Tag: 3BL

This column was originally published on Forbes.

By Mindy Lubber, CEO and President of Ceres

2023 was the year of reckoning. The hottest year on record. The year it became clear how dramatically we’re endangering our world, our businesses, and our families through the climate pollution that is dangerously overheating the planet. The year that this stark reality set in: we are not on track to meet our goal to limit global temperatures from rising to catastrophic levels.

This reckoning brings absolute clarity about what we need to do. We need to act now, and we need to act urgently to protect the planet and strengthen the economy for the next generation. This is why I do the work I do. For my two kids, my community, and this Earth that sustains us and allows us to prosper. It’s our responsibility to leave behind a world that’s safe, clean, and livable for future generations.

The good news is that many countries have set goals for reducing climate pollution. And over the past several years, we’ve seen thousands of the world’s largest companies commit to tackling climate change, water pollution, and nature–related loss. Hundreds of the worlds’ largest investors—including many in Massachusetts—are factoring the financial risk of fossil fuel companies in their portfolios.

But this year, they must turbocharge their efforts for reaching these goals.

We need to be sure that this is the year of the specifics, the bottom line, the details on how these massive companies and investors will move from commitments and goals to explicit, metrics-driven plans with accountability built in. Climate action plans that lay out a year-by-year set of metrics that match up with lofty goals. Meeting these ambitious goals won’t be easy, which is why climate action plans, with their short-term targets and near-term wins that pave the way bit by bit to achieving the big goals, are so crucial.

This process is going to unleash so much business innovation, so many advances that will benefit us all—our families, communities, and the broader economy. Clear climate action plans, coupled with state and federal policy, will accelerate the clean energy economy, bringing innovation and jobs to every state in our nation. Clean energy is growing at the fastest pace in two decades and now provides 30% of the world’s electricity, a shift that’s expected to hit 40% in four years.

States need to have plans, too. Just as my home state Massachusetts does with its ambitious climate plan for meeting its goals for zeroing out climate pollution by 2050 that includes programs for cleaning up the power sector, making our buildings more energy efficient, and reducing pollution from cars and trucks. Now, it’s aiming to bolster this through new state investments to further establish Massachusetts as a hub for clean tech companies, just as it is for IT companies.

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So where are investors and companies in their planning? Again, there is encouraging news. Since releasing clear expectations and guidance for robust transition plans, many more are creating the plans they need. About a quarter of 13,000 of the world’s largest companies that provide data about their environmental impact say they will develop these plans in the next two years.

As part of its plan for reducing its share of climate pollution, managing its climate risks, and creating a business that can thrive in a clean economy, candy giant Mars Inc. in September laid out near-term strategies for cutting emissions by 50% by 2030 that include spending $1 billion over the next three years on efforts like financial incentives for farmers to adopt regenerative farming.

More investors are also stepping up. In November, California Public Employees’ Retirement System, the U.S.’s largest public pension fund, announced it would invest $100 billion in climate solutions by 2030, doubling its climate investments in a step that underpins its comprehensive strategy for zeroing out its emissions from its portfolio investments by 2050.

Examples like this show what’s possible. And last year showed why we can’t wait any longer. Other forward-thinking investors, corporate leaders, and policy makers need to act boldly.

I’m an optimist. After decades of working to get private and public sector leaders to recognize the climate risks we face, we’ve seen most major actors lay out ambitious goals during the past five years. But we don’t have time for them to take years to turn those goals into action.

In Massachusetts, we know how much being willing to adapt and lead can benefit not just our families and our communities, but also the world. We led the industrial revolution, the digital transformation, and now our state has laid out the goals—and adopted the plan—to lead the clean economy.

The rest of the private sector here in Massachusetts and around the country needs to follow our state in leading by example. 2024 must be the year of turning goals into action.

In celebration of Black History Month, Bath & Body Works sponsored a special associate visit to the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C. Associates traveled from Columbus, Ohio and New York and were met by local D.C. colleagues for a full day of learning and exploration at the 400,000-square-foot museum. Dedicated in 2016, it’s the only national institution devoted exclusively to the documentation of African American life, history and culture.

The visit was coordinated by the brand’s Inclusion Resource Group (IRG) MOSAIC and office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. MOSAIC is one of eight Inclusion Resource Groups established by Bath & Body Works which allow associates to connect with one another and to collaborate on ways to cultivate an inclusive workplace. MOSAIC’s mission is to help recruit, retain and empower Black associates at Bath & Body Works.

