Month: August 2024

Yum! Brands

Yum!’s Unlocking Opportunity Initiative has partnered with Evolve502 to provide tuition-free education and career readiness opportunities for Kentucky’s teens. Watch the video to learn more about how Yum! and Evolve502 are transforming lives and paving the way for a brighter future.

SAN JOSE, Calif., August 26, 2024 /3BL/ – Cadence Design Systems, Inc. (Nasdaq: CDNS) announced the launch of Fem.AI—an initiative to propel women and the industry towards a more equitable tech sector, with an emphasis on opportunities in AI. The Cadence Giving Foundation has committed $20 million towards this initiative, including philanthropic and product donations over the next decade to organizations that align with Fem.AI’s mission. By catalyzing the industry to invest in nonprofits, university students and programs, champion women-led ventures, drive product innovation and leverage industry influence, Fem.AI aims to close the gender gap in this critical space.

Addressing Key Challenges for Women in AI

Despite years of effort, the tech industry is lagging on critical measures of gender balance.

Initial research by Cadence has identified three “leakage points” in the tech/AI ecosystem where women are losing traction:

Completing Higher Education: In 2021, approximately 20% of computer science graduates were female , while 45% of women who start college as STEM majors leave to pursue another degree .Accessing First Jobs: Women with STEM-related degrees face more unemployment challenges post-graduation , with women holding just over 20% of AI roles in US tech companies.Retaining STEM Careers: Over 56% of women in tech are likely to leave the industry before mid-career , further exacerbating the gender gap.

“Achieving true innovation in the current AI revolution requires the full participation of talented individuals, and too many women are slipping through the cracks of the AI pipeline,” said Dr. Anirudh Devgan, president and CEO of Cadence. “Cadence is committed to shrinking the gender gap in AI through Fem.AI, and we hope to be a catalyst within the tech industry by calling for gender equity in the AI workforce and beyond.”

In 2023, Cadence launched a pilot program to assess how to make the biggest impact on this issue, distributing grants to address leakage points. The company partnered with nonprofits, including Break Through Tech, Fast Forward, Generation, Global Semiconductor Alliance’s Women’s Leadership Initiative (WLI), Last Mile Education Fund, Reboot Representation and VC Include. So far this year, these grants have already impacted over 14,000 women.

Future philanthropic donations will be directed to organizations that address leakage points while expanding on existing partnerships and building additional strategic alliances with changemakers to enable a sea change in representation across the tech industry.

Inaugural Fem.AI Summit

At the heart of Fem.AI lies the unification of the industry to shape the course of gender equity endeavors in AI. On October 1, Cadence will host the inaugural Fem.AI Summit to unite business, academia, media and social impact leaders to promote cross-sector collaboration. More details on the summit are forthcoming, with an exciting lineup of speakers and participants expected at the event in Menlo Park.

“The rapid expansion of AI brings immense opportunities for the workforce. However, if women continue to be left out, the effects will hinder innovation and exacerbate current labor shortages in the high-tech sector. Fem.AI is part of Cadence’s ongoing commitment to propelling women in STEM and other inclusion initiatives at the core of the company,” said Tina Jones, senior vice president, Global Human Resources at Cadence. “We believe that innovation thrives when diverse perspectives come together, and through Fem.AI, we hope to move the needle toward gender balance in this space.”

To learn more about Fem.AI, visit https://www.cadence.com/en_US/home/company/foundation/femai.html .

About Cadence

Cadence is a pivotal leader in electronic systems design, building upon more than 30 years of computational software expertise. The company applies its underlying Intelligent System Design strategy to deliver software, hardware and IP that turn design concepts into reality. Cadence customers are the world’s most innovative companies, delivering extraordinary products from chips to boards to complete systems for the most dynamic market applications, including hyperscale computing, 5G communications, automotive, mobile, aerospace, consumer, industrial and healthcare. For 10 years in a row, Fortune magazine has named Cadence one of the 100 Best Companies to Work For. Learn more at www.cadence.com

On this episode of Healthy Outcomes, Baker Tilly host Mark Ross interviews David Gregory, a recently retired principal in the firm’s healthcare practice, who has had a distinguished career spanning over 30 years. His journey began in the late 1980s as an operations manager at NYU Langone Medical Center. In the early 1990s, he transitioned to Prudential Healthcare, where he served as a manager working with healthcare delivery systems. In 1993, David entered the consulting field with Presscott Associates, a firm that provided services across the entire healthcare continuum, including providers, payers and life sciences companies. Presscott was acquired by Baker Tilly in 2013, where David continued his consulting career until his retirement.

Together, they discuss several topics related to the overall healthcare environment, with a focus primarily on healthcare providers.

Specific topics of discussion include: Significant healthcare developments over more than 30 yearsKey challenges facing healthcare provider organizations in the futureMajor opportunities for healthcare provider organizations in the futureAdvice for healthcare leaders navigating challenging timesBeyond healthcare: David’s thoughts on what he’s most looking forward to in the next chapter of his life

Connect with a Baker Tilly specialist to learn more about the healthcare team.

Bread of Life, Inc., a Quest for Health Equity (Q4HE) grantee, recently hosted its third annual Community Baby Shower in Houston, where 100 expectant moms and their guests were showered with refreshments, games, entertainment—and plenty of baby gear.

Guests received giveaway prizes of car seats, diaper bags, high chairs, playpens, and more, and had the opportunity to stock up on essentials like formula, bottles, diapers, and clothing.

“Having a baby is not an easy feat and is often very costly,” said Dr. Morgan Rasmus, Vice President of Education, Bread of Life. “The Community Baby Shower provides parents items they need to support the start of their parenthood journey.”

Bread of Life Academy, which assists Houston’s historically vulnerable population through education and workforce development, and its baby shower program partner, Community Health Choice, a local nonprofit managed care organization committed to helping improve the health and well-being of Texas residents, invited parents who may not have access to a traditional baby shower. Many of the new moms in attendance were sourced through Bread of Life’s monthly food and supply distributions and other outreach programs.

Bread of Life’s network of community health workers worked to empower these first-time parents by addressing social determinant barriers and providing health education and connections to services.

Bread of Life, Inc., a nonprofit organization formed by St. John’s Church in Houston that provides a full spectrum of services and addresses inequities impacting individuals and families, receives support from the Quest Diagnostics Foundation as part of the Quest for Health Equity (Q4HE) initiative. The Q4HE initiative aims to address health disparities in marginalized communities across the US by providing resources, funding, donated testing services, and education.

Bread of Life and the Quest Diagnostics Foundation first teamed up in 2022, launching the Healthy Houston Collective program to improve access to affordable healthcare and reduce health disparities in marginalized communities in Houston and the surrounding area.

To learn more about Bread of Life and its programs, visit www.breadoflifeinc.org.