Monterey Park, CA – Great Minds in STEM is proud to announce the 2017 Class of military and civilian honorees from our nation’s armed forces. For twenty-nine years, Great Minds in STEM™ has identified and showcased the achieve-ments of the nation’s most talented engineers and scientists within the Hispanic community. Recognizing the unique role of our nation’s military, Great Minds in STEM has a long tradition of honoring civilian and uniformed military personnel in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields. These outstanding role models compete in the overall HENAAC Awards categories, and for the STEM Military and Civilian Hero Awards. These award winners will be honored at the 29th Annual HENAAC Conference, “Destiny Driven by Determination” in Pasadena, CA, October 18-22, 2017.

HENAAC Award winners will be recognized at the Awards Show on Friday, October 20, and the STEM Hero honorees will receive thier awards at the National Defense Awards Thursday, October 19.

Great Minds in STEM Announces Class of 2017 Military & Civilian STEM Honorees

Press ReleaseAugust 18, 2017

Monica Villafaña, Esq.Director, Client Relations& Executive ServicesGreat Minds in STEM(323) 262-0997 Ext. 103(O)mvillafana@greatmindsinstem.org

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2017 STEM Hero Award Winners

Mayra A. Flores Civil EngineerInspector of CompletedWorks Program New Orleans DistrictU.S. Army Corps of EngineersU.S. Army

Miguel Hinojosa, Ph.D. Electronics Engineer, DB-IIIU.S. Army ResearchLaboratoryU.S. Army

Captain Omar J.Marrero-Olmeda Lead System EngineerU.S. Air Force

Humberto Hernandez Branch Chief, Aerospace EngineerU.S. Army RDECOMU.S. Army

LT. Victor J. Lopez PilotU.S. Air Force

Juan A. DominguezRegional Technical SpecialistCost EngineerLos Angeles DistrictU.S. Army Corps of EngineersU.S. Army

Press ReleaseAugust 18, 2017

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Martin Quiñones Lead In-Service EngineerProgram Management/Life Cycle ManagementNaval Surface Warfare Center,Philadelphia DivisionNAVSEAU.S. Navy

Captain Amparo E. Romero Ortiz Electronic Warfare Officer, Squadron Tactics OfficerU.S. Air Force

Brian P. WhalenChiefCapability Transition DivisionNational Reconnaissance Office

2017 HENAAC Award Winners* From the Militaryexecutive excellence

CDR Jose A. Peña, P.E., CFM Commanding OfficerCoast Guard Base Los Angeles Long BeachUnited States Coast Guard

Outstanding Technical Achievement

Carlos R. Gonzalez, Ph.D., P.EResearch Civil EngineerEngineering Systems and Materials Division, Geotechnical and Structures Laboratory, U.S. Army Engineer Re-search and Development CenterU.S. Army Corps of Engineers

*See 2017 HENAAC Award Winners press release for photos and complete listing.

Professional Achievement Level I

Major Eduardo Barajas Deputy Chief, Materials Durability and Sustainment Branch (AFRL/RXSS), Systems Support Division (AFRL/RXS)Wright Patterson Air Force BaseUnited States Air Force

Vilmaliz Manfredo EngineerNaval Undersea Warfare Center, Division NewportNAVSEAU.S. Navy

Jose Martin, Ph.D.Chief EngineerFlexible Family Targets Program Office, Targets and Counter-measures ProgramMissile Defense Agency

Monica Villafaña, Esq.Director, Client Relations& Executive ServicesGreat Minds in STEM(323) 262-0997 Ext. 103(O)mvillafana@greatmindsinstem.org

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Great Minds in STEM™ is a 501(c)3 a non-profit organization dedicated to keeping America technologically strong by promoting Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) careers, especially in underserved communities. Established in 1989 and based in the Los Angeles area, the organization’s nation-wide program-ming focuses on STEM educational awareness from kindergarten through college, and on seeking-out and documenting the world-class contributions of Hispanic professionals in STEM to serve as role models for the next generation of American engineers and scientists.

Great Minds in STEM’s annual HENAAC Conference is the organization’s flagship event where all elements of outreach and programming come together to celebrate Hispanic excellence in STEM. The conference features executive forums, seminars, competitive programs, career opportunities and networking sessions and is at-tended by over 3,000 STEM students and professionals annually.

For 2017, Great Minds in STEM is partnering with CAHSI (the Computing Alliance of Hispanic Serving Institu-tions), NOGLSTP (the National Organization of Gay and Lesbian Scientists and Technical Professionals) and CHCI (the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute), who have all chosen the Conference as the venue for annual meetings and events.

For more information about Great Minds in STEM and the 2017 HENAAC Conference, please visit us online at:

About the Organization

Press ReleaseAugust 18, 2017

www.greatmindsinstem.org

October 18-22, 2017“Destiny Driven By Determination”