MITRE Director Honored for Advancing Diversity in Engineering and Science

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

McLean, Virginia, October 17, 2008 — Mr. William D. Albright, Jr., director of Quality of Work Life and Benefits at MITRE, has received the National GEM Consortium's (Graduate Degrees for Minorities in Engineering and Science) 2008 Employer of the Year award for his long-standing personal and professional efforts to increase diverse representation in the fields of science and engineering. According to the National Science Foundation, only nine percent of African Americans, Hispanic Americans, and American Indians earned doctoral degrees in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) in 2003, despite representing nearly a third of the U.S. population.

To increase minority representation in STEM careers, the National GEM Consortium partners with corporations and universities to offer exemplary students the opportunity to attain graduate degrees through paid internships and full tuition assistance. Albright has been an active member of GEM for more than 27 years and has been with MITRE for 30 years. He currently heads the division within MITRE's human resources organization that is responsible for the company's award-winning employee benefits, including flexible work arrangements and the Embrace Your Health initiative. Albright championed the partnership between MITRE and GEM in 1981. Since then, 65 GEM fellows have interned at the company.

"I am humbled and honored to receive this recognition," said Albright. "The GEM program has been a passion of mine for many years. Knowing that I've played some part in the organization's success is incredibly rewarding."

Albright accepted his award at GEM's September 24 ceremony at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. The event featured Representatives Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-Texas) and Silvestre Reyes (D-Texas), both of whom were commended for advancing diversity in the sciences.

The MITRE Corporation (www.mitre.org) is a not-for-profit national resource that provides systems engineering, research and development, and information technology support to the government. It operates federally funded research and development centers for the Department of Defense, the Federal Aviation Administration, and the Internal Revenue Service and Department of Veterans Affairs, with principal locations in Bedford, Mass., and McLean, Va.

About GEM

The mission of The National GEM Consortium is to enhance the value of the nation’s human capital in engineering and science by increasing enrollment of underrepresented groups (African American, Native Americans, Hispanics) at the master’s and doctoral levels. GEM is a network of corporate and university partners working together to offer opportunities to talented students to obtain MS and Ph.D. degrees through paid summer internships and full tuition assistance. Over 3,000 GEM fellows have graduated since 1976. For more information, visit www.gemfellowship.org or call (202) 457-8672.

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