Three panelists, a moderator and a select group of journalists discuss how we should prepare students for the economy of the future, how we can ensure equal career opportunities for all and how to develop multiple pathways to success. The panelists for this forum are Ruben Diaz, Timothy C. Draper, Gary Hoachlander and moderator David Sibbet.
"I seek to provide experiences and opportunities in the scientific fields to at-risk high school students to encourage more to consider science as a career."
Ruben Diaz is a Senior Information Specialist at Genentech, a leading biotechnology company. He specializes in patent and scientific and business online searching in support of intellectual property issues. Diaz has been a charter member of Genentech's Scholars Program Committee which has awarded $500,000 to Bay Area students interested in biotechnology careers. Since 1999, Diaz has served on the Biotechnology Academy Advisory Board at Andrew P. Hill High School, San Jose. The Academy serves a large proportion of at-risk students, with an integrated curriculum and strong relationships with higher education and biotechnology industries. Diaz has brought his knowledge of biotechnology to the teaching and learning activities at the Biotech Academy to strengthen academic and career-focused learning. He has mentored students, lectured at the school, promoted scholarship programs and grants, and coordinated Genentech's resources in support of the Academy, including site visits to Genentech for students and teachers.
"America is the one country in the world that doesn't seem to recognize that it's in competition for the great minds and the capital of the world."
Timothy C. Draper is the Founder and a Managing Director of Draper Fisher Jurvetson, a venture capital firm that has backed companies such as Hotmail, Baidu, Skype, and hundreds of others. He is the course creator and Chairman of BizWorld, a nonprofit organization focused on mentoring "children across the cultural and economic spectrum through experiential learning programs that teach the basics of business, entrepreneurship, and money management and promote teamwork and leadership in the classroom." Draper has served on the California State Board of Education. He has a bachelors degree from Stanford University, and an MBA from Harvard Business School.
"Unless we find ways to make core academics more relevant and engaging for high school students, we aren't likely to reduce dropout rates or raise the proficiency of students who earn a high school diploma but are poorly prepared for further education and work."
Dr. Gary Hoachlander is the president of ConnectEd: The California Center for College and Career, and also the president of MPR Associates, Inc., a leading education research and consulting firm. An expert in career and technical education, as well as many facets of elementary, secondary, and postsecondary learning, Hoachlander has consulted widely for foundations, school districts, state departments of education, and the U.S. Department of Education. As a policy analyst he has worked for the U.S. Department of Education, including the National Center for Education Statistics and the Office of Vocational and Adult Education. Hoachlander holds a bachelors degree from Princeton University and a masters and doctoral degrees from the University of California, Berkeley.
"Learning to rise above self interest and collaborate in inventing new forms of organization and relationships that will not deplete the planet, but help it thrive, is the challenge of our times. This is nowhere more critical than in how we educate our children."
Mr. Sibbet's explorations in graphic facilitation, strategic visioning, and collaborative process design have revolutionized the field of organization development. For eight years, in the 1970's, he was executive director and director of training for the Coro Foundation, a leadership development institute known for its pioneering work in experience-based education. He regularly designs and leads strategy, visioning, future forces, and large-scale system change processes for clients throughout the world. He is a former Chicago Tribune journalist and the author of several books.
