
Meeting the workforce challenges head-on
Sustaining the New Orleans’ growing STEM industries by opening doors to opportunity.
At the age of 300, New Orleans is both an old city with beloved traditions and culture and a modern city with booming STEM industries. The BioDistrict, founded in 2005 to focus on the development of a biosciences industry, is flourishing. Additionally, since 2006, New Orleans has increased jobs in technology by 22%, making it the fastest technology city in the country. The result will be an additional 20,000 jobs. Global Risk Insights (GRI) reports that the gap between demand for highly skilled employees and the lack of prepared candidates is becoming a national crisis. Due to the rapid growth of these industries in New Orleans, the crisis is even more acute and the need to prepare a robust workforce more dire.
Sci High Board
Jennifer Fallon, Chair
Joseph Caverly, Vice Chair
Cathy Glaser, Secretary
James Schnieders. Jr., Treasure
Deborah A. Anderson
Jeff Clayman, Esq.
Joan Coulter
Joe Daschbach
Elizabeth Landry
Deborah Love, Esq.
Jennifer Oliver-Goodwin
Kathy Parsons
Michelle Sanchez, Ph.D.
Troy Washington
Mary Zervigon
The Foundation Board
Robert Sternhell, Ph.D., President
Thomas Wiese, Ph.D., Co-Treasurer
Kristen Ponthier Engeron, Co-Treasurer
Karen Buck, Secretary
Julie Bourgeois, Director of Development
Nicholas Altiero, Ph.D.
Florence D. André
Nicolas Aziz
Barbara Beckman, Ph.D.
George Bernstein, Ph.D.
Melanie Boulet
Brandi N. Ebanks
Katie Hand
Bryan Lee
Sarah Martzolf
Norma Jean Mattei, Ph.D
Valerie J. McGinley
Stanton McNeely III, Ed.D.
Merisa A. Pasternak
Curtis Pellerin
Madalyn Schenk
Cedric Walker, Ph.D.
Kevin Wilkins
Arnold H. Zea, Ph.D.
Jennifer Fallon