“We see tremendous value in this kind of experiential learning,” says Kelie Charles, Chief Diversity Officer at Bath & Body Works. “Being immersed in history leaves a lasting impression—memories of how something made you feel can be powerful teaching methods. This museum experience is just one of the many ways we’re focused on the growth and development of our teams, and Black History Month was a fitting time for us to come together and learn at such an important national institution.”

When asked about why she participated, store manager Emily Harter said she was excited for the unique learning experience. “It’s an amazing opportunity to get more in depth with Diversity, Equity and Inclusion for not only for myself but my store as well,” says Harter. “I’m excited to expand my knowledge on African American history to be able to teach myself, my family and my team.”

The Bath & Body Works team’s museum journey began 70 feet below ground. Attendees boarded a large elevator and as it descended, the years rolled back—starting in the modern day then downward past important milestones throughout African American history: 2009, when Barack Obama was inaugurated; 1972, when Shirley Chisholm ran as America’s first Black woman presidential candidate; 1963, with the Civil Rights Movement and the March on Washington; 1863 and the issuing of the Emancipation Proclamation; 1619, the arrival of the first enslaved Africans to America, and finally, 1400 and the emergence of the Transatlantic Slave Trade.

When the elevator doors opened, associates stepped into immersive and powerful exhibits which told the story of enslavement, juxtaposed alongside America’s founding and its ideals of freedom and equality. They explored very difficult and often moving topics, including the punishing realities of life on South Carolina rice fields, the fight for recognition and equality for African Americans in the military beginning with the Revolutionary War and beyond; the heroism and fearlessness of Harriet Tubman, and the origins of the Black Power movement.

Thousands of artifacts illustrated African American struggle and oppression alongside stories of resilience, optimism, achievement and hope. While walking through each exhibit, associates advanced forward through time, slowly ascending upwards from the underground into the light.

On the floors above, displays celebrate African American achievements in fields like music, art, sports and the military. One special exhibit titled Afrofuturism: A History of Black Futures showcases how science fiction intersects with Black identity and freedom, and explores themes of possibility and liberation through art and fantasy.

Trailblazing musician George Clinton is featured prominently in the exhibit; his groundbreaking career with the band Parliament Funkadelic imagines a space age world where Black characters are the heroes and leaders of the future.

One of the band’s most iconic stage props, the Mothership, was a centerpiece of Parliament Funkadelic’s live performances and demands the attention of museum goers. Enormous and sparkling, the ship stands at over 20 feet tall and weighs 1200 pounds. It represents deliverance with the power to transport audiences away from oppression into a liberated cosmos.

Each exhibit at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American history challenged associates to expand their perspectives and think about how they can make the world a more just and equitable place through the context of history.

“Understanding African American history is vital to our understanding our world today,” says Kelie Charles. “We’re committed to offering rich experiences that bring awareness to and educate our associates on the importance of diversity, equity and inclusion. We will continue to invest in DEI not only because it’s the right thing to do for each other, but because it’s the right thing to do for our business.”

S&P Global – a leading authority in financial information and analytics – has ranked CNH as one of the strongest performers in its 2024 Sustainability Yearbook. The Company placed in the top 5% among the over 9,400 companies rated in the annual S&P Global Corporate Sustainability Assessment.

This latest result adds to the recent second place ranking CNH received from S&P Global’s Dow Jones SustainabilityTM World and North America Indices (DJSI World and DJSI North America), scoring 78/100 in the Machinery and Electrical Equipment Industry category.

CNH continuously develops new products and solutions that reduce carbon emissions for the planet and improve efficiency and profitability for our customers. New Holland’s (a brand of CNH) fully liquefied and compressed methane-powered agricultural tractors deliver alternative power that is equivalent to diesel. When paired with CNH partner Bennamann’s systems to capture fugitive methane emissions, filter, repurpose and store it as reusable energy, their combined technologies make farming carbon negative. In 2023, CNH also announced the commercialization of further all-electric light construction equipment through its CASE Construction Equipment and Eurocomach brands.

“We are all proud to see our efforts continue receiving the highest honors from S&P Global. Sustainability Stewardship is a strategic priority for CNH and last year our global team delivered greater productivity, advanced technology, and programs to serve our community to continuously improve for our customers, partners, employees and the world around us. This result is testament to that work,” said Scott W. Wine, Chief Executive Officer at CNH.

