(upbeat music) Hi everyone, Steve Adubato.

More importantly, recently, my colleague on a sister program we do called "Lessons in Leadership," Mary Gamba.

Mary and I sat down and spoke with a compelling leader who's doing important work, Dr. Rochelle L. Williams with the National Society of Black Engineers, talking about the need to have more African Americans engaged in the world of engineering.

Why it matters, why creating opportunities for black engineers matter, the challenges black engineers face, and why society is better when we have a more diverse workforce engaged in engineering.

Dr. Williams tells us why.

Here she is.

- We're now joined by Dr. Rochelle Williams, Chief Programs and Membership Officer, National Society of Black Engineers.

Good to have you with us Dr. Williams.

- Thank you for having me.

- Our Honor.

And wanna make it clear, this is part of our Powering Equity and Social Justice series.

We'll put up the website of the National Society of Black Engineers, but tell folks exactly what it is and why the organization's so important.

- Yes.

So, we are almost a 50-year organization with a mission to increase the number of culturally responsible Black engineers who excel academically, succeed professionally, and positively impact the community.

This was started by collegiate students, like I said, almost 50 years ago on the campus of Purdue University who saw that there needed to be intentional focus on advancing Black people in engineering programs.

And their vision and legacy has lived on through the 20,000 plus members that we have today.

- Growing up, was... (Steve sighs) was becoming an engineer part of your professional dream?

- Yes, actually.

I was very fortunate and I recognized the privilege that I did have growing up where both of my parents were college educated.

They went to Southern University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, which is where I'm from.

And my mom was really big on making sure we had a wide variety of experiences from sports to arts to math and science.

And I actually enrolled in a program that's still in existence today on Southern University's campus, which is called the Engineering Summer Institute.

I did that in third grade and it sparked my interest in engineering.

And I knew from that moment I was going to be an engineer and I accomplished it.

- Did you know you were gonna be a leader in the field of engineering and work to inspire and motivate others, particularly those who happen to be African American and having a hard time getting into this arena?

Did you know that?

- Absolutely not.

Absolutely not.

I didn't- - So, how did that happen?

- Yeah, I think it just comes along with saying yes to opportunities.

Not being afraid to challenge the status quo.

And honestly, I have to tip my head off to racism.

Like seeing the difficulties Black people face in this field, whether it's in the educational sector or in the corporate sector.

That's really what keeps me going, because I know life doesn't have to be like this.

There's no reason why I should be working in a nonprofit.

I should be working in the engineering field, in the workforce.

But when there's something that compels you to really make a difference, then your path changes.

So, no, I never had a clue that this would be the road I'd be on.

I always thought I'd be working for like BMW or somewhere building cars.

Like I love that, designing and building and manufacturing.

But this has called me and I feel like this is important work.

If we really do wanna see change in this society.

- Building BMWs may be important, but the work you're doing on a lot of level's way more important.

Mary, go ahead.

- Yeah, I would love to talk a little bit about the connection between leadership and mentoring, especially because that K-12, that vulnerable, it really comes down to whose role models are in their lives.

So, why is it so important to you personally and as well as with your organization to coach, mentor, and pretty much bring up and raise our young leaders of tomorrow?

- Yes, because it's so important that we not only spark the interest at a young age, but we sustain it.

So, the latest research is telling us that even girls in middle school, that's where they lose their interest in math and science.

That's where that change happens.

And even speaking to my own personal experience, that's when it could have happened for me had it not been for a math teacher who said, "You're gonna stay in school every day until you get pre-algebra."

- Who was that math teacher?

(Mary chuckles) - I was gonna say, it faded for me, because I hated math, but I wasn't good at it.

- Right.

(laughs) - Rochelle.

Doctor, who was that teacher?

We just have some obsession - It was... - about name of teachers.

- Right?

You never forget the teacher's names that make a positive impact.

Dr. Gwendolyn Scott at McKinley Middle Magnet School.

Ms. Scott was instrumental - Wow.

- in making sure (Steve clapping) I stayed the course in math.

And so, that pre-college time in middle school really... Had it not been for her saying, "You're staying until you get this concept," I think that's when I would've been lost, because I would've given up, right?

And so, think about me who had a parent who was an accountant who knows math.

What about all the children out there who don't have parents who are good in math that could really sit down and help them?

And so, that's why the mentoring piece is so important that we have people that can support them, not only in the social context, but also in the technical context as they go through their K-12 pathway.

- Let me switch gears a little bit here.

We're doing this on "Lessons in Leadership".

We're gonna share it with our broader audience, if you will, likely on "One-on-One".

But I'm curious, what is the most significant way in which you believe your leadership approach, your approach to leadership has been influenced, impacted by COVID three plus years in?

- Just a real intentional focus on people over policies.

- Oh, people over policies.

- Policies.

- Expand, please.

- Because when you think about how our organizations are structured, they are really structured to support the organization in moving forward.

And so, if we are facing a crisis where people are dying every single day, your staff's family members are dying or sick, or in hospitals, how do you not address the policies that prevent them from living, right?

From living, period.

So, it's really me being more intentional about making sure before we look at anything, we're looking at it through an equitable lens, in a lens that puts people before the policies that we've created or will create.

- Mary, got time for one more on your end.

- Yeah.

Definitely.

I wanted to talk just a little bit, I know you talked about the math and the challenges in STEM.

What other skills do you believe are essential for our young adults, especially as they're graduating high school, looking at colleges.

If there were one leadership skill in addition to getting the education, of course, what one leadership skill today would you say to your younger self, hey, this is what you really need to succeed in college and beyond.

- You know, I love Brené Brown's work and I think emotional intelligence is one of the biggest skills that we as a people, (Steve clapping) as a community, as a country, have to focus on.

Because if you don't have the emotional intelligence to guide people to know what people need, then how do we make sure our organizations are thriving?

And you can't unless you have emotionally intelligent leaders.

Dr. Rochelle L. Williams of the National Society of Black Engineers, I wanna thank you so much for joining us.

We appreciate it.

- Thank you.

I appreciate you having me.

- You got it.

Stay with us.

Mary and I will be right back.

- [Narrator] One-On-One with Steve Adubato has been a production of the Caucus Educational Corporation.

Funding has been provided by RWJBarnabas Health.

Let'’s be healthy together.

PSEG Foundation.

Newark Board of Education.

New Jersey Institute of Technology.

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.

Johnson & Johnson.

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

PSC.

And by The North Ward Center.

Promotional support provided by NJ.Com.

And by The New Jersey Business & Industry Association.

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