New Survey on Gender Inequality in STEM Education Underscores Critical Need for Learning and Mentorship
Opportunities to Prepare Young Women for the 21 st Century Workforce
The Exelon Foundation and the United Nations (UN) Women HeForShe launch inaugural STEM Innovation Leadership
Academy to advance gender equality and develop a pipeline of future leaders
A new survey conducted by the Exelon Foundation shows that only 50 percent of the next generation of women remain optimistic
about the future of women in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). In fact, nearly six times as many high school girls
believe companies view men as more qualified for STEM jobs than women.
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As part of Exelon’s ongoing efforts to empower young women and advance gender equality, the Exelon Foundation, with the UN Women
HeForShe initiative, is launching its inaugural STEM Innovation Leadership Academy for teen girls in Chicago, followed by the
launch of a second academy in Washington, D.C. With only 15 percent of high school girls in the U.S. expressing interest in STEM
majors or careers – compared with 40 percent of high school boys1 – the week-long immersive STEM Innovation Leadership
Academy is designed to provide hands-on learning and mentorship opportunities.
“The City of Chicago continues to set the national standard for STEM education, and we are committed to providing all students,
regardless of gender, with the skills and confidence they need to succeed in the 21st century,” said Chicago Mayor Rahm
Emanuel. “Initiatives such as the STEM Innovation Leadership Academy provide access to real-world experiences and mentorship
opportunities that are vital to empowering our future female leaders here in Chicago and around the world.”
The Chicago STEM Innovation Leadership Academy, which will take place July 15-21 at the Illinois Institute of Technology, will
bring together nearly 50 young women ages 16 to 19 for engaging interactive experiences, field trips and conversations with leaders
in STEM fields, including one-on-one mentorship opportunities with Exelon executives Chris Crane, president and CEO, and Amy Best,
senior vice president & chief human resources officer, as well as other Chicago based leaders, including Melissa Bean, chairman
of the Midwest for JP Morgan Chase & Co.; LaTanya McDade, chief education officer of Chicago Public Schools; Anne Pramaggiore,
CEO of Exelon Utilities; and Celena Roldan, CEO of the American Red Cross of Chicago & Northern Illinois.
The STEM Innovation Leadership Academy will also include several energy-focused workshops, led by the National Energy Education
Development Project (NEED), as well as visits to Exelon Generation’s Dresden Generating Station for a hands-on experience in the
plant’s simulator control room and to the Museum of Science & Industry. Finally, a STEM-focused competition will challenge
participants to redesign sustainable versions of Chicago’s iconic parks for a chance to win a nominal cash prize.
“By creating opportunities for young women to learn about and pursue STEM-related careers, we are nurturing the next generation
of leaders,” said Crane. “Initiatives such as the STEM Innovation Leadership Academy empower female students through education and
mentorship, enhance our workforce through diversity and equality and ultimately foster fundamental change and a brighter future for
all.”
The STEM Innovation Leadership Academy is just one component of Exelon’s three-year commitment to the HeForShe initiative, to
which the company’s charitable foundation has made a $3 million commitment. Launched by UN Women in 2014, HeForShe was created to
foster a movement with a systematic approach and targeted platform where men can become agents of change for gender equality. In
2017, Exelon President and CEO Chris Crane was named one of HeForShe’s Thematic Champions, a program that recognizes global leaders
who stand out as visionaries for gender equality and women’s empowerment.
In 2017, Exelon contributed a total of $10.3 million to education-related causes. In addition to the company’s investment in
STEM programs for young women and girls, Exelon’s partnership with HeForShe also includes a commitment to improving the company’s
retention of women by 2020, with a goal of reaching parity in voluntary turnover of men and women professionals.
To learn more about Exelon’s initiatives to promote gender equality and support the communities where its employees live and
work, visit exeloncorp.com.
About Exelon
Exelon Corporation (NYSE: EXC) is a Fortune 100 energy company with the largest number of utility customers in the U.S. Exelon
does business in 48 states, the District of Columbia and Canada and had 2017 revenue of $33.5 billion. Exelon’s six utilities
deliver electricity and natural gas to approximately 10 million customers in Delaware, the District of Columbia, Illinois,
Maryland, New Jersey and Pennsylvania through its Atlantic City Electric, BGE, ComEd, Delmarva Power, PECO and Pepco subsidiaries.
Exelon is one of the largest competitive U.S. power generators, with more than 32,700 megawatts of nuclear, gas, wind, solar and
hydroelectric generating capacity comprising one of the nation’s cleanest and lowest-cost power generation fleets. The company’s
Constellation business unit provides energy products and services to approximately 2 million residential, public sector and
business customers, including more than two-thirds of the Fortune 100. Follow Exelon on Twitter @Exelon.
About HeForShe
Created by UN Women, the United Nations entity for gender equality and the empowerment of women, the HeForShe solidarity
movement for gender equality provides a systematic approach and targeted platform where a global audience can engage and become
change agents for the achievement of gender equality in our lifetime. HeForShe invites people around the world to stand together as
equal partners to craft a shared vision of a gender equal world and implement specific, locally relevant solutions for the good of
all of humanity. For more information, visit http://www.HeForShe.org/en
1 myCollegeOptions.org®/STEMconnector Cooperative Research Program (2015)
Exelon
Robin Gray
202-637-0317
robin.levy@exeloncorp.com
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