These acknowledgements demonstrate CNH’s firm commitment to sustainability – in product design, community initiatives, strategic priorities and more. For more on Sustainability at CNH, visit: cnh.com/sustainability

February 16, 2024 /3BL/ – According to a new UN report, nearly 300 million people around the world will need humanitarian assistance in 2024 – that’s one in every 23 people. Millions of these individuals were driven to the brink over these last 12 months in places like Afghanistan, Gaza, Sudan, and Morocco where lives have been upended by war, earthquakes, and climate disasters. While CARE and their local partners are delivering lifesaving emergency assistance to the most vulnerable – especially women and girls – they are also seeking out new ways to build longer-term stability for communities in the midst of these dire contexts. One way CARE is doing this is by adapting its flagship Village Savings & Loan Association (VSLA) program to emergency situations, the success of which is shown in a recent report from CARE, Building Capital in Crisis.

“The humanitarian community traditionally focuses on meeting urgent needs – including medicine, food, water, and shelter,” explained Vidhya Sriram, Global Director of CARE’s Village Savings & Loan Associations. “While this assistance saves lives, people in emergencies also need interventions which address their longer-term vulnerabilities that are tailored to their current needs. That’s what our VSLA in Emergencies approach aims to do.”

VSLAs are self-managed groups, primarily made up of poor, rural women. Groups meet regularly to save money, access small loans, and obtain emergency insurance. Beyond saving and lending, VSLAs are improving gender equity, increasing the economic prosperity of entire communities, improving access to education, heightening women’s decision-making power and much more. VSLA groups are resilient and resourceful, often leading local response to emerging emergencies.

The premise of the VSLA in Emergencies model is to combine emergency cash assistance with CARE’s VSLA programming. This model aims to support people living in crisis to address and recover from shocks, as well as support them to build more resilient livelihoods. CARE knows that in a crisis context, combining cash assistance with VSLA membership contributes to an average additional 30-35% increase in food security, 70-85% increase in incomes, and a twelve-fold increase in savings.

VSLA in Emergencies was first piloted in Yemen in 2021, years into the suffering this war has inflicted on Yemenis. CARE specifically chose this complex and ongoing emergency to test out this approach, with promising results. Afollow up with the VSLA in Emergencies groups a year after supporting their formation shows that most are now running independently and effectively, showing significant sustainability and resilience, as shown in the report Building Capital in Crisis. The groups are still saving at almost the same level as before, despite the economic turmoil and no additional cash assistance. There have also been some clear improvements in food consumption scores.

Rabyah from near Taiz in Yemen is widowed with ten children, she joined a VSLA in Emergencies group from which she took out a loan to buy a sewing machine to start her own business. She explained: “After I lost my husband, I became responsible for providing essentials for my family. The VSLA group supported us to achieve our dreams. Before we had no idea about saving, marketing, or sewing skills. Thanks to the training, we gained these skills. I hope to continue selling clothes to meet the needs of my family. Finally, our life got better.”

The VSLA in Emergencies model has also seen success in Northwest Syria where the amount of VSLA members with acceptable levels of food security, measured by the Food Consumption Score, rose from 30% to 96%.

“For many of us, our savings are a cushion that we tap into when our car breaks down or as we leave a bad marriage. But for the millions of people globally in CARE’s VSLAs, being in a savings group means you can actively prepare for the next crisis, whether that’s manmade or a natural disaster,” said CARE’s Vidhya Sriram. “You build a network of supporters with whom you’ll weather that crisis. In Yemen, Syria, and Jordan, we’ve seen VSLA members saving a small portion of their cash assistance allowing them to dream again about a life they once had and could finally look forward to rebuilding. We are calling on peers and funders in the humanitarian sector to join forces with us to adopt this impactful model.”

About CARE

Founded in 1945 with the creation of the CARE Package®, CARE is a leading humanitarian organization fighting global poverty. CARE places special focus on working alongside women and girls. Equipped with the proper resources, women and girls have the power to lift whole families and entire communities out of poverty. This year, CARE and partners worked in 111 countries implementing 1,600 poverty-fighting development and humanitarian aid projects and initiatives that reached 174,000,000 people. To learn more, visit www.care.org

For media inquiries, please contact: Ashley.Shackleford@care.org

“Starting a business is especially difficult for women in a male-dominated society like Pakistan,” Fariha Irfan, a small-business owner in Rawalpindi told me when I met her earlier this year. “At every step we need men to assist us, whether that’s our husbands or our brothers.”

“At every step we need men to assist us, whether that’s our husbands or our brothers,” she said.

Because Fariha didn’t qualify for a bank loan, she sought the capital for her Punjab pottery and handicrafts business from her husband, but when COVID-19 put an end to face-to-face sales, she felt like she had nowhere else to turn.

