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Session Description

Ticketed event
The purpose of the workshop is to discuss developing credentials that will formalize the
profession. The session will be presented in three segments that are designed to:

(1) Review the history of the Engineering DEI Program Administrators;
(2) Provide discussion forum on the skill sets of the profession and answer the question: “Is
there a degree in this?”;
(3) To lay out the framework of courses and practicums needed for the credential, and
review processes for getting a new degree in place.

Speakers

1. Mr. Enrique A. Ainsworth

   University of California, Los Angeles

   Rick Ainsworth is the former Executive Director of the Center for Excellence in Engineering and Diversity (CEED) at
   UCLA Samueli School of Engineering since 1989. As the Founder of CEED--a comprehensive K-20 organization, Mr.
   Ainsworth for CEED focused on recruitment, retention, development, and graduation of underrepresented engineering and computing students. He wrote and served as Co-Principal Investigator for various National Science Foundation, and Principal Investigator for Corporate, California State and K-14 projects. CEED has been cited in Science Magazine as a BEST exemplary recruitment and retention program. Other notable accomplishments include over $400,000 a year in scholarships. Ainsworth led the development of the Introduction of Engineering Disciplines course for first-year underrepresented engineering students, and Co-PI overseeing the Mathematics Engineering Science Achievement (MESA) project supporting over 921 K-12 urban school students and their teachers. He obtained a Bachelor of Science from the University of Southern California in Urban Planning/Administration and an M.S. in Urban Planning with minor in Law from USC School of Law.

2. Ms. Virginia Lynn Booth-Womack

   Purdue University at West Lafayette (COE)

   Virginia’s commitment to diversity and inclusion in academia has spanned her adult life. She served as principal of a private inner-city Christian school for several years and served in industry as an engineer and production manager, specializing in lean manufacturing. Since 2004, Virginia has used her engineering background to address retention
   and academic performance gaps between underrepresented minority engineering students and the majority population. First-year retention rates for underrepresented minority students have grown from 63% to 95%- and first- year academic performance increased by 40% during her tenure. She hopes to reinforce her work as a practitioner with scholarly research that may contribute to broadening the participation of underrepresented minority students in STEM fields. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Engineering and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from Purdue University. Virginia is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Engineering Education at Purdue University with a focus on African American student access and success in engineering.

3. Dr. Darryl Dickerson

   Florida International University

   Darryl A. Dickerson is an Assistant Professor of Mechanical and Materials Engineering at Florida International University, a former Board Chair and Chief Executive Officer of the National Society of Black Engineers, and a former President of the National Association of Multicultural Engineering Program Advocates (NAMEPA). His research focuses on transforming multiscale mechanobiological insights into biomanufacturing processes enabling the creation of personalized, fully functional engineered tissues. His research group, the Inclusive Complex Tissue Regeneration Lab (InCTRL), does this through multiscale characterization of complex tissues, fundamental studies on biophysical control of induced pluripotent stem cells, and explicitly building inclusion into research design and execution. This connects to his broader vision to make engineering spaces more diverse, more equitable, and more inclusive, where he has nearly 20 years of experience in developing and implementing strategic initiatives to broaden participation of historically excluded groups and create inclusive environments in engineering.

4. Dr. Amy L. Freeman Ph.D.

   Pennsylvania State University

   Amy Freeman holds a Ph.D. in Workforce Education and Development and Master of Science degree in Architectural Engineering, both from The Pennsylvania State University. Her doctoral dissertation focused on factors that increase graduation rates for underrepresented students in engineering. Dr. Freeman’s research area is the examination of processes, pedagogy and human factors that are involved in the early development and production of a STEM professional. She has managed, created and implemented successful STEM intervention programs for over 20 years. She a recipient of the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring, sponsored through The White House. She is currently the Director of the Penn State Millennium Scholars Program and Associate Research Professor of Engineering.

5. Dr. Saundra Johnson Austin

   University of South Florida

   Saundra Johnson Austin has dedicated her career of over 20 years to promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion of K-12 students and professionals in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education and careers.

   Her research is grounded in the effective implementation of STEM curricula in urban middle schools. In 2015, she was awarded the Outstanding Civil Engineering Alumnus Award from The Pennsylvania State University Civil and Environmental Engineering Department.

   She earned a BS in Civil Engineering from The Pennsylvania State University, an MBA from the University of Notre
   Dame, and Doctor of Education in Organizational Change and Leadership from the University of Southern California.