Congresswoman Johnson served as host of the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s (CBCF) 21st Annual Science and Technology Brain Trust during the 43rd Annual Legislative Conference (ALC) at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C. The panel discussion ran from 9:00 a.m. – noon, and was live-streamed via the NASA website.
“For 21 years, I have worked diligently to expand opportunities for young people of color,” said Congresswoman Johnson. “It is important that young people are exposed to the resources and role models in science, technology, engineering, and math fields, so that we can continue to cultivate the young minds that will soon lead our nation. I am so delighted that all of you have come to this panel discussion to engage with these extraordinary panelists and learn more about careers in STEM.”
As the first female and first African American Ranking Member on the House Science, Space and Technology Committee, Congresswoman Johnson founded the Brain Trust in order to identify opportunities for youth to believe in what they can achieve by being exposed to positive examples.
Panelists include Dr. Bernard Harris, first African American to perform a spacewalk and medical doctor; Dr. Roosevelt Y. Johnson, Deputy Associate Administrator for Education with NASA; Mr. Fred Humphries, Microsoft Corp. VP US Government Affairs; Mr. Ray Dempsey, BP VP Public Affairs; Mr. Harold Strong, AP Developer – University of North Texas; Dr. Scott Edwards, Harvard University Professor of Biology; Mr. Barrington Irving, Aviator; Dr. Karina Edmonds, Cal Tech and former U.S. Department of Energy Technology Transfer Coordinator; Dr. Nerma Frazier, U.S. Department of Energy; Ms. Francessca Spencer Vasquez, Oracle; Dr. Gregory Primus, Former NFL Player and Orthopedic Surgeon; Mr. Adam Conner, Facebook; Ms. Megan Smith, VP of Google X; Mr. Beck Pringle, National Education Association; Moderator – Lesli Foster, WUSA9 News.