Elizabeth Vargas Vilca and her staff at her shoe manufacturing business. Photo: CARE Peru

Data from the Gates Foundation suggests that investing in the economic power of women like Fariha could boost the global economy by as much as $10 trillion by 2030 – twice the GDP of Japan, the world’s third largest economy.

Results from the Ignite program, a partnership between CARE and the Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth supporting women-led small businesses, have provided us with countless examples over the years of how this can work.

But despite growing evidence of a massive, missed opportunity, women entrepreneurs are prevented from fulfilling their potential due to numerous barriers, including harmful social norms, limited access to capital, networks and training, and discriminatory laws in 176 countries.

For Fariha, her story didn’t end with her husband’s money. Ignite helped Fariha gain the skills and resources she needed to build an online store and extend her sales globally.

With lots of hard work and a little assistance, Fariha grew her business into a thriving enterprise that helps support her family of six as well as several local artisans who embroider and make pottery.

A woman working in Ban Thi Tham’s tea cooperative, Vietnam. Photo: Bui Hoang Quan / CARE Vietnam

A win-win situation

Investing in women isn’t just the right thing to do, it is smart economics. Which is why CARE and the Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth are renewing our partnership to launch Strive Women, a new four-year program that will continue to work in Pakistan, Peru and Vietnam; strengthening the financial health and resilience of more than 300,000 entrepreneurs and unlocking greater access to adapted financial products, critical support services and markets.

The success of Ignite clearly shows the appetite and justification for women to gain more financial power. From 2020 to 2023, Ignite directly assisted over 150,000 growth-oriented small businesses in the three countries, unlocking $154.9 million in loans and providing a return 29 times greater than the $5.26 million initial investment by the Mastercard Impact Fund.

Both partners used their best practices in developing gender equality programming while working with both local and global networks. More than 35 local partners (11 core service delivery partners) were involved in doing the ground-level work to develop effective solutions to hurdles faced by women entrepreneurs like Fariha in three disparate markets.

The repayment rates on loans to women-led businesses in the three countries were 95 to 100 percent, with zero defaulters on one loan product in Pakistan — so our partners benefitted, and so did the women of Ignite.

When the three-year program concluded earlier this year, eight out of ten entrepreneurs had increased their sales, nine out ten said the quality of their lives had improved, and a similar figure (89 percent) felt more confident about being able to run a business. The full Ignite Learnings report can be accessed here and the close-out video can be viewed below.

Our recipe for success

Ignite focused on three strategies to empower these entrepreneurs, and to get them the support and funding they needed:

Creating financial products and services through women-centered design processes that improved access and usage for women, while driving good business for financial service providers.

Investing in strategic and diverse partnerships to enable greater reach, deliver a wider range of services, and promote long-term sustainability of services for women entrepreneurs.

Employing strategic and targeted outreach campaigns to influence the small business ecosystem; drive awareness and uptake of adapted products; and address restrictive norms and behaviors that uniquely impact women.

Unlocking women’s economic power isn’t rocket science.

All it requires is that we commit to and intentionally invest in prioritizing and designing products and services that women want and need with the recognition that in doing so we’re capitalizing on an enormous triple-bottom-line opportunity.

For example, “Emprendiendo Mujer,” a loan product we co-designed with Financiera Confianza in Peru doesn’t require a woman’s credit history or consider her husband’s debt (unlike other products there), and even includes breast cancer screening.

It’s been so successful, it’s being copied by competitors.

Similarly, in Pakistan, where digital and financial literacy are low, we combined social media with mobile money wallets to enable women without bank accounts or credit cards to receive payments. And in Vietnam we developed networks that helped women entrepreneurs create critical connections with customers and suppliers.

Striving and innovating

The innovative partnership with the Center for Inclusive Growth and $9 million investment in Strive Women from the Mastercard Impact Fund will enable CARE to expand its role as a market convener for women-led small businesses in Pakistan, Peru, and Vietnam. We will deepen and grow our partnerships and build dynamic ecosystems with even more stakeholders to spark new ideas, design useful and affordable women-centered products, and provide insights into how to leverage and scale innovation to close the gender gap.

Strive Women also gives us an opportunity to ideate and create market-based solutions for two of the most pressing issues for women in our time: childcare and climate change. Women bear disproportionate responsibility for childcare, spending more than 2.4 hours per day on average, on unpaid care work compared to men. Strive Women will explore solutions to childcare to reduce women’s stress and time poverty.

Likewise, with women and girls experiencing the greatest impact of climate change, Strive Women will increase financing and assistance for green businesses and practices as we experiment with adaptations to the crisis and activate sustainable support for these businesses.

