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STEMposium 2025: Building Sustainable,
Transformative Economic Mobility Pathways

As a cornerstone of STEM Equity Week, PSEC's STEMposium event centered on this year’s theme: Building Sustainable, Transformative Economic Mobility Pathways. Keynote speaker, Crystal Cubbage, kicked things off with a call to action for policymakers, industry leaders, youth-serving organizations, communities, and families to find the collective strength to build robust structures and programs that nurture the development of students' STEM identities. Building on this powerful message, a dynamic panel discussion brought together diverse voices to reflect on Philly's collective strengths, envision bold solutions, and spark new ideas for advancing economic mobility through workforce development in and around the city.

 

​Click below for more information on the event and sessions:

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Diana Lievano

Opening Remarks 

Diana Lievano, Executive Director of the Philadelphia STEM Equity Collective (PSEC), opened the convening with a reflection on the Collective’s five-year journey and highlighted the challenges in the current socioeconomic realities facing the Philadelphia region. She emphasized that this moment demands collective organization and sustained effort to create better economic and educational conditions for Philadelphians.


Diana celebrated PSEC’s growth from its launch to a thriving, expanding network. She highlighted key milestones, including the development of a shared theory of change, the piloting of impactful initiatives, and the creation of pathways that expand equitable access to STEM education and careers for students and professionals across the region.

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She then issued a call to action. This is the time to move from alignment to activation, and from intention to organization. Diana outlined what is required to achieve systems-level change and long-term regional impact:

 

  • Shift from a people-centered to an organization-centered collective to secure deeper, lasting institutional commitment and accountability.

  • Intentionally align education, workforce development, and employers to address systemic inequities and persistent economic stagnation in Philadelphia.

  • Apply a priority lens to communities with the greatest need, recognizing that regional prosperity depends on the success of those who have historically been excluded.

  • Move beyond participation as an “extra” activity and ensure that equity-driven STEM work is treated as a core priority for individuals and organizations alike.

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Diana closed by reinforcing that PSEC exists to organize this work at scale, and that achieving better conditions for Philadelphians requires collective leadership, shared responsibility, and individual ownership now.

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Crystal Cubbage

Keynote Speaker

Crystal Cubbage, owner of Cubbage Consulting and a current School Board member for the School District of Philadelphia, delivered the keynote address.  In her speech, Crystal highlighted the importance of evolving traditional STEM activities, such as volcano experiments, into immersive and sustained learning experiences that foster critical thinking, problem-solving skills, and pathways to economic mobility.

​Key points included: 

  • Redefining STEM: It’s not just about science content - it’s about inquiry, experimentation, reflection, and iteration, aligning with the scientific method. 

  • Personal narrative: The speaker’s journey illustrates how a strong STEM foundation opens doors across sectors. 

  • Influence of caring adults and authentic challenges: STEM identity develops through sustained effort, mentorship, and relatable problem-solving exercises. 

  • Urgency: Economic mobility is shrinking; STEM can help bridge the gap if we act collectively and proactively. 

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Call to action:

  • Create a healthy STEM ecosystem by moving beyond “check-the-box” activities to collaborative, outcome-driven work. This requires deep commitment from schools, employers, and communities    to provide career-connected learning. 

STEMposium Presentations

Panel Discussion - "Building Sustainable Transformative Economic Mobility Pathways" 

 

This session aimed to foster a constructive dialogue among stakeholders to identify strengths, envision solutions, and ignite new ideas for potential strategies to address economic mobility, through workforce development in Philadelphia.

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  • Facilitator: Phil Brooks - Vice-President, Programming and Innovation,  Graduate Philadelphia 

  • Nick Imparato - Program Director, Launchpad

  • Jannette Diaz – CEO, Congreso de Latinos Unidos

  • Adrian (AJ) Adams - Director of Strategic Partnerships, The Skills Initiative

  • Rebecca Grant - Senior Director, Life Sciences & Innovation, Philadelphia Department of Commerce

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Our dynamic panel explored strategies to strengthen economic mobility in Philadelphia through workforce development, guided by questions about defining success, envisioning the future, and identifying roles and partnerships. Our panelists emphasized that true economic mobility beyond just landing a job; it’s about creating sustainable pathways for individuals and families to financial stability. This requires incorporating wraparound services, fostering family engagement, and prioritizing lived experiences.

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When envisioning the future of a thriving Philadelphia they highlighted the need for modern facilities, lifelong access to meaningful training opportunities, and workforce development organizations acting as bridges between schools and employers, ensuring seamless transitions from education to careers.  Panelists highlighted the power of collaborative models where schools, businesses, and nonprofits co-design training programs. These partnerships should leverage economies of scale and shared resource models to ensure sustainability. They all agreed - equitable access demands intentional strategies such as removing barriers like cost and transportation and designing programs that allow participants to prioritize their involvement. 

STEMM Opportunity Alliance National Strategy

 

​Stephanie Rodriguez, inaugural Director of the STEMM Opportunity Alliance at the American Association (SOA) for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) introduced the SOA as a national, evidence-based strategy to create seamless, equitable pathways from early learning to career progression in STEMM fields. The goal is bold: add 20 million diverse STEMM workers to the U.S. economy by 2050. 

 

Core Themes: 

 

  • Systemic Approach: Current STEMM efforts succeed locally but fail nationally because they treat symptoms, not systems. SOA addresses this by aligning learning and training systems across all stages- early learning, K–12, postsecondary, workforce, and R&D. 

  • Shared Vision & Infrastructure: AAAS serves as the backbone for a coalition of 280+ organizations, providing coordination, data, tools, and policy influence to unify fragmented efforts. 

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  • Collaborative Action Priorities:  

    • Curate resources and scale best practices nationally. 

    • Build awareness of STEMM career pathways, starting in elementary schools. 

    • Create place-based hubs to operationalize the strategy with consideration of local environments 

    • Share insights to influence policy and systems of change. 

    • Why It Matters: Economic mobility is shrinking; STEMM careers offer sustainable pathways. Progress requires cross-sector collaboration, industry partnerships, and resources to sustain alignment. 

 

Opportunity:

PSEC is exploring a partnership with SOA to pilot the place-based hub model with the goal of amplifying resources and connections to create a more far-reaching Collective Impact initiative in Philadelphia.  ​​​

                                             Data Workshop - Strategic Planning for STEM Pathways

 

This interactive data gallery was designed to empower participants with insights from regional and national STEM data on educational attainment and workforce trends. Through collaborative visioning exercises, we exploree equity-centered strategies to broaden participation in STEM careers.

 

Facilitator Katie Martin, Project Director of the Philadelphia research and policy initiative at The Pew Charitable Trusts opened the workshop by framing the challenge:

 

  • Philadelphia’s economic landscape shows a declining poverty rate overall, yet entrenched poverty persists in many neighborhoods. 

  • Opportunity Insights ranks Philadelphia 50th out of 50 U.S. metro areas for economic mobility, and Brookings’ 2025 Market Assessment reveals the five-county region is underperforming national economic growth—even in specialty sectors. 

  • A  critical opportunity exists: Pew’s annual report on The State of the City reveals that Philadelphia has more adults with some college credits than the national average, signaling potential for strategies that help these individuals transition into STEM “good jobs”—careers that provide living wages and stability. critical opportunity exists: Pew’s annual report on The State of the City reveals that Philadelphia has more adults with some college credits than the national average, signaling potential for strategies that help these individuals transition into STEM “good jobs”—careers that provide living wages and stability. 

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Participants analyzed 10 data sets and, with the assistance of the facilitation team, proposed strategies to address disparities and create pathways into STEM opportunity jobs. Their ideas clustered around the following pillars:  

 

  • Education and Academic Access: 

    • Scaffold early access to STEM through phenomenon-based inquiry and career-connected exposure and learning starting in elementary school. 

    • Expand AP course offerings and ensure equitable access across all high schools with prepared instructors. 

    • Address literacy challenges that impact math and science proficiency; note that high school science achievement scores are lower than middle school. 

    • Develop dual enrollment programs linking K–12 to community colleges with clear transfer agreements to four-year degrees. 

    • Lift community colleges as critical gateways to STEM careers. 

    • Solidify OST (Out-of-School Time) and IST (In-School Time) partnerships to reinforce learning beyond the classroom. 

 

  • Workforce Development and Career Pathways: 

    • Build connected pathways from middle school through postsecondary education aligned with regional business needs. 

    • Invest in the School District of Philadelphia graduates interested in pursuing STEM majors. 

    • Implement learn-and-earn programs and increase wages for entry-level jobs in critical sectors like healthcare. 

    • Emphasize bachelor’s degrees as a direct link to economic mobility while creating stackable credentials for flexibility. 

    • Strengthen early financial literacy education to prepare students for long-term success. 

 

  • Community and Wraparound Supports: 

    • Families are key to economic success—engage and include them in program design. 

    • Provide wraparound services such as housing, transportation, childcare, and mental health support to help students persist. 

    • Build networks of support that enable students to stay in school and complete their degrees. 

    • Offer resources at the community level for building personal/social capital and soft skills. 

    • Include arts integration (STEAM) to foster creativity and engagement. 

    • Ensure STEM becomes disability-inclusive, removing barriers for learners with diverse needs. 

 

  • Policy and Partnerships: 

    • Create physical spaces that convene policy makers, employers, educators, philanthropy, and job seekers to collaborate on STEM pathways. 

    • Advocate for policy changes to reform funding models and eliminate ZIP code-based inequities. 

    • Develop mechanisms for accountability and follow-up on the city’s 10-year economic mobility plan. 

    • Engage a broad, cross-sector audience: schools, businesses, nonprofits, and government ensuring diversity of voices at the table. 

    • Make bold asks of corporate partners for investment and collaboration. 

    • Recognize that delayed opportunity is a privilege and Philadelphia must act now to create connected pathways from curiosity to career. ​​​

STEMposium Pictures

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