Prodea’s CEO Inducted into 2014 U.S. News STEM Leadership Hall of Fame

Richardson, TX (PRWEB) May 23, 2014

Prodea Systems today announced that Anousheh Ansari, CEO and co-founder of Prodea, has been inducted in the 2014 U.S. News STEM Leadership Hall of Fame. Ansari was inducted alongside three additional honorees, also selected for their leadership in advancing science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education and workforce preparation.

“The STEM Leadership Hall of Fame recognizes pioneers in their own fields who are also instrumental in leading national efforts to better prepare students and workers in STEM,” said Brian Kelly, U.S. News editor and chief content officer. “This year’s leaders bring a variety of experiences and expertise to our program and we look forward to working closely with each of them to expand education in these critical areas.”

On September 18, 2006, Ansari blasted off into space for an eight-day expedition aboard the International Space Station and captured headlines around the world as the first female private space explorer. She also earned a place in history as the first astronaut of Iranian descent, the first Muslim woman, and the fourth private explorer to visit space. As a successful serial entrepreneur and active proponent of world-changing technologies and social entrepreneurship, she along with her family provided the title sponsorship for the Ansari X Prize, a $10 million cash award for the first non-governmental organization to launch a reusable manned spacecraft into space twice within two weeks. This feat was accomplished in 2004 by legendary aerospace designer Burt Rutan. With the success of the X Prize competition, the Ansari family helped launch a new era in private space exploration. Ansari is also the founder of the "What If Prize Competition," designed to spark interest in space science with the goal of encouraging students to use their imagination for innovative ideas. Each year the competition presents unique space-themed challenges and gives students the opportunity to think, search and write their ideas on how to solve these challenges.

“I am honored to be selected as an inductee into the U.S. News STEM Leadership Hall of Fame,” said Anousheh Ansari, CEO and co-founder of Prodea. “As a young girl I dreamed of going into space and was able to make my dream come true in 2006. As the STEM fields grow, it is vital that those in these industries continue to educate the youth. I am looking forward to playing a key role in educating the younger generation in STEM areas so that more dreams like mine can come true.”

The honorees were chosen from a group of industry, academic and nonprofit leaders for achieving measurable results in STEM fields, challenging conventional wisdom and motivating future STEM professionals. In addition to Ansari, the 2014 U.S. News STEM Leadership Hall of Fame award winners include Norman R. Augustine, Former Chairman and CEO, Lockheed Martin, Shirley Ann Jackson, Ph.D., President, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and William H. Swanson, Chairman and CEO, Raytheon. The Hall of Fame inductees were honored at a special ceremony during the 2014 U.S. News STEM Solutions National Leadership Conference, which took place April 23–25, at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, DC. Following the awards presentation, the honorees participated in a panel discussion onstage moderated by Brian Kelly, Editor and Chief Content Officer, U.S. News & World Report. For more information on the U.S. News STEM Solutions National Leadership Conference, visit http://www.usnewsstemsolutions.com.

About U.S. News STEM Solutions
The National Leadership Conference is a mission-critical event focused on the shortage of science, technology, engineering and math skills in the American workforce. Produced by U.S. News & World Report, it brings the issue onto the national stage and assembles major corporations, leading educators, top policymakers and education technology companies in order to create the collective impact needed to fill jobs now and advance the future STEM workforce. In 2015, the conference will be held June 29 – July 1 at the Manchester Grand Hyatt in San Diego, CA.

About Prodea Systems
Prodea is the first company to deliver the promise of the connected home and make a seamless connected life possible for everyone. The Prodea Residential Operating System (ROS®) is a unified platform of the Internet of Things that enables diverse Service Providers worldwide to rapidly and cost-effectively deliver autonomous, agnostic and easy to use connectivity and services between people, data and devices. Headquartered in Richardson, Texas, Prodea maintains additional offices in New York, Los Angeles, Mumbai, London, Dubai and Johannesburg. For more information about Prodea Systems, please visit: http://www.prodea.com/.

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