Hand-in-hand with women and like-minded partners, we are growing resilient, inclusive ecosystems and economies where women can unlock their full economic power, not only because it’s the right thing to do, but because failure to do so will mean we have lost a real multi-trillion-dollar opportunity.

If you are committed to the financial health and inclusion of women entrepreneurs, join us to build a more equitable ecosystem.

By Rathi Mani-Kandt, CARE Women’s Economic Justice

Find out more about CARE’s Strive Women Program supported by the Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth.

The GRI North America team made a significant impact at GreenBiz24 this year, including hosting a side event and moderating a panel. A recurring theme was the topic of ‘just transition’, imperative for organizations working towards reducing their climate change related impacts, on society and the environment.

Recently, GRI has announced plans for new Climate Change and Energy Standards, with the corresponding drafts made available for public comment until February 29th. The aim is to incorporate the latest advancements in the field of climate change, emissions and energy, and to respond to growing stakeholder expectations for transparency on these topics. Part of the revision includes the incorporation of new disclosures to help organizations report on transition and adaptation plans, GHG emissions reduction targets, carbon removals, carbon credits and, last but not least, the just transition. Specifically, it incorporates metrics related to job creation, the displacement of workers, reskilling and upskilling efforts for employees, and impacts on local communities—all pivotal aspects when considering how to green the economy in a fair and inclusive manner, ensuring that no one is left behind.

GRI is highly committed to achieving greater alignment and harmonization in the sustainability reporting landscape for the benefit of companies, investors and society at large. This revision is highly focused on usability and interoperability in jurisdictions, and as such, GRI released an overview table that compares the Climate Change draft’s new disclosure elements with CDP, ESRS, IFRS S2 TCFD and SEC proposed rule. This shows how the draft enables more transparency on key climate change impacts.

For those interested in delving deeper into the changes, GRI is hosting a free webinar tailored for the US and Canada on February 21st at noon ET. The session features key figures from GRI, including the Head of North America and Director of Standards, alongside the Global Director of GHG Protocol at World Resources Institute.

Originally published by Taco Bell

At Taco Bell, our Brand Values (Be Fan-Led, Be People-First, Be Fearless, Be Different) are found and reflected in everything we do. This season, we’re highlighting core value #1, Be Fan-Led. Being fan-led means we take cues from our fans, customers and team members to deliver innovative crave worthy experiences that have a positive impact on our people, industry and planet. Take a look below to see how our Taco Bell Community embodies the Fan-Led core value!

For Shift Lead Antonia, Taco Bell is a place to be herself, meet new people and be creative on a daily basis.

“Taco Bell has given me the confidence to be myself and interact with new people and personalities every day. My team makes my shifts enjoyable and something to look forward to. No matter how busy or slow it is, we’re always pushing each other to do better, cracking jokes and having fun. I’ve found many long-lasting friendships which I am so grateful for.”

From connecting with her team to building new relationships with customers, Antiona treasures every interaction she has with those around her.

“Making connections with customers is a one-of-a-kind experience. Whether it’s a small interaction or a longer one, it’s always a blast, especially with my Sunday regulars.”

These interactions are the very moments that led Antonia to exemplify fan-led behavior of creating, innovating and pushing the menu boundaries.

“As I started observing the many modifications customers requested, the wheels on my brain started turning and thinking about what could put an item over the top and make it stick.”

Antonia started picking up on customer hacks from the day-to-day business to share with those who walked into the restaurant.

“It only makes sense to see what our valued consumers consistently modify because this could lead to an item modification that would interest more people.”

This fan-led approach led Antonia to land a spot on Menu Blast, Taco Bell’s cooking competition, challenging three team members from across the country to hack a Taco Bell classic, cook with new oven-roasted chicken, and invent a day-to-night duo.

“For the competition, I re-invented the chicken melt with lava sauce. While working in restaurant, I could see that a lot of customers were hyped about the return of Volcano, so that got me thinking about what regular menu item could be elevated with this fan-favorite.”

Antonia was inspired by her customers to re-invent this three-ingredient item in the cooking competition, and that made the opportunity even more special.

“I felt so valued and honored to make this in the competition, especially knowing that people would be excited to see the classic melt with a twist.”

See Antonia in action during Menu Blast, and stay tuned to see how our Team Members are practicing Taco Bell’s core four!

