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AND WOMEN IN STEM AWARD HONOREES TO BE RECOGNIZED AT ANNUAL LUNCHEON ON OCT. 26

GIRLSTART ANNOUNCES 2016 GAME CHANGERS KEYNOTE SPEAKER, PINTEREST HEAD OF DIVERSITY CANDICE MORGAN, AND WOMEN IN STEM AWARD HONOREES TO BE RECOGNIZED AT ANNUAL LUNCHEON ON OCT. 26

(AUSTIN) – Girlstart has announced that Candice Morgan, Head of Diversity at Pinterest, will be the keynote speaker for the 2016 edition of Game Changers, the organization’s annual fundraising luncheon.

Morgan leads strategy and programs to enhance a diverse and inclusive Pinterest, the world’s catalog of ideas. Prior, Candice spent nearly 10 years at Catalyst, the leading nonprofit for research, advisory, and practices on women in business, where she was a recognized expert in change management/organizational transformation in the areas of inclusion, diversity, and talent management.

“We’re thrilled to be bringing Candice Morgan to Austin to speak at Game Changers,” said Tamara Hudgins, Girlstart’s Executive Director. “She continues in the growing tradition of STEM innovators and thinkers who we’ve involved with Game Changers, starting with Sally Ride at the first Game Changers luncheon in 2010, and she brings a particularly important perspective on the ongoing issue of diversity within the STEM work world.”

Girlstart had also announced its 2016 Women in STEM Awards, honoring women who have distinguished themselves in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) careers and have been inspirational to girls seeking to pursue STEM education and STEM careers.

The award recipients will be honored as part of Game Changers, Girlstart’s annual luncheon, which takes place this year on Wednesday, October 26, 11 am-1 pm, at the JW Marriott Hotel (110 E. 2nd).

Honorees include:

Ellen Barker, Vice President and Chief Information Officer of Texas Instruments Inc., who leads TI’s Information Technology Services organization and is responsible for IT strategies and operational management of IT applications and infrastructure worldwide.

Jennifer Chayes, Distinguished Scientist, Managing Director and Cofounder of Microsoft Research New England and Microsoft Research New York City, who is also one of the inventors of the theory of graph limits, which is widely used for machine learning of massive networks.

Diana Albarrán Chicas, currently the In-Orbit Test Director at Space Systems Loral (SSL) in Palo Alto, California, where she is the first Latina and only the second woman to be a test section manager at the company, overseeing a team of 10 who design and build satellites and space systems for a wide variety of government and commercial customers, including DirectTV and DishNetwork.

Katharine Forth, a neuroscientist and founder and CEO of iShoe, an empowering health device that monitors balance and helps reduce fall-related accidents. Forth completed post-doctoral work at NASA and during that time invented technology, originally invented for the moon, to start her company.

Hope Shimabuku, Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office, Texas Regional Office, ensures the directives of the Undersecretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and the Director of the USPTO’s initiatives and programs are tailored to the unique ecosystem of Texas. She has served as Counsel for Xerox Business Services, LLC and Blackberry Corporation, and worked as an engineer for Procter & Gamble and Dell Computer Corporation.

Sponsorships are still available for Game Changers, and individual tickets (if available) will go on sale in August. More information on the event, including more on the award honorees and a list of current sponsors, is online at www.girlstart.org/game-changers.

ABOUT GIRLSTART

Girlstart, founded in Austin in 1997, is the only community-based informal STEM education nonprofit in the nation specifically dedicated to empowering and equipping girls in STEM, through year-round programming that promotes girls’ early engagement and academic success in STEM, encourages girls’ aspirations and persistence in STEM education and careers, and incubates a talented and diverse STEM workforce. Its innovative, nationally-recognized programs include after-school and summer camps for students, professional development for teachers, and community and online STEM education outreach programs. Girlstart cultivates a culture where risk is rewarded, curiosity is encouraged, and creativity is expected. As a result, Girlstart girls are connected, brave, and resilient. Girlstart makes girls more successful and inspires them to take on the world’s greatest challenges.

GRANTING $5,000 TO FUND STEM PROGRAMMING FOR GIRLS

EPIDEMIA DESIGNS CHOOSES GIRLSTART AS ITS FIRST-EVER DONATION RECIPIENT, GRANTING $5,000 TO FUND STEM PROGRAMMING FOR GIRLS

Girlstart is pleased to announced that Epidemia Designs, a newly-launched Kickstarter startup company creating science-inspired activewear for women, has chosen Girlstart to be its first-ever philanthropy recipient.

