Who We Are...
(LISTO is the Spanish word which means "ready, prepared" and is also an acronym for Latino Infusion into Science and Technology Opportunities)
ListoAmerica Inc. is a new, non-profit organization which is founded on the premise that Latinos/Latinas can be a significant source of Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) future employees in our country's 21st-century workforce to help solve one of the most pressing issues facing the United States: the critical shortage of STEM-based skilled employees in the future demographics of our country.
Three trends make this a true crisis that will have a significant impact on our global competitiveness and national security:
 |
|
1. The impending retirement of the "Baby Boomer" population who are so significantly represented in the STEM fields and occupations
2. The fact that most jobs in the 21st-century workforce will require a STEM-based background and also the ability to do critical thinking
3. Latinos continue to be the fastest growing segment of our country's population and yet continue to be significantly underrepresented in STEM-based education and occupations. |
Indeed, there are some real and effective efforts being made across the country to get more Latinos/Latinas into STEM--- yet many of the programs are localized, not integrated with other programs and have not yielded the significant growth of Latinos/Latinas in STEM to meet the critical need.
Hence, ListoAmerica Inc--a non-profit/ 501c3 -- will attempt to bring all the programs and efforts together to ACCELERATE LATINO READINESS IN STEM FOR OUR 21st CENTURY WORKFORCE TO KEEP AMERICA STRONG AND COMPETITIVE.
In order to quickly increase organizational capacity, ListoAmerica (which is often described as a new, nimble, innovative and a corporate-bred non-profit organization) has formed a strategic partnership with the Mexican American Opportunity Foundation (MAOF is one of the largest, well established, successful community-based non-profit organization serving our Latino communities) to implement the 21st CENTURY WORKFORCE READINESS INTIATIVE for our Latino communities of the United States.
The three Strategic Objectives of the ListoAmerica/MAOF 21st CENTURY WORKFORCE READINESS INITIATIVE are as follows:
1. INCREASE LATINO STEM READINESS by building the foundational pipeline of math and science-ready Latinos/Latinas in the 6th thru 12th grades
2. IMPROVE LATINO STEM RETENTION by engaging and supporting Latinos/Latinas already on the STEM track in our colleges and universities
3. ACCELERATE THE IMPLEMENTATION OF EFFECTIVE AND EFFICIENT PROGRAMS by forming partnerships to leverage best practices and resources.
With these 3 Strategic Objectives as a backdrop, ListoAmerica will focus on three strategies as our go-forward plan (described the section WHAT WE DO).
To help you better understand ListoAmerica Inc., please review our vision, mission and values-based operational guidelines. ListoAmerica will officially kick-off in the Fall 2009. Please continue to check this web-page for further information and updates.
When you look at the full range of challenges to really increase Latino representation in the 21st Century workforce, I fully realize that a single organization cannot do it alone...we need coalitions and partnerships. My hope is that ListoAmerica can help accelerate the integration and replication of the best practices for the good of our people, communities and country.
Bill Izabal, in his office in Santa Ana, CA.
Juntos podemos,
W. Guillermo "Bill" Izabal
President and Founder