Albertsons’ Mid-Atlantic Division recently hosted in-store celebrations in ACME and Safeway stores to honor Lunar New Year. These events included demonstrations and samples of authentic dishes and treats like coconut rice, tofu, noodles and tea. There were lion dance performances from Fong’s Hung Ga Lion Dance Team and Wong People Association, live Erhu music from Chinese multi-instrumentalist Qin Qian, a traditional tea ceremony, face painting for the kids and more! These fun celebrations build belonging with our associates, customers and the local communities.

Watch a video recap of the celebration at ACME Market in Fort Lee, NJ here.Watch a video recap of the celebration at Safeway in Fairfax, VA here.

Read more about Albertsons Companies and our Recipe for Change on our website.

Logitech’s Women Who Master series celebrates the achievements of women leaders in STEM. This installment tells the story of Aisha Bowe, former aerospace engineer and current CEO of two tech companies, who has unique insights into guiding the next generation of STEM women.

If you could go back in time and tell young Aisha Bowe that she would run not one but two tech companies in the future, she probably wouldn’t believe you. Despite showing no inclinations toward tech growing up, Aisha is the founder and CEO of STEMBoard, an engineering consulting firm, and the creator of LINGO, a project-based STEM coding kit that is used by thousands of students and now available on major retailers. Recently we had an opportunity to ask Aisha about her life, her career, her thoughts on mentorship, and her vision for the future of her field.

Q: What was your childhood like? What did you like to do, and how did you get into engineering?

I was a late comer to the field of engineering. In fact, I had no idea I was even interested in engineering until I ended up in community college. I was a competitive gymnast growing up. So I spent most of my time from age five to 15 in a gymnasium somewhere because I was on a club team. Then high school… let’s just say I was not a very focused or deliberate student. After that, I found myself at a two-year college in Michigan called Washtenaw Community College. I thought I was going to major in international business and travel to exotic locations for work—that’s what I thought I wanted for my life then.

At my dad’s suggestion, I took a pre-algebra class at Washtenaw. The class was taught by a woman who was an electrical engineer at Ford at the time. That was the spark. That class led to Calculus 1, 2, and 3, and then I transitioned to the University of Michigan, where, by the time it was all over, I had earned two degrees in engineering.

My first degree is in aerospace engineering. My second degree is a master’s in space systems engineering with a focus on nanosatellite technology development. After graduation, I worked at NASA Ames Research Center for six years as an aerospace engineer in Silicon Valley, where I focused on satellites the size of a shoebox and optimizing the National Airspace System.

Q: Amazing. And what made you shift from NASA to looking to start your own company, STEMBoard?

I was speaking at the Hiller Aviation Museum as part of NASA’s public outreach, and I vividly remember seeing this young girl in the crowd. Her name was Claire, and she was 13. Claire came up to me after my presentation and she said, “I want to be an aerospace engineer.” And I said, “Well, OK, here. I’ll give you my card. After you get home and you talk to your parents, if they’re okay with it, contact me and we’ll have a conversation.”

A week later I get an email from a cute username like “Puggydog7.” It was Claire!

She ended up coming to NASA to spend a day with me, touring the arc jet and the wind tunnel – and everything.

By the end of that day, I was convinced that I didn’t want to live a life where what I did that day wasn’t part of it. I realized that you are a role model and you are a mentor the moment you think you are. And STEMBoard grew out of that. I wanted to create a company that did two things: provide engineering solutions and work on exciting and challenging problems AND, my core priority, inspire the emerging workforce.

Today, Claire is an aerospace engineering graduate from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo and she works at Blue Origin.

I wanted to inspire other people out there like me, like Claire – all those people who don’t yet know that they’re the future of technology.

Q: Practically speaking, how are you inspiring other young people out there, like Claire and yourself, on a grand scale?

When I started STEMBoard, we were really focused on being an engineering company. And, in creating LINGO, our project-based STEM coding kit, I feel like we’ve really been able to demonstrate that profit and social benefit are not mutually exclusive. You can do both. And you can do both incredibly well.

With LINGO, we give kids a series of real-world STEM lessons, where we teach kids how hardware and software talk to each other. In one kit, students can learn how to build and code a back-up sensor for a driverless car. The same type sensor can be found in a Tesla. It’s now sold through major retailers and used by schools, universities and Fortune 500 education programs in the US and around the world. It’s amazing to be part of a movement that has this kind of reach and momentum.

I love that we can bring an industry perspective to STEM education, but this work also makes my organization a better place. And I hope that’s something I can communicate to other companies and people who may not see themselves as mentors. We all have a role to play, and it’s called mentorship.

