Nov 6, 2022 | Books, Business
The prestigious award is the top honor at the annual BEYA STEM Conference, set to take place February 2023 in Washington, D.C. Dr. Parris is recognized for his significant contributions to the fields of STEM and his work in digital transformation.
Tyrone Taborn, Dr. Colin Parris, H. Lawrence Culp
BALTIMORE – Nov. 4, 2022 – PRLog — The BEYA STEM Conference, hosted by Career Communications Group (CCG), has announced Dr. Colin Parris as this year’s recipient of the Black Engineer of the Year Award. Dr. Parris, who currently serves as GE’s Senior Vice President and GE Digital’s Chief Technology Officer, is recognized for his exemplary achievements and contributions to STEM fields and his instrumental role in the digital transformation of many industries. The BEYA STEM Conference will be held February 9-11, 2023, at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center in Washington, D.C.
H. Lawrence Culp, Jr., Chairman and CEO, GE and CEO, GE Aerospace said, “Colin’s extensive knowledge across multiple industries—software, energy, aviation, healthcare, banking, and manufacturing—has been invaluable to GE. In addition to his many contributions to the industry, Colin is also a very committed mentor and sponsor of STEM talent, making him an ideal candidate for the Black Engineer of the Year Award.”
Dr. Parris’ 35+ year career has been centered on developing and enhancing digital transformation across multiple industries (telecommunications, banking, retail, aviation, energy, and more) in billion-dollar companies, as well as advocating and evangelizing STEM advancements.
Dr. Parris joined GE as Corporate Officer and Vice President of GE’s Software and Analytics Research at the GE Research Center in Niskayuna, New York in 2014. In that role, he led the creation, development, and application of industrial analytics, artificial intelligence, machine learning, and software systems research broadly across GE.
A central part of this portfolio is GE’s industry-leading Digital Twin Initiative, which he created and still leads today. Digital Twin is a leading-edge engineering modeling and data analytics capability that allows the modeling and control of industrial assets to increase their availability and performance and to optimize their economic value. Dr. Parris has written over 300 articles on Digital Twin, industrial AI, artificial intelligence, power systems, and machine learning and has published multiple technical papers and holds several patents. He is committed to pushing the boundaries when it comes to modern-day innovation and leading the next generation of GE engineers in doing the same.
Prior to GE, Dr. Parris spent twenty years with IBM focused on the digital transformation of many industries as the internet era began. Before that, he worked at AT&T Bell Laboratories as a Member of Technical Staff, where he conducted research and advanced development in high-speed telephone switching systems and algorithms. Dr. Parris holds a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from Howard University (1985) and both a Master of Science in Electrical Engineering & Computer Science (1987) and a Doctor of Philosophy in Electrical Engineering & Computer Science (1994) from the University of California, Berkeley. He also holds a Master of Science in Management (Sloan Fellow) from Stanford University (1998).
“Dr. Parris is a great example of this year’s conference theme – becoming everything you are,” said CEO of CCG Dr. Tyrone Taborn. “The work he has done throughout his career shaped history, and his innovative mind and passion for finding solutions through technology allowed him to break barriers and improve industries. We are honored to recognize him with the Black Engineer of the Year Award.”
About BEYA & CCG
The BEYA STEM Conference is produced by Career Communications Group, Inc. (CCG), the leader in workforce diversity, working with all types of companies to help support them in promoting multiculturalism and gender equity in STEM fields (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics). For 37 years, the BEYA STEM Conference has been a leading event for professional development, networking, and providing a resource for minorities to feel empowered. For more information about the 2023 BEYA STEM Conference, visit www.beya.org
Jul 18, 2021 | Business
Colin Kaepernick, renowned activist, change-maker, and athlete, and Scholastic, the global childrens publishing, education, and media company, announced a multi-book publishing deal. Brokered in an exclusive offer from Kaepernick Publishing, the agreement includes World rights and all languages for both print and eBook formats. Andrea Davis Pinkney, VP and Executive Editor, Scholastic, will edit the first project, a picture book illustrated by Eric Wilkerson, to be published in April 2022.
Colins reputation as a thought leader precedes him, but it was also clear when we met that his mission and purpose were very much aligned with Scholastics, said Debra Dorfman, VP and Publisher, Scholastic Global Licensing, Brands & Media. We knew instantly that we wanted to share his stories, which will be impactful messages of identity and belonging for Black and Brown children.
On April 5, 2022, Scholastic will release I Color Myself Different, a picture book inspired by a significant childhood memory of when Kaepernick first documented that he was different from his adopted white family. During a kindergarten exercise on drawing families, Kaepernick remembers putting down the yellow crayon he had been using to draw his family and picking up the brown crayon for himself. This moment crystallized for him the differences marked by his adoption, and how acknowledging those distinctions could encourage us all to be more accepting of ourselves and each other.
Colin Kaepernicks inspiring story, with themes of identity, race, and self-esteem, will resonate deeply with all kids, said Ellie Berger, President and Publisher, Scholastic Trade Publishing. We are privileged to bring this work to young readers around the world for the very first time.
This story is deeply personal to me, and inspired by real events in my life. I hope that it honors the courage and bravery of young people everywhere by encouraging them to live with authenticity and purpose, said Kaepernick. Im excited for Kaepernick Publishing to be collaborating with Scholastic on books with Black and Brown voices at the forefront. I hope that our books will inspire readers to walk through the world with confidence, strength, and truth in all they do.
Holder of the all-time NFL record for most rushing yards in a game by a quarterback, Colin Kaepernick took a knee during the playing of The Star Spangled Banner in 2016 to bring attention to systemic oppressions, specifically police terrorism against Black and Brown people. For his stance, he has been denied employment by the league. Since 2016, he has founded and helped fund three organizationsKnow Your Rights Camp, Ra Vision Media, and Kaepernick Publishingthat together advance the liberation of Black and Brown people through storytelling, systems change, and political education. Kaepernick sits on Mediums Board and is the winner of numerous prestigious honors including Amnesty Internationals Ambassador of Conscience Award, the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Ripple of Hope honor, GQ magazines Citizen of the Year, the NFLs Len Eshmont Award, the Sports Illustrated Muhammad Ali Legacy Award, the ACLUs Eason Monroe Courageous Advocate Award, and the Puffin/Nation Institutes Prize for Creative Citizenship.
About Kaepernick Publishing:
Founded by Colin Kaepernick in 2019, Kaepernick Publishing strives to elevate a new generation of writers with diverse views and voices through the creation of powerful works of all genres that can build a better and more just world.
About Scholastic:
For more than 100 years, Scholastic Corporation (NASDAQ: SCHL) has been encouraging the personal and intellectual growth of all children, beginning with literacy. Having earned a reputation as a trusted partner to educators and families, Scholastic is the worlds largest publisher and distributor of childrens books, a leading provider of literacy curriculum, professional services, and classroom magazines, and a producer of educational and entertaining childrens media. The Company creates and distributes bestselling books and e-books, print and technology-based learning programs for pre-K to grade 12, and other products and services that support childrens learning and literacy, both in school and at home. With 15 international operations and exports to 165 countries, Scholastic makes quality, affordable books available to all children around the world through school-based book clubs and book fairs, classroom libraries, school and public libraries, retail, and online. Learn more at www.scholastic.com.
