Tonya Wilkerson, deputy director of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency and a 2022 Wash100 Award recipient, said at a recent symposium that NGA partnered with non-federal entities to develop future science, technology, engineering and math and professionals who can support the agency’s GEOINT mission.
“Specifically, NGA has worked to become more involved at the university level in the growth of STEM-based
curriculum development, with an end goal of increasing our geospatial-trained talent pool in our college-aged students,” Wilkerson told an audience at the 2022 GEOINT Symposium Sunday.
She said the agency entered into education partnership agreements with the University of Missouri-St. Louis and Harris-Stowe State University to increase STEM education opportunities for students in the region.
NGA also works with companies and universities to facilitate research and development projects as another avenue for expanding the GEOINT workforce, according to the agency’s deputy director.
Wilkerson noted that the partnerships use cooperative R&D agreements, also known as CRADA.
“It’s a superb example of a collaboration that also works to build a region-specific pipeline for future GEOINT analysts, imagery analysts, data scientists, geodesy scientists, and all kinds of other STEM experts we need,” she added.
Tonya Wilkerson and other Intelligence Community leaders are scheduled to speak at GovCon Wire’s 2nd Annual IC Acquisition and Technology Innovation Summit. Register for the May 4 event via the GovCon Wire Events page.