Q: That brings up an interesting question about mentoring. With STEM spreading into other fields through the technology that is everywhere in our modern lives, what skills do you think are most important for us to teach the next generation?

*Laughs* I hope I don’t get too many angry emails from people who disagree, but in my opinion data is king. So anything around the ability to gather, understand, and visualize data is key. I’m finding that more and more organizations want to make data-driven decisions, regardless of what metrics they’re actually measuring. So that is a foundational element. Also just being proficient in commonly used tools—Zoom®, Google Docs™, Outlook®, whatever—would be a way for us to get people off to a good start.

And learning how to learn. If you can help people learn more effectively, it’s going to benefit every other part of their academic and professional experience.

Q: You’re obviously not afraid to go in new directions or to use your, or your team’s, diverse interests and skills as launch pads for business endeavors. How do you bring your whole self to work?

That’s how I’ve always run my organizations. I love for people to do what they were hired for, absolutely, but I want them to feel like if they’ve got something else they can add that they weren’t hired for and that they have the freedom to express it. And even if they don’t have that additional piece, I just want them to be in agreement that we are going to do something here as a company that benefits not only ourselves and our families, but that benefits our communities and can hopefully make the world a better place.

Q: Women have made incredible progress over the course of history. How do you see yourself carrying this work forward and shaping the narrative for future women in STEM?

I think a theme of my life is challenging what the norms are. I want to challenge how people see women. I want to challenge how people see women in technology. I want to challenge how people see black women in STEM or how CEOs run companies. There are so many limitations put on people that are based on nothing other than convention. When I was in community college saying I wanted to work for NASA, everyone was like, “Yeah, sure.” And when I decided that I wanted to create an education business inside a service company, everyone thought I was bonkers again.

But just because something’s not commonly done, or you haven’t seen it done, doesn’t mean that it can’t be a viable option for someone in the future.

I hope my work helps young women and girls somewhere to expand what they think is possible. And I hope it helps society expand what they think is possible of us.

To learn more about Aisha or STEMBoard’s services, go here.

To get a LINGO coding kit of your very own, go here.

Women Who Master puts a spotlight on women who have made outstanding contributions to STEM fields. The goal of the series is to celebrate those contributions, inspire future leaders, and help close the gender gap in technology.

Social Media Handles

Aisha Bowe

Twitter: @arboweInstagram: @aishaboweFacebook: @aishaboweLinkedIn: @aishabowe

LINGO

Twitter: @STEMLingoCoInstagram: @stemlingocoFacebook: @STEMLingoCoLinkedIn: @STEMLingoCo

Link to In Her Element

Photo Credit: Wesley Hicks.

Logitech’s Women Who Master series celebrates the achievements of women leaders in STEM. This installment tells the story of Aisha Bowe, former aerospace engineer and current CEO of two tech companies, who has unique insights into guiding the next generation of STEM women.

If you could go back in time and tell young Aisha Bowe that she would run not one but two tech companies in the future, she probably wouldn’t believe you. Despite showing no inclinations toward tech growing up, Aisha is the founder and CEO of STEMBoard, an engineering consulting firm, and the creator of LINGO, a project-based STEM coding kit that is used by thousands of students and now available on major retailers. Recently we had an opportunity to ask Aisha about her life, her career, her thoughts on mentorship, and her vision for the future of her field.

Q: What was your childhood like? What did you like to do, and how did you get into engineering?

I was a late comer to the field of engineering. In fact, I had no idea I was even interested in engineering until I ended up in community college. I was a competitive gymnast growing up. So I spent most of my time from age five to 15 in a gymnasium somewhere because I was on a club team. Then high school… let’s just say I was not a very focused or deliberate student. After that, I found myself at a two-year college in Michigan called Washtenaw Community College. I thought I was going to major in international business and travel to exotic locations for work—that’s what I thought I wanted for my life then.

At my dad’s suggestion, I took a pre-algebra class at Washtenaw. The class was taught by a woman who was an electrical engineer at Ford at the time. That was the spark. That class led to Calculus 1, 2, and 3, and then I transitioned to the University of Michigan, where, by the time it was all over, I had earned two degrees in engineering.

My first degree is in aerospace engineering. My second degree is a master’s in space systems engineering with a focus on nanosatellite technology development. After graduation, I worked at NASA Ames Research Center for six years as an aerospace engineer in Silicon Valley, where I focused on satellites the size of a shoebox and optimizing the National Airspace System.

Q: Amazing. And what made you shift from NASA to looking to start your own company, STEMBoard?

I was speaking at the Hiller Aviation Museum as part of NASA’s public outreach, and I vividly remember seeing this young girl in the crowd. Her name was Claire, and she was 13. Claire came up to me after my presentation and she said, “I want to be an aerospace engineer.” And I said, “Well, OK, here. I’ll give you my card. After you get home and you talk to your parents, if they’re okay with it, contact me and we’ll have a conversation.”

A week later I get an email from a cute username like “Puggydog7.” It was Claire!

She ended up coming to NASA to spend a day with me, touring the arc jet and the wind tunnel – and everything.

By the end of that day, I was convinced that I didn’t want to live a life where what I did that day wasn’t part of it. I realized that you are a role model and you are a mentor the moment you think you are. And STEMBoard grew out of that. I wanted to create a company that did two things: provide engineering solutions and work on exciting and challenging problems AND, my core priority, inspire the emerging workforce.

Today, Claire is an aerospace engineering graduate from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo and she works at Blue Origin.

I wanted to inspire other people out there like me, like Claire – all those people who don’t yet know that they’re the future of technology.

Q: Practically speaking, how are you inspiring other young people out there, like Claire and yourself, on a grand scale?

When I started STEMBoard, we were really focused on being an engineering company. And, in creating LINGO, our project-based STEM coding kit, I feel like we’ve really been able to demonstrate that profit and social benefit are not mutually exclusive. You can do both. And you can do both incredibly well.

With LINGO, we give kids a series of real-world STEM lessons, where we teach kids how hardware and software talk to each other. In one kit, students can learn how to build and code a back-up sensor for a driverless car. The same type sensor can be found in a Tesla. It’s now sold through major retailers and used by schools, universities and Fortune 500 education programs in the US and around the world. It’s amazing to be part of a movement that has this kind of reach and momentum.

I love that we can bring an industry perspective to STEM education, but this work also makes my organization a better place. And I hope that’s something I can communicate to other companies and people who may not see themselves as mentors. We all have a role to play, and it’s called mentorship.

Q: That brings up an interesting question about mentoring. With STEM spreading into other fields through the technology that is everywhere in our modern lives, what skills do you think are most important for us to teach the next generation?

*Laughs* I hope I don’t get too many angry emails from people who disagree, but in my opinion data is king. So anything around the ability to gather, understand, and visualize data is key. I’m finding that more and more organizations want to make data-driven decisions, regardless of what metrics they’re actually measuring. So that is a foundational element. Also just being proficient in commonly used tools—Zoom®, Google Docs™, Outlook®, whatever—would be a way for us to get people off to a good start.

And learning how to learn. If you can help people learn more effectively, it’s going to benefit every other part of their academic and professional experience.

Q: You’re obviously not afraid to go in new directions or to use your, or your team’s, diverse interests and skills as launch pads for business endeavors. How do you bring your whole self to work?

That’s how I’ve always run my organizations. I love for people to do what they were hired for, absolutely, but I want them to feel like if they’ve got something else they can add that they weren’t hired for and that they have the freedom to express it. And even if they don’t have that additional piece, I just want them to be in agreement that we are going to do something here as a company that benefits not only ourselves and our families, but that benefits our communities and can hopefully make the world a better place.

Q: Women have made incredible progress over the course of history. How do you see yourself carrying this work forward and shaping the narrative for future women in STEM?

I think a theme of my life is challenging what the norms are. I want to challenge how people see women. I want to challenge how people see women in technology. I want to challenge how people see black women in STEM or how CEOs run companies. There are so many limitations put on people that are based on nothing other than convention. When I was in community college saying I wanted to work for NASA, everyone was like, “Yeah, sure.” And when I decided that I wanted to create an education business inside a service company, everyone thought I was bonkers again.

But just because something’s not commonly done, or you haven’t seen it done, doesn’t mean that it can’t be a viable option for someone in the future.

I hope my work helps young women and girls somewhere to expand what they think is possible. And I hope it helps society expand what they think is possible of us.

To learn more about Aisha or STEMBoard’s services, go here.

To get a LINGO coding kit of your very own, go here.

Women Who Master puts a spotlight on women who have made outstanding contributions to STEM fields. The goal of the series is to celebrate those contributions, inspire future leaders, and help close the gender gap in technology.

Social Media Handles

Aisha Bowe

Twitter: @arboweInstagram: @aishaboweFacebook: @aishaboweLinkedIn: @aishabowe

LINGO

Twitter: @STEMLingoCoInstagram: @stemlingocoFacebook: @STEMLingoCoLinkedIn: @STEMLingoCo

Link to In Her Element

Photo Credit: Wesley Hicks.