Sylvia Acevedo. Courtesy photo.
CAMARILLO — A former NASA rocket scientist, tech firm executive and Girls Scouts CEO will share her experience and advice with CSU Channel Islands (CSUCI) students and community members during a free luncheon on Monday, Oct. 31.
The Martin V. Smith Speaker Series event featuring Sylvia Acevedo of Santa Barbara will be held from noon to 1:30 p.m. in the Grand Salon, located at the northwest corner of Camarillo Street and Rincon Drive.
“Sylvia is a true trailblazer,” said Susan Andrzejewski, Ph.D., Dean of the Martin V. Smith School of Business & Economics at CSUCI. “As a lifelong advocate for the transformational power of education, Sylvia’s values strongly align with those of CSU Channel Islands, and I am certain our students, faculty, staff, and community members will enjoy the luncheon event.”
Andrzejewski will interview Acevedo about her background, her experience working for NASA and Girl Scouts, and her advice for students.
InStyle ranked Acevedo as No. 7 on its 2019 list of “The Badass 50,” women who are changing the world,?and Fast Company included her among its “100 Most Creative People in Business” in 2018.
Acevedo started out as a rocket scientist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and then went on to executive roles at IBM, Apple, Dell, IBM, and other tech firms.
Later she created and produced award-winning national educational mobilization campaigns, and in 2010 the Mexican government awarded her the Ohtli Award, one of its highest civilian honors, for her work in improving parental engagement in education in the U.S. From 2011 to 2016, President Barack Obama commissioned her to lead the Educational Excellence for Hispanics in Early Childhood Initiative, and she was the key driver of the administration’s Early Childhood Dual Language Education Policy.
Acevedo began serving as national board secretary for Girl Scouts of the United States of America in 2008. Starting in 2016, she served as interim CEO for a year, and then she took the helm in the permanent role for more than three years. She led the creation of 146 new badges in STEM, outdoors, entrepreneurship and civics. Girl scouts earned more than 1 million STEM badges during her tenure. Acevedo’s best-selling middle school memoir, “Path to the Stars: My Journey from Girl Scout to Rocket Scientist,” was published in 2018.
She currently serves on the board of directors for Qualcomm and Credo. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in industrial education from New Mexico State University and a master’s degree in engineering from Stanford University. Duke University awarded her an honorary doctorate in 2022, and Washington College presented her with one in 2020.
To attend Monday’s event, register online at https://bit.ly/3zcImkc. Free parking will be available to community members in the A1 lot.
For more information, contact Ariana Canales at ariana.canales@csuci.edu or 805-437-1641.
CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY CHANNEL ISLANDS — California State University Channel Islands (CSUCI) is Ventura County’s only public university and opened in 2002 as the 23rd campus in the CSU system serving the regions of Ventura, Santa Barbara, and Los Angeles counties, as well as the entire state. CSUCI is located between Camarillo and the Oxnard Plain, midway between Santa Barbara and Los Angeles and 25 miles north from Malibu.
The campus is nestled against the foothills of the Santa Monica Mountains and is a 10-minute drive from the Pacific Ocean. With more than 5,600 students, 24,500 alumni, and 1,000 employees, CSUCI is poised to grow in size and distinction, while maintaining one of the most student-focused learning environments in public higher education with more than 90 academic degrees, teaching credentials, certificates, and professional and community programs.
Connect with and learn more by visiting www.csuci.edu or CSUCI’s Social Media.
The University encourages persons with disabilities to participate in its programs, events and activities. If you anticipate needing any type of accommodation, or have questions about the physical access provided, please contact the respective area below as soon as possible, but no later than seven (7) business days prior to the event/activity:
CSUCI Students
Disability Accommodations & Support Services: accommodations@csuci.edu
CSUCI Employees
Human Resources: angela.portillo@csuci.edu
Members of the Public
Title IX & Inclusion: titleix@csuci.edu