Valerie Poarch-Harding Receives A Professional Achievement Award at Women of Color STEM Conference

BALTIMORE - Sept. 16, 2013 - PRLog -- Imani Carter
icarter@ccgmag.com
410-244-7101, ext. 124

BALTIMORE–Valerie Poarch-Harding, Supervisory Computer Scientist, U.S. Army CECOM, has been selected to receive Women of Color Magazine’s Professional Achievement-Government at the 18^th Annual Women of Color Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) Conference, which is scheduled to take place October 17-19 at the Hilton Anatole in Dallas, Texas.

The Professional Achievement-Government award is presented to a highly experienced, mid-career professional who has made significant achievements in a science, engineering, or technology title in industry or government. Here, the specific degree earned is less relevant than the significance of the work and the nominee's achievements as a role model and leader for other minorities in the field.

For over 23 years, Poarch-Harding has been employed at the Fort Lee Army Base. She joined the Software Engineering Center Lee as a computer specialist intern for a salary of $15,000. She continued to work hard and progressed in her career and enrolled with the ACTED or Army Civilian Training, Education and Development System. She received funding for joining this program and also received the Management Information Systems Baccalaureate degree from Virginia Commonwealth University in 1996. In 2000, she completed her Master of Administration degree from the Central Michigan University and did a course at the Nova Southern University in Florida before completing the required Calculus course to be eligible to work as a computer scientist in SEC LEE.

The 2013 Women of Color STEM conference is a multicultural event for women in scientific and technical careers. The conference features several key speakers who will address the underrepresentation of women in these disciplines. The conference will also host training seminars that will highlight important topics such as leadership and professional skills, diversity and inclusion, technical leadership and innovation and career outlook.

Tyrone D. Taborn, CEO of Career Communications Group, calls the awards long-deserved recognition for talented women. "These women are outstanding achievers in very competitive fields where women do not always get a fair shot at leadership positions," Taborn says.

"Women make up more than half of the population of this country and are receiving more than half of the college degrees, yet too many women in today’s work force are trapped in low-paying and low-grade-level jobs," Taborn adds. "Given the growing diversity of the current work force, employers must commit not only to leveling the playing field but also to addressing those inequalities that limit women from achieving their full career potential."

About Women of Color magazine:
Women of Color magazine is published by Career Communications Group (CCG), the leader in celebrating diversity and promoting equal opportunity for minorities and women in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). CCG provides leadership in talent management and career development, enabling employers to recruit, retain, and recognize highly qualified minorities.

For more information about this year’s awardees, sponsors, and registration details, please visit www.womenofcolor.net.