Accelerating Diversity in Engineering
How a national coalition of over 60 organizations achieved a historic milestone—five years ahead of schedule!
Client Overview
The 50K Coalition was founded by four of the nation’s leading diversity engineering organizations—the American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES), the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE), the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE), and the Society of Women Engineers (SWE). Joined by more than 60 institutions, corporations, and government agencies, the coalition united around a bold national goal: to produce 50,000 diverse engineering graduates annually by 2025.
This unprecedented partnership brought together professional societies, universities, community colleges, and industry leaders committed to transforming the engineering education ecosystem and creating a more inclusive and equitable workforce.
The Challenge
Despite growing demand for engineering professionals, fewer than 32,000 of the 97,000 annual U.S. engineering graduates in 2015 were women or students of color. This underrepresentation posed a serious threat to the nation’s innovation capacity, economic competitiveness, and long-term prosperity.
The founding partners recognized that no single organization could address this challenge alone—it required a coordinated, systems-level effort to align goals, share data, and drive measurable progress across the entire engineering education pipeline.
Najera Consulting's Approach
Najera Consulting guided the coalition through a disciplined and collaborative planning process rooted in systems thinking. Using adapted elements from established frameworks such as Collective Impact and Results-Based Accountability, integrated within our Nonprofit Model for Social Impact, we helped the coalition:
- Define a shared vision and measurable goal that united all participating organizations.
- Align diverse stakeholders around a common agenda and coordinated strategies.
- Develop clear performance metrics to track progress and guide decision-making.
- Build momentum through national convenings, Action Network Groups, and regional hubs that supported learning, collaboration, and local adaptation.
This approach fostered alignment among institutions, strengthened cross-sector partnerships, and created the accountability structure needed to sustain large-scale impact.
Results and Impact
By 2020—five years ahead of schedule—the 50K Coalition achieved its goal, surpassing 50,000 engineering degrees annually awarded to women and underrepresented students.
Beyond this milestone, the coalition transformed how engineering education institutions collaborate to advance diversity. Universities strengthened transfer pathways between community colleges and four-year programs, expanded mentorship and