CITY OF INDUSTRY, CA (November 7, 2017) – The Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE) is in advanced discussions to merge with MAES – Latinos in Science and Engineering. On November 4th, the organizations jointly announced at the SHPE 2017 National Conference in Kansas City, MO that they recently entered merger talks and expect to come to an agreement in the coming months.
The Board of Directors of SHPE and MAES separately endorsed a due diligence process to integrate their membership and operations. Both Boards believe a unification would create a financially-stronger, more resilient organization that is “better together” and will lead further investment for advancing Hispanics in science, technology, engineering, and math, collectively known as STEM.
Raquel Tamez, Chief Executive Officer of SHPE, was “thrilled to announce our intention to come together as one organization that will serve as the leading national entity representing Hispanics in STEM. The strengths and cultural fit of our two organizations are complementary. Our unification will continue to build upon a groundbreaking year for Hispanics in STEM.”
Will Davis, National President of MAES, said “we are future-focused on ensuring that Hispanics continue to play a leadership role in the United States and fuel America’s innovation engines. Unification captures the spirit of our organizations as well as our unwavering commitment to the Hispanic community.”
The two groups said it would be several months before due diligence was completed. The proposal to merge will only go ahead if both Boards recommend proceeding, with a definitive unification plan put to members and regulators for approval. SHPE and MAES’ membership will be kept informed of any material developments, with additional announcements made in due course.
About SHPE –
Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE) is comprised of a national network of more than 300 chapters. SHPE’s mission is to change lives by empowering the Hispanic community to realize its fullest potential and to impact the world through STEM awareness, access, support and development. SHPE provides a variety of programming, services, and resources including hosting the largest Hispanic STEM conference in the nation. For more information, visit http://shpe.org.
About MAES –
MAES – Latinos in Science and Engineering (MAES) was founded in Los Angeles in 1974 by a group of professional engineers to advance and increase the number of Latinos in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics by creating opportunities and fostering recognition through its professional, technical, and outreach activities. The mission of MAES is to promote, cultivate, and honor excellence in education and leadership among Latino engineers and scientists. MAES is a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation. For more information, visit http://mymaes.org.