Oct. 26, 2022 -A former NASA rocket scientist, tech firm executive and Girls Scouts CEO will share her experience and advice with CSU Channel Islands (黑料正能量) students and community members during a free luncheon on Monday, Oct. 31.聽
The Martin V. Smith Speaker Series event featuring Sylvia Acevedo of Santa Barbara will be held from noon to 1:30 p.m. in the Grand Salon, located at the northwest corner of Camarillo Street and Rincon Drive.聽
鈥淪ylvia is a true trailblazer,鈥� said Susan Andrzejewski, Ph.D., Dean of the Martin V. Smith School of Business & Economics at 黑料正能量. 聽鈥淎s a lifelong advocate for the transformational power of education, Sylvia鈥檚 values strongly align with those of CSU Channel Islands, and I am certain our students, faculty, staff, and community members will enjoy the luncheon event.鈥澛�
Andrzejewski will interview Acevedo about her background, her experience working for NASA and Girl Scouts, and her advice for students.聽
InStyle ranked Acevedo as No. 7 on its 2019 list of 鈥淭he Badass 50,鈥� women who are changing the world,鈥痑nd Fast Company included her among its 鈥�100 Most Creative People in Business鈥� in 2018.聽聽
Acevedo started out as a rocket scientist at NASA鈥檚 Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and then went on to executive roles at IBM, Apple, Dell and other tech firms.聽聽
Later she created and produced award-winning national educational mobilization campaigns, and in 2010 the Mexican government awarded her the Ohtli Award, one of its highest civilian honors, for her work in improving parental engagement in education in the U.S. From 2011 to 2016, President Barack Obama commissioned her to lead the Educational Excellence for Hispanics in Early Childhood Initiative, and she was the key driver of the administration鈥檚 Early Childhood Dual Language Education Policy.鈥�
Acevedo began serving as national board secretary for Girl Scouts of the United States of America in 2008. Starting in 2016, she served as interim CEO for a year, and then she took the helm in the permanent role for more than three years. She led the creation of 146 new badges in STEM, outdoors, entrepreneurship and civics. Girl Scouts earned more than 1 million STEM badges during her tenure. Acevedo鈥檚 best-selling middle school memoir, 鈥淧ath to the Stars: My Journey from Girl Scout to Rocket Scientist,鈥� was published in 2018.聽
She currently serves on the board of directors for Qualcomm and Credo. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in industrial education from New Mexico State University and a master鈥檚 degree in engineering from Stanford University. Duke University awarded her an honorary doctorate in 2022, and Washington College presented her with one in 2020.聽
To attend Monday鈥檚 event, register online at . Free parking will be available to community members in the A1 lot.聽聽
For more information, contact Ariana Canales at ariana.canales@csuci.edu or 805-437-1641.聽