INDUSTRY, Calif., Oct. 8, 2014 /PRNewswire/-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ — The Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE) announced today its 2014 STAR Awards recipients for Company of the Year and Government Agency of the Year. Johnson & Johnson is named “Company of the Year” and the U.S. Army received “Government Agency of the Year” for their roles as key contributors to the Hispanic community in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM).

“We are proud to present this year’s STAR Awards to Johnson & Johnson as Company of the Year and U.S. Army as Government Agency of the Year,” said Barry Cordero, SHPE President and Interim CEO. “These two companies have provided exceptional support for SHPE and its programs. We look forward to their continued collaboration in preparing our next generation of Hispanic STEM leaders.”

The STAR Awards are presented annually by SHPE, recognizing individuals and corporations nationally for their dedication, commitment and selfless efforts to the growth and advancement of Hispanics through STEM careers. The STAR Awards offer several other honored categories representing exceptional college students to industry professionals and public and private corporations.  

The Company of the Year and Government Agency Awards are given to a company or agency demonstrating outstanding support to SHPE and SHPE Foundation educational programs. 

“On behalf of everyone at Johnson & Johnson, we are honored to be recognized by SHPE as this year’s STAR Awards recipient for Company of the Year”, said Jeanne Fedoryk, Vice President of Talent Acquisition at Johnson & Johnson. “SHPE has been a valuable partner in our commitment to diversity and inclusion and has contributed significantly to this effort. We have successfully partnered with SHPE on a variety of programs including the Corporate Readiness program aimed at providing young professionals the tools required to be successful in the workplace.  At Johnson & Johnson we know that our differences help to drive innovation and to better understand the needs of our customers around the world.” 

All 20 recipients of the 2014 STAR Awards will be recognized at this year’s SHPE Conference November 5–9 in Detroit, Michigan at the COBO Center.

SHPE Conference 2014
The SHPE Conference is the largest annual Hispanic STEM conference in the nation bringing together more than 6,000 professionals, educators, students and corporations from throughout the U.S. for technical and professional development workshops, design contests, technical competitions, engineering challenges, network opportunities and a Career Expo. Pre-register online and learn about travel and hotel discounts. More information can be found by visiting the SHPE Conference website at www.shpe.org/2014.

About SHPE
The Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers offers a network of more than 400 chapters nationally. SHPE’s mission is to change lives by empowering the Hispanic community to realize its fullest potential and to impact the world through STEM awareness, access, support and development. SHPE provides a variety of programming and resources including hosting the largest annual Hispanic STEM conference in the nation.  For more information, visit www.shpe.org.