Epidemia Designs founder Lizzie Cochran, a second-year medical student at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, has given Girlstart a $5,000 donation toward Girlstart’s innovative STEM programming for girls.

“From the start, Epidemia Designs has been a mission-driven brand that supports women and girls pursuing education and careers in STEM and after learning about what Girlstart does to nurture girls, we knew they were the right partner for us,” said Cochran. “Girlstart offers terrific after school programs and camps to encourage smart, ambitious girls and it’s an honor to work alongside an organization that represents everything Epidemia stands for and works daily to help girls achieve their dreams.”

“We’re honored to be Epidemia’s first sponsored organization, and we’re grateful for their contribution toward our nationwide expansion efforts,” said Tamara Hudgins, executive director of Girlstart. “Girlstart seeks to inspire women in a great number of fields that incorporate STEM, and we’re thrilled to see what Epidemia is doing to reinforce the importance of science for women in such a fun, inspired way. We look forward to seeing them grow.”

Girlstart’s most recent expansion efforts include the launch of new programs in Dallas, Houston and the Rio Grande Valley.

Epidemia’s initial launch of athletic apparel, featuring prints made from biological images like light micrographs, CT scans and X-rays, includes patterns created from images of brain cells (She’s Got Brains), nerve cells (She’s Got Nerve) and heart cells (She’s Got Heart). To see the full line, visit www.epidemiadesigns.com.

About Epidemia Designs

Epidemia Designs, founded in 2015 by med student Lizzie Cochran, is an activewear brand inspired by the beauty of the human body at a cellular level. The “She’s Got It” line features leggings, sports bras and gym tops with prints of heart tissue (“She’s Got Heart”), nerve synapses (“She’s Got Nerve”), and brain cells (“She’s Got Brains”). Each print is created by digitally manipulating real biological micrographs, CT scans and x-rays. Initially funded by Kickstarter, Epidemia Designs launched its global e-commerce platform in 2016 and is committed to providing support and resources to women who wish to pursue education and careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). For more information, visit Epidemia Design’s web site at www.epidemiadesigns.com or via social media on Facebook and Instagram.

Dave Stump, Pierpont Communications VP for Business Development, joins Girlstart Board of Directors

Girlstart is pleased to announce that Dave Stump, the Vice President of Business Development for Pierpont Communications (based in Houston, with offices in Austin, Dallas, and San Antonio), has joined the Girlstart Board of Directors.

Stump is the first Girlstart board member outside of the Central Texas region, and his election to the board reflects both the expansion of Girlstart programs and the increasing importance of its programming in the Houston area.

“We’re thrilled to have Dave as a member of our Board of Directors,” said Tamara Hudgins, executive director of Girlstart. “Dave is an energetic and active participant in Houston’s business community, and he is fully committed to our vision of inspiring girls toward STEM degrees and STEM careers. We look forward to Dave helping us inspire more girls in Houston, throughout Texas, and beyond in the years to come.”

“I’m excited to be joining the Girlstart Board of Directors,” Stump said. “I’d like to see more girls develop the interest in STEM education that my two daughters have developed, and I look forward to working with an impactful organization to help girls across this great city and state become inspired to learn.”

Stump joins an active board that has been instrumental in sustaining Girlstart’s award-winning, nationally-scalable STEM education programs for girls, lauded by the likes of the Afterschool Alliance, Change the Equation, SXSW Interactive, and most recently, the Atlantic Media/Allstate Renewal Awards.

Stump is also the Past President of Ballet Theatre Houston, a current board member of the TKB Foundation and the Spring Cypress Presbyterian Church, and the past chair of multiple committees at the Greater Houston Partnership, including Business Development, CEO Roundtables, and Leadership Roundtable, as well as participation on its Membership Services Advisory Committee.

ABOUT GIRLSTART

Girlstart, founded in Austin in 1997, is the only community-based informal STEM education nonprofit in the nation specifically dedicated to empowering and equipping girls in STEM, through year-round programming that promotes girls’ early engagement and academic success in STEM, encourages girls’ aspirations and persistence in STEM education and careers, and incubates a talented and diverse STEM workforce. Its innovative, nationally-recognized programs include after-school and summer camps for students, professional development for teachers, and community and online STEM education outreach programs. Girlstart cultivates a culture where risk is rewarded, curiosity is encouraged, and creativity is expected. As a result, Girlstart girls are connected, brave, and resilient. Girlstart makes girls more successful, and inspires them to take on the world’s greatest challenges.