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The
National Alliance for Partnerships in Equity
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NAPE
Welcomes Dr. Yolanda Comedy
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 The
National Alliance for Partnerships in Equity would like to welcome
Dr. Yolanda Comedy, our newest consultant working to promote equity
and diversity in the nation's educational institutions and in the
workplace.
Yolanda L. Comedy is an independent consultant working on policy
issues, including cybersecurity; space commercialization; science,
technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education and
diversity; and business strategy. For more than 15 years she has
worked in both the public and private sectors on critical public
policy issues, primarily in science and technology policy.
Comedy obtained her Ph.D. from Indiana University in political
science and public policy. As an American Association for the
Advancement of Science Fellow she spent two years leading efforts on
global democracy issues for the U.S. Agency for International
Development. Comedy worked for the Clinton White House, serving as a
Senior Policy Analyst for both the President's Committee of Advisors
on Science and Technology and the President's Information Technology
Advisory Committee. She then went on to work for IBM and was integral
to the creation and implementation of initiatives in philanthropy and
governmental programs and consulted on issues ranging from education
reform, to the impact of advancements in semiconductors and
supercomputers, to innovation, to the effect of a global pandemic on
business.
Comedy has served as a lobbyist, has had extensive contact with
several Administrations and Congress, and has been actively involved
with leading associations. She presently serves as chair of the
American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Committee
on Science, Engineering and Public Policy (COSEPP).
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NAPE Policy Review:
2012 STATE of the UNION
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President Obama's 2012 State of the Union address
presented ideas and a vision that is supportive of the agenda and
message of the National Alliance for Partnerships in Equity (NAPE).
The President highlighted the importance of American workers that are
globally competitive and prepared for the jobs of tomorrow, giving
credence to the role of education, training and fairness-both a call
for a more skilled workforce and a salute to the American values that
initially created a strong economy. The President called for "an
economy built to last" and discussed the criticality of creating
a productive, skilled and educated workforce. He described the role
government must play if Americans are going to succeed and prosper.
The focus of the President when describing the economy was primarily
on the struggling poor and disappearing middle class.
President Obama highlighted the need to improve K-12
education in the U.S., the need for affordable college, and the
importance of investment in science, engineering and technology. He
cited the importance of good teachers, all states requiring that
students stay in school until the age of 18, lowering university
costs (or risking a federal funding reduction), better work study
programs and more emphasis on programs for paying college tuition
(including low interest rates for education loans). He also noted the
importance of job creation in the areas of manufacturing, energy, and
fixing decaying infrastructure. Central to his speech were the ideals
of social and economic equality, including equal pay for equal work,
immigration reform and the Dream Act, and the training and retraining
of workers.
NAPE is encouraged by the President's attention to
career and technical education and his understanding of the strong
role of educators, industry and government in ensuring that students
are properly trained for 21st century careers. The President
highlighted a retraining program created by Siemens and called for
community colleges to become community career centers, playing a strong
role in retraining America's workforce and giving students the
technical skills needed to bring jobs back to the U.S. He proposed an
initiative to train 2 million workers in the science and technology
industries, whom he noted are struggling to find skilled employees.
The First Lady, Michelle Obama's box, showcased
Americans who have chosen non-traditional careers and broken
barriers. From a female sergeant in the United States Army to the
founder of an organization focused on harnessing the potential of
individuals from underserved communities to an immigrant who achieved
his dream of higher education to a beneficiary of an Equal Employment
Opportunity Commission's (EEOC) claim, the President and First Lady
demonstrated a commitment to career-building for all Americans.
President Obama called "the defining issue of our time" the
ability to deliver on the American promise-that hard work and
responsibility pays off and creates the opportunity to own a home,
raise a family and retire. "No challenge is more urgent. No
debate is more important. We can either settle for a country where a
shrinking number of people do really well, while a growing number of
Americans barely get by, or we can restore an economy where everyone
gets a fair shot, and everyone does their fair share and everyone
plays by the same set of rules." Toward this goal, NAPE will
continue to work with the Administration on the Carl D. Perkins
Career and Technical Education (Perkins) Act and other legislation
that funds career technical education programs, breaks barriers and
helps ensure a skilled American workforce.
But while the themes in the State of the Union speech were right on
par with NAPE values, the "how-to" and split Congress will
make for a challenging year.
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 Brought
to you by the National Alliance for Partnerships in Equity
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