Tamara Brown Named White House Champion of Change

Tamara Brown describes Tech Savvy, the program she founded to introduce middle school girls to the world of science and engineering.

On December 9, 2011, President Obama’s top science advisers honored 12 community heroes, including AAUW member and former president of the AAUW Buffalo (NY) Branch Tamara Brown, as leaders in engaging women and girls in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. This event was part of a White House effort to increase the number of women engaged in STEM to ensure global competitiveness and promote economic opportunities for women.
Brown was recognized for inspiring thousands of young women and their parents to consider education and career opportunities in STEM through her program Tech Savvy, a one-day conference designed to introduce middle school girls to the exciting opportunities available in STEM. This annual event is held at the University at Buffalo and has been embraced by the local community.
During the ceremony, Brown’s accomplishments were highlighted by Valerie Jarrett, senior advisor to the president; John P. Holdren, director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy; and Aneesh Chopra, U.S. chief technology officer. 
In recognition of AAUW’s long-standing commitment to opening STEM fields to women and girls, Catherine Hill and Christianne Corbett — co-authors of AAUW’s report Why So Few? Women in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics — and Lisa Maatz and Erin Prangley from the AAUW Public Policy team were invited to participate in a roundtable discussion preceding the awards ceremony. At the discussion, Corbett presented Chopra with a copy of the executive summary of Why So Few?
The ceremony was recorded and is available on YouTube.