EDGE Consortium

About Us

The Consortium

Forging New Pathways

Together, we are collaborating to transform semiconductor-related education to be more accessible and aligned with industry workforce needs.

Open letter from Women Presidents, Deans from Six of America's Leading Research Universities, in Support of CHIPS and Science Act

Who We Are

We are women presidents and deans of engineering from the nation’s leading research universities and schools of engineering including: Dartmouth, Indiana University, Brown University, University of California-Berkeley, University of Rochester, the University of Washington, and the Olin College of Engineering.

What We Do

The CHIPS and Science Act can only deliver on its promise to strengthen the US semiconductor industry by significantly growing and diversifying our engineering workforce. The EDGE Consortium is committed to forging new pathways into STEM jobs and training so that no one is left behind.

We will work to double the number of industry-ready, trained women and historically marginalized groups by connecting the semiconductor industry to societal impact, creating more varied educational on-ramps, supporting community through cross-university cohorts of students, creating more permeability between higher education and industry, and investing in enhancing hard infrastructure at universities.

How We Do It

To deliver on our commitment, we will work diligently to:

Connect the semiconductor industry to societal impact.
Create more varied educational on-ramps.
Support community through cross-university cohorts of students.
Create more permeability between higher education and industry.
Enhance hard infrastructure at universities.

How You Can Help:

Be a visible advocate for the link between the semiconductor industry and societal impact.
Connect students across institutions to establish strong communities for young adults interested in semiconductor-related programming.
Partner with universities and engineering schools to establish industry-embedded curricula.
Join the alliance and become a member of the EDGE Consortium.

Founding Members

President Christina Paxson

Christina Hull Paxson has served as Brown University’s 19th president and professor of economics and public policy since July 1, 2012. Under Paxson’s leadership, Brown has fortified its standing as a leading research university known for its excellence and innovation in undergraduate education, its transformational vision in fueling economic development through community and government partnerships, and its commitment to inclusion and access.

Dean of Engineering Tejal Desai

Tejal A. Desai assumed the role of Sorensen Family Dean of Engineering at Brown University, effective September 1, 2022. An accomplished biomedical engineer and academic leader, Desai’s research spans multiple disciplines including materials engineering, cell biology, tissue engineering, and pharmacological delivery systems to develop new therapeutic interventions for disease.

President Sian Beilock

Sian Leah Beilock is the 19th president of Dartmouth. She is the first woman to have been elected president of Dartmouth by the Board of Trustees and began her tenure on June 12, 2023. Beilock previously served as the eighth president of Barnard College at Columbia University.

Dean of Engineering Alexis Abramson

Alexis Abramson is the 13th dean of Thayer School of Engineering at Dartmouth. During the Obama administration, Abramson served as chief scientist and manager of the Emerging Technologies Division at the US Department of Energy’s Building Technologies Program.

President Pam Whitten

Pamela Whitten is the 19th president of Indiana University and the first woman to lead IU, a world-class public research university with seven campuses throughout Indiana.

Dean of Engineering Joanna Millunchick

Joanna Mirecki Millunchick became the dean of the Luddy School of Informatics, Computing, and Engineering July 1, 2022.  She is also a professor of intelligent systems engineering with a research focus on equity-centered engineering, in which she studies the benefits of participating in co-curricular engineering activities and how to transfer those benefits to attract and retain students.

President Sarah Mangelsdorf

University of Rochester President Sarah C. Mangelsdorf is an experienced academic leader who is internationally known for her research on social and emotional personality development and for her work on issues of academic quality, educational access, and diversity and inclusion at some of the nation’s leading public and private institutions.

Dean of Engineering Wendi Heinzelman

Wendi Heinzelman became dean of the Hajim School on July 1, 2016. In her previous role as dean of graduate studies for Arts, Sciences & Engineering, Heinzelman worked with the Arts, Sciences and Engineering faculty to develop innovative specialized and interdisciplinary graduate programs, such as a master’s degree in alternative energy and a graduate degree program in technical entrepreneurship and management.

President Ana Mari Cauce

A member of the UW faculty since 1986, Cauce became UW’s 33rd president Oct. 13, 2015. Throughout her career, Cauce has championed access to higher education and UW views on innovation as an imperative.

Dean of Engineering Nancy Allbritton

Dr. Nancy L. Allbritton joined the University of Washington as the Frank & Julie Jungers Dean of Engineering in November 2019. Allbritton is an international expert on multiplexed single-cell assays, microfabricated platforms for high-content cytometry combined with cell sorting, and microengineered stem-cell-based systems for recapitulating human organ-level function.

Chancellor (Retired June 2024) Carol Christ

Carol Christ began her term as the 11th chancellor of the University of California, Berkeley on July 1, 2017. A well known advocate for quality, accessible public higher education, she is a proponent of the value of a broad education in the liberal arts and sciences, and a champion of women’s issues and diversity on college campuses.

Dean of Engineering Tsu-Jae King Liu

Tsu-Jae King Liu received the B.S., M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Electrical Engineering from Stanford University. Her research activities are presently in advanced materials, fabrication processes and devices for energy-efficient electronics.

President and Chair of the Board of Directors of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Gilda Barabino

Gilda A. Barabino is the second president of Olin College of Engineering, which is dedicated to educating the next generation of engineering innovators who recognize needs, design solutions and engage in creative enterprises for the good of the world. 

Member Schools

President Dr. Barbara J. Wilson

Dr. Barbara J. Wilson began her term as the 22nd president of the University of Iowa on July 15, 2021. Based on the university’s comprehensive excellence and creativity across the disciplines as well as its strong sense of community, her leadership priorities are focused on people.

Dean of the College of Engineering Ann F. McKenna

Ann F. McKenna is Dean of the College of Engineering and Roy J. Carver Professor of Engineering at the University of Iowa. Prior to joining the University of Iowa in 2023, Dr. McKenna was Vice Dean of Strategic Advancement in the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering at Arizona State University (ASU).

President Dr. Marlene Tromp

Dr. Marlene Tromp is the President of Boise State University. She brought Boise State University into the UPWARDS partnership at the G7 Summit and oversaw the launch of the Microelectronics Education and Research (MER) Institute to prepare a broad array of students for work in the semiconductor industry.

Dean of the College of Engineering JoAnn S. Lighty, Ph.D.

Dr. Lighty comes to Boise State from the University of Utah and the National Science Foundation, where she has been a division director since October 2013. A professor at the University of Utah for 29 years, Dr. Lighty was chair of the Department of Chemical Engineering, director of the Institute for Combustion and Energy Studies, and associate dean for academics in the College of Engineering.

Staff

Program Director, EDGE Consortium
Government and Community Relations Lesley Nesbitt

Lesley is the Program Director for the EDGE Consortium. She has over 20 years experience in education and academia across all levels from early childhood to tertiary education. Her primary focus has been working with mission-driven independent institutions that seek to improve access for all students, regardless of socioeconomic status, neurodivergence, race, or ethnicity. As a seasoned leader of Admissions, Recruiting, Marketing & Communications, and Assessment professionals alike, Lesley leverages her expansive management background to help the Consortium build a broad coalition of committed educators, industry leaders, federal partners, and motivated students.