FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                        
November 29, 2022

(City of Industry, CA) — The SHPE Familia joins the Hispanic and STEM communities in honoring Great Minds in STEM founder Ray Mellado who passed away peacefully in his home surrounded by his family on the morning of November 25.

Founded by Carmela and Ray Mellado in 1989, Great Minds in STEM (GMiS; formerly HENAAC) is a national nonprofit organization dedicated to keeping America technologically strong by promoting science, technology, engineering, and math careers in underserved communities. GMiS pursues their mission through its annual HENAAC conference, and its educational programs like the Hall of Fame, Viva Technology, and STEM-Up.

Ray and Carmela Mellado befriended SHPE founder Rod Garcia close to fifty years ago and the trio collaborated for many years to advance their shared values of diversity, equity, and inclusion in STEM. In fact, Carmela produced SHPE’s first national newsletter which laid the foundation for Hispanic Engineer Magazine, a partnership between SHPE, Mellado Communications, and Career Communications Group that featured the stories of outstanding Hispanic engineers and scientists. SHPE and GMiS continue to work together on various fronts to this day and many SHPE members consider Ray Mellado a role model and inspiration.

“Ray Mellado realized early in his career that Hispanic excellence was intrinsically linked to American competitiveness,” said 2002 HENAAC Scholar, 2009 HENAAC Luminary, and 2018 HENAAC Award Winner and SHPE Lifetime Member and Board Secretary Will Davis. “His quest to tell the stories of role models and heroes, graduate folks with STEM degrees and secure them jobs, and spark the imaginations of kids from underserved communities has changed the narrative for Hispanics. His legacy of thinking bigger and bolder is fitting, because just like the organization he founded, Ray was a Great Mind in STEM.”

“Ray Mellado was a giant,” SHPE Lifetime Member and former Board Chair Miguel Alemañy said. “Someone who believed in the power of STEM and the need for Hispanics to be represented at every level. He was a powerful force in the industry, founding and supporting HENAAC, later changed to GMiS. I worked with him for many years across our organizations and was always impressed by his tireless dedication, his energy and motivation, and his drive. He never asked for anything in return but gave to the community 100%. He was a role model and someone we will miss dearly in the Hispanic STEM industry and in STEM in general.”

SHPE past National President and Lifetime Member Diana Gomez said, “Ray Mellado loved his community and he worked tirelessly to improve it. When I became SHPE National President, Ray was one of my biggest supporters, mentor, and a great friend. I will treasure our beautiful friendship and his legacy will continue in each and every one of us he helped.”

A visionary in the STEM community and an honorary SHPE Lifetime Member, Ray Mellado, his family, and his GMiS colleagues will be in the thoughts and prayers of all of the SHPE members who had the fortune to know him and all those who wish to honor the contribution he made to advance underserved communities in STEM. His loss leaves a hole in the heart of our Familia.

UPDATED 12/7/22! A Celebration of Life Mass is being held at 9:00am on Friday, December 9, at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels (555 W. Temple St. Los Angeles, CA) with the burial immediately following at Rose Hills Memorial Park and then a luncheon and reception at Quiet Cannon. RSVP to [email protected]. Please direct flower deliveries to arrive between December 7^th and 8^th at Castañeda Crollett Mortuary, 3715 E. Cesar Chavez Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90063.

About SHPE
SHPE (Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers) is a nonprofit organization serving and advancing Hispanics in STEM. With more than 13,000 student and professional members, SHPE’s mission is to change lives by empowering the Hispanic community to realize its fullest potential and to impact the world through STEM awareness, access, support, and development. For more information, please visit https://www.shpe.org/

Contact: Jen Linck
[email protected]
703-732-6701

Honeywell is the Visionary Sponsor of Country’s Largest Gathering of Hispanic STEM Talent Attended by Over Ten Thousand Professionals, Industry Leaders, and Innovators

(September 27, 2022) — SHPE (The Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers), a national organization representing Hispanic professionals and students in STEM, will host its 46^th National Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina at the Charlotte Convention Center on November 2 through 6, 2022.  The largest gathering of Hispanic STEM talent in the nation, the event is expected to be attended by over 10,000 students, professionals, academia, and industry leaders.

The four day gathering will offer attendees professional and leadership development through sessions and workshops, speakers, signature events, networking, competitions, and award ceremonies. The theme of the convention is Racing Towards the Future, celebrating the evolution of SHPE, the empowerment of its members, the community of Familia, and the innovation of Hispanics in STEM; with a nod to the NASCAR influences in the host city. For all attendees, the convention will serve as a catalyst for both personal and professional future growth which, in turn, will have a powerful impact on the Hispanic community, the U.S. workforce, and our global economy.

According to the Pew Research Center while nearly 20% of the U.S. population is Hispanic, only 8% of STEM jobs are filled by Hispanic professionals. In leadership positions, this percentage is even lower. SHPE exists to narrow and eventually close this gap by raising awareness and increasing access. In addition to connecting our members with many of the top organizations in STEM, the SHPE National Convention is also one of our most powerful tools to prepare Hispanic students and professionals to be top talent and leaders in their field, driving innovation, the global economy, and a prosperous Hispanic community.

This year, a major highlight of the convention will be Fearless, a new 8-session speaking series designed to inspire the audience to take risks, conquer fears and lead a life of purpose.  Curated by SHPE CEO Dr. Chris Wilkie and sponsored by Rockwell Automation, Fearless speakers will include leading STEM experts and influencers on topics such as leadership, diversity and inclusion, technology, and equity in the workspace. A list of Fearless speakers is here.

Another highlight will be featured speaker Mateo Salvatto, the 23-year old founder of Asteroid Technologies, author, and innovator. He will share his journey transitioning from average high school student into one of Argentina’s most respected tech businessmen through the creation of Háblalo, an app that assists more than 250,000 people globally who have hearing loss and verbal communication disabilities.

Over the four days, attendees will be able to take advantage of technical training, leadership, and professional development, and networking opportunities, as well as interacting with over 250 exhibitors and sponsors actively recruiting new talent. The convention is made up of five specialized conferences, with something for everyone, including:

• The Academic Conference hosts students and faculty at all levels of higher education. Participants gain valuable resources and networking opportunities while discovering best-practices, career opportunities, and learn both the opportunities and challenges Hispanics face while earning STEM degrees and entering the workforce. Tracks include Advisors, Community College, Undergraduate, Graduate, and Diversity & Inclusion.
• The SHPEtinas: Igniting Latinas in STEM Conference strives to accelerate Latina representation at all levels of corporate and academic leadership in STEM while affirming the Latina identity. The theme for this year is ¡Ready, Set, Vamos! 
• The Professionals in STEM Conference provides a differentiated learning approach to its attendees, granting them a diverse toolkit of skills, knowledge, and experience to be successful STEM professionals. Either in workshops or networking sessions our Professionals are getting great interactive time to grow their network. 
• The SHPETech Conference is designed to shine a spotlight on cutting edge STEM technology for maximum impact. This conference offers Tech Talks, along with four exciting competitions: Cybersecurity Challenge, Extreme Engineering, Design Challenge, and Engineering Science Symposium.
• The Pre-College Conference will take place at five secondary schools in the area, with SHPE staff and volunteers bringing the popular Día de Ciencias hands-on science event to the students along with college readiness sessions for them and their parents.

A popular offering of the event is the two-day Career Fair & Graduate School Expo where thousands of jobs will be offered by companies like Facebook, Boeing, Apple, Google, Amazon, Johnson & Johnson and over 200 other leading companies in STEM. The full list of exhibitors is here.

SHPE’s National Convention will also include the STAR Awards Celebration. The STAR Awards recognize key individuals, corporations, government agencies, and academic institutions that have contributed significantly to support Hispanics in STEM.  The recipients of the 2022 Rubén Hinojosa STEM Awards are U.S. Senator Alex Padilla, California, U.S. Senator John Cornyn, Texas, U.S. Congressman Tony Cardenas, California, and U.S. Congresswoman Maria Elvira Salazar, Florida.   The full list of winners is here.

The Visionary Sponsor of SHPE’s 2022 National Convention is Honeywell. Honeywell (www.honeywell.com) is a Fortune 100 technology company that delivers industry specific solutions that include aerospace products and services; control technologies for buildings and industry; and performance materials globally. Our technologies help aircraft, buildings, manufacturing plants, supply chains, and workers become more connected to make our world smarter, safer, and more sustainable. For more news and information on Honeywell, please visit www.honeywell.com/newsroom.

About SHPE

SHPE (Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers) is a nonprofit organization serving and advancing Hispanics in STEM. With more than 13,000 student and professional members, SHPE’s mission is to change lives by empowering the Hispanic community to realize its fullest potential and to impact the world through STEM awareness, access, support, and development. For more information please visit https://www.shpe.org/

Members of the media are encouraged to pre-register for the conference. For press credentials, contact Alyssa Sullivan at [email protected] or 617-899-8631.

Co-Signed Statement of Solidarity with the Society of Asian Scientists and Engineers (SASE)

Los Angeles, CA – As an organization that advocates daily for a world where diversity is celebrated and inclusion is valued as integral to the success of the United States, it is our imperative to speak up on behalf of our Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) brothers and sisters. We must speak out about what has now become a national crisis.

According to the Society of Asian Scientists and Engineers (SASE), one in four Asians experienced a form of racism in 2020. While racism certainly isn’t a new phenomenon, it isn’t difficult to see the connection between this increase in hate and the rhetoric that’s being used in connection with the global pandemic. These falsehoods must be called out and the actors who use that rhetoric to justify hate crimes must be condemned.

“As a Hispanic woman, I’ve seen this kind of blatant racism and discrimination firsthand. It’s painful. It’s frightening. And it holds us back from bringing our full abilities to bear. None of us should have to live in fear that we’ll be targeted based on nothing more than how we look, our culture, or heritage.” says SHPE CEO Raquel Tamez.

Now more than ever, during this time when we are all battling a global pandemic and an economic crisis, we must embrace and support each other. And now more than ever, it is critical that we amplify Asian voices; and that we speak out loudly about how important the AAPI community is to the past and future success of our country.

To show our continued support, SHPE has co-signed a Statement of Solidarity from SASE. We strongly encourage all of our members and partners to share this statement and join us in taking this stand against hate.

HOW CAN YOU HELP?

• Educate yourself through advocacy organizations like Asian Americans Advancing Justice (AAAJ);
• Participate in bystander intervention training to learn how to respond to racist harassment;
• Report hate crimes using this incident reporting tool to help develop better anti-violence policies;
• Donate directly to victims who have experienced anti-Asian attacks;
• Attend SASE’s virtual Spark the Future competition on April 30, which asks teams to develop creative, engaging solutions to social justice challenges. Like all SASE programs, the purpose is to elevate AAPI voices and promote allyship among the global community.

Source: Society of Asian Scientists and Engineers (SASE)

Printable press release >

On Saturday we buried a great man.

Rodrigo “Rod” Garcia was laid to rest surrounded by his family, wife, kids, grandkids, and his SHPE family. He was eulogized in the House, his career was recorded in the Senate, the California Congress recognized him, and President Biden sent a condolence letter.

Why? Because he changed the face of our nation, the composition of our society, the state of professional Hispanic engineers, and he did it forever.

We all know what he did. It was celebrated yesterday and has been celebrated in many circles. It will be celebrated this fall in Charlotte and will be celebrated again in 2024 in Anaheim.

We all know what he did. So I want to illustrate what he DID NOT do.

Rod saw a need. A critically important need, for himself and for his friends. Specifically, he saw a lack of Hispanic engineers in the city of Los Angeles in 1974. At that point, however, he did NOT storm city hall, he did not organize a city wide walk out. He did not block the interstates, called for a boycott, or a strike, or sued the city, or started a petition, or got layers involved, or even picketed city hall. He did not do ANY of those things, things that everyone does these days for the slightest reason.

Instead, he created (along with 4 other friends), the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers. And in the process, he changed the world.

Rod’s personal work changed the lives of hundreds of thousands across the nation who in turn changed the lives of hundreds of thousands more. He truly changed our nation, our society.

I asked him many years ago how come he wasn’t more military at the time, like everyone these days does. His response spoke volumes of his intelligence and character. He said (paraphrasing), “if I had forced the city to hire Hispanic engineers and they tried but not found them, we would have lost all credibility, and the effort would have failed. We had to create the pipeline of talent before they could be hired.” Brilliant!

Rod served as the first president, executive director and many other positions including Board member on the recently created appointed professional board. His contributions continued to be significant, his wisdom very valuable, and he continued to dedicate a great part of his life to making SHPE successful.

Sadly, today SHPE enters a new phase. Today SHPE starts life without Rod. He is no longer present. However, his legacy will continue forever, and the next 50 yeas will be amazing. In everything we do, we will see Rod and his love for the SHPE family.

His only regret? He didn’t think he would make it to the 50th celebration. We told him he would, of course. But he knew better. But I tell you all, Rod will be with us in everything we do for the rest of time. SHPE is Rod’s legacy.

Remember Rod with love and admiration. He changed the world without any conflict, drama, battle, or negative words, he did it in the most productive way.

Rest In Peace dear friend.

Miguel Alemañy
Past Board Chair, Lifetime Member
Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers

In April 2021, Carista Ragan, Vice President Legal at Goldman Sachs, joined SHPE’s Board of Directors. The path she took to end up here could be called unusual. “I guess it’s not a typical professional journey,” Carista says. “But I hope our students can see that all kinds of experiences can give you important and transferable skills.”

Carista’s first career was that of a professional dancer, and she started on one of the biggest stages in the nation. She was selected as an NFL Cheerleader for the Dallas Cowboys. “It was an incredible opportunity,” Carista recalls. “And as fun as the bright lights, costumes, and games were, they weren’t the best part. The best part was who I got to work with.”

Because it was during this time that she met one of her most influential mentors. “I had terrible stage fright,” she explains. “And our cheerleading coach helped me see what I was truly capable of. They gave me the confidence to stand in front of thousands of people and shine. They really changed my life.”

After her NFL debut Carista traveled all over the world performing. “I danced in the Persian Gulf, Korea, Turkey, and Greece. I participated in two USO tours as an entertainer for our troops. Dance was literally my ticket to see the world!”

When she returned stateside, she began pursuing her second passion – the law. She applied and was accepted into the University of Houston Law School. And it just so happened that, toward the end of her first year, the Houston Rockets won the NBA Championship.

“The whole city was ecstatic. It’s the only thing anyone could talk about.” remembers Carista. “And that’s how I heard about the call for auditions to become a Rocket Power Dancer.”

She was paying her own way through law school and was looking for a job to help with tuition. So, she auditioned, and was selected as a Rocket Power Dancer.

“I guess you could say I used my first career to fund my second career.”

Carista spent the next two years in law school also dancing in the NBA. Her last semester, the Rockets made it to the playoffs. “I was studying for finals and the bar exam the same time we were performing at the playoff games. And once the playoffs were over, that was it. No more dancing.”

Carista spent the next two decades and half as General Counsel for various STEM companies. “I’ve always been interested in the intersection of law, technology, and engineering,” she states. And her impressive resume reflects this. She’s held positions at Flowserve, The Weir Group, and StackPath until landing her most current executive role at Goldman Sachs.

“And you know what, I still use the skills I gained while dancing. The courage and poise instilled in me by my Dallas Cowboys coach has stuck with me all these years later. Now, I have to get up in front of 700 people and present on legal policy, but it’s my performing roots that makes it possible,” Carista points out. “I guess if there’s a lesson here, it’s to take your mentors where you can get them, even if they aren’t directly in the field you’re pursuing. Maybe it’s a violin teacher or soccer coach, but you can gain valuable skills and experience anywhere.”

Carista loves serving on SHPE’s Board. She is constantly inspired by the enthusiasm and commitment of board members, staff, and students. “It’s an amazing feeling to all be so focused on one goal. It really feels like a family.”

While she isn’t Latina herself, she grew up in a Hispanic household. “My stepmom, who I love dearly, is Mexican. As are my two half-sisters. I saw first-hand some of the opportunities that were offered to me that weren’t readily available to them – especially role-models. Organizations like SHPE are so important in creating and supporting the next generation of Hispanic STEM leaders. I think my stepmom and sisters are really proud of what we’re doing here.”

SHPE is honored to have the expertise, passion, and leadership of Carista Ragan as a part of the Familia. We can’t wait to see where we go together in the coming years.