09-16-08: HITEC Partners with HENAAC to Increase Level of Hispanic Professionals in Science and Technology
DETROIT-Serving as evidence of its commitment to increase the levels of Hispanic executives in the field of science and technology, today HITEC (Hispanic IT Executive Council) officials announced a new partnership with the Hispanic Engineer National Achievement Awards Conference (HENAAC) to coordinate efforts aimed at increasing the number of Hispanic college graduates in the areas of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM).
A memorandum of understanding was signed by HITEC's president David Olivencia and HENAAC Chairperson and CEO Ray Mellado to officially recognize the partnership designed to increase Hispanic graduates throughout STEM, cultivate future Hispanic executives and increase the pool of Hispanics in management and executive board positions.
"These are the types of partnerships that HITEC needs to ultimately achieve our goal of increasing the number of Hispanic executives within science and technology," said Olivencia. "To be aligned with such a staunch advocate of Hispanic achievement in HENAAC will certainly enhance efforts and overall outreach to several Hispanic professionals within the IT arena."
This new partnership will call for both organizations to work together to coordinate and promote each others' programs. These programs are aimed at ensuring that Hispanic students graduate in STEM-based fields and are prepared to become world class leaders of tomorrow. Both organizations have a mission of growing and cultivating the technical talent within the Hispanic community.
"The demand for highly-skilled technical talent in information technology is at an all time high and it's only going to grow," said HENAAC CEO Ray Mellado. "So this natural partnership is not only good for the parties involved, but it will also benefit all areas of the technical community and by extension the country. Simply put, this partnership just makes great business sense for our two organizations and for our common stake holders."
About HITEC
HITEC (Hispanic IT Executive Council) was founded by senior Hispanic IT executives who have built outstanding careers in information technology but realized that there were far too few Hispanics in the IT leadership role. With a strong desire and passion to make an impact within the Hispanic IT community by helping others reach the highest levels, HITEC was formed in late 2006. These national leaders include executives leading Fortune 500 corporations on both U.S. and global initiatives while others lead some of the largest Hispanic owned IT firms in the United States.
About HENAAC
HENAAC is the gateway for Hispanics in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). Established in 1989, HENAAC is a non-profit organization that focuses on STEM educational awareness programs for students from kindergarten to career. HENAAC provides resources for recognition and recruitment of Hispanics in STEM on a national level, connecting multi-areas of engineering and science arenas to the general population.