1. TekSpark School
Partnerships
Shobana Radhakrishnan
Founder and CEO, TekSpark

2. Agenda
 Introduction
 Programs
 Awards

3. First Some Numbers**
 Tech Jobs grew 27 times higher than other jobs 2001 to 2011
 (2013 Anita Borg Institute Study) Women received only 18.2% of
CS and 18.4% engineering Bachelor’s degrees in 2011
 Female Full Professors in STEM 1/5th of total
 Google Study – 17% of workforce women
 All Women in STEM indicate that they “love their job”
 Diversity -> more innovative products and higher earnings
**Source: http://women2.com/2014/06/30/women-leaving-tech/?hvid=6Fr83h

4. What is TekSpark
A non-profit organization to
create a gender-balanced
and diverse STEM university
and work environment

5. TekSpark Approach
 Engage with the community at grass-roots level
 Keep it Simple to engage
 Spread the joy of STEM and help children experience
this early
 Identify strong STEM talent and mentor them to
success at the university and career levels, including
all the way to advanced leadership positions

6. Programs

7. TekSpark Chapter
 Nominate TekSpark Operating Officer
 Do Simple Surveys – beginning and end of school year to all high
school students
 Organize Events** At School
 Talks/Panel Discussions
 Mentorship Programs
 Hackathons to help with award submissions
 Key Metrics:
 #Events (Goal: At least 2 events/year)
 #Participants at Events
 #Award Submissions
 #Alumni
**TekSpark can help hire speakers and organize

8. Volunteer Participation
 One-Minute-For-World-Change Program
 One-Hour-For-World-Change Program
 Help hire students or parents as speakers
 Details: http://www.tekspark.org

9. Volunteer Benefits
 Demonstration of leadership as Operating Officer
 Experience in Public Speaking
 Industry Visibility – era of increased awareness in
STEM diversity
 Networking for Future Career Success

10. School Benefits
 Positioning as leader in STEM diversity
 PTA and other school-specific fundraisers supported at
TekSpark events
 Mentoring for Award Submissions
 Alumni success through career mentorship

11. Awards

12. Awards
 Best STEM project – individual or group, can be self-
nominated or by friend
 Best STEM achiever – based on academic
achievement in STEM, nominated by school
 Submissions due March 31, Award Decisions May 31,
Scholarship Awards – June
 Details – http://www.tekspark.org

13. Contact Information
 http://www.tekspark.org
 shobana@tekspark.org, info@tekspark.org
 Social Media:
 Twitter: #tekspark_inc
 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/tekspark/
 FB: TekSpark-Incorporated

14. Discuss Ideas
 Survey Mechanisms
 Events or types of engagement that will be most
valuable
 Logistics involved
 One-minute-for-world-change programs
 Other Ideas?