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Google, UNCF and Thurgood Marshall College Fund Announce Pathways to Tech Initiative

The joint initiative will provide opportunities for African American students to gain technical skills while pursuing careers in the tech industry

/EIN News/ -- MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA, and WASHINGTON, DC, Feb. 26, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Today, Google, UNCF (United Negro College Fund) and Thurgood Marshall College Fund (TMCF) announced “Pathways to Tech,” a new initiative designed to increase HBCU institutional and student capacity, aid job seekers in identifying tech roles, and foster the career growth and retention of Black talent.  

To drive this work, an HBCU Tech Advisory Board will be established with Google as a founding corporate member. The HBCU Tech Advisory Board will offer strategic insight in shaping these efforts, and will report to an HBCU Presidents’ Tech Council, co-chaired by Dr. Michael L. Lomax of UNCF and Dr. Harry L. Williams of TMCF. 

A steering committee will ensure programming meets the needs of HBCU students and drives the work forward. Initial members of the steering committee are Melonie Parker, Chief Diversity Officer (Google), Dr. Kamau Bobb, Director, Global Lead for Diversity Strategy and Research (Google); Maria Medrano, Senior Director, Diversity Strategy, (Google), Dr. Chad Womack, Senior Director, National STEM Programs and Initiatives (UNCF), Angela Van Croft, Director, Corporate and Foundation Relations (UNCF), Dr. Eric D. Hart, Chief Programs Officer (TMCF). Google is also forming an internal advisory committee that will consist of senior vice presidents across Google and help to organize these efforts across the company. 

This initiative will include a deepened focus on existing programming between Google and HBCUs, including Tech Exchange, Google In Residence, and the Grow with Google Career Readiness Program, as well as the development of new initiatives to help provide access and opportunities for underrepresented talent to join the tech industry.

“Google is proud to continue our long-standing partnership with historically Black colleges and universities with the Pathways to Tech initiative. As a company, we remain committed to providing access and opportunities for Black students in the tech industry.” said Melonie Parker, Chief Diversity Officer at Google.  

“We believe this growing partnership will benefit students of color, HBCUs and the nation as a whole by investing in better futures,” said Dr. Michael L. Lomax, president and CEO, UNCF. “Google’s investment will help our institutions leverage technology to improve their ability to attract, nurture and grow talent, which ultimately empowers our students to find opportunities that might not otherwise have been available to them.”

“The Pathways to Tech Initiative is a critical next step in our partnership with Google,” said Dr. Harry L. Williams, president and CEO, TMCF. “This partnership brings together all the voices that are essential in formulating and executing a plan that will move our DEI agenda forward and lead to increased development, hiring, and retention of HBCU talent.”

 

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About UNCF: UNCF (United Negro College Fund) is the nation’s largest and most effective minority education organization. To serve youth, the community and the nation, UNCF supports students’ education and development through scholarships and other programs, supports and strengthens its 37 member colleges and universities, and advocates for the importance of minority education and college readiness. UNCF institutions and other historically Black colleges and universities are highly effective, awarding nearly 20% of African American baccalaureate degrees. UNCF administers more than 400 programs, including scholarship, internship and fellowship, mentoring, summer enrichment, and curriculum and faculty development programs. Today, UNCF supports more than 60,000 students at over 1,100 colleges and universities across the country. Its logo features the UNCF torch of leadership in education and its widely recognized trademark, ‟A mind is a terrible thing to waste.”® Learn more at UNCF.org or for continuous updates and news, follow UNCF on Twitter at @UNCF.

 

About Google:  Google's mission is to organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful. Through products and platforms like Search, Maps, Gmail, Android, Google Play, Chrome and YouTube, Google plays a meaningful role in the daily lives of billions of people and has become one of the most widely-known companies in the world. Google is a subsidiary of Alphabet Inc.

 

About The Thurgood Marshall College Fund (TMCF): Thurgood Marshall College Fund Established in 1987, the Thurgood Marshall College Fund (TMCF) is the nation’s largest organization exclusively representing the Black College Community. TMCF member-schools include the publicly supported Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Predominantly Black Institutions, enrolling nearly 80% of all students attending black colleges and universities. Through scholarships, capacity building and research initiatives, innovative programs, and strategic partnerships, TMCF is a vital resource in the K-12 and higher education space. The organization is also the source of top employers seeking top talent for competitive internships and good jobs. TMCF is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt, charitable organization. For more information about TMCF, visit: www.tmcf.org.

 


Monique LeNoir
                    United Negro College Fund, Inc. (UNCF)
                    202-810-0231
                    monique.lenoir@uncf.org
                    
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