technology.
Finally, we formally launched our Government Relations work by hiring a dedicated staff member to strengthen and develop our relationships with Congressional leaders, agency members, and the White House. Mariana Acuña Delgado is our new Senior Associate of Government Relations, and we’ve already seen some major successes including the passage of Senate Resolution 640, and SHPE’s elevated participation in the Department of Education’s #YOUBelongInSTEM Campaign.
All of these efforts have culminated in a record number of members coming to SHPE. With over 13,000 members and over $11 million in support, we’re truly a national force to be reckoned with. Every dollar raised is another dollar committed to our mission and vision and our continued financial growth allows us to better support our members and serve Hispanics in STEM. SHPE is strong and ready for what’s next.
So, as you can see, 2022 was about moving forward without forgetting where we came from. Thank you for being there through it all, Familia. We can’t wait to see how 2023 unfolds!
All the best,
Fernando Paz, Board Chair
Miguel Alemañy, Interim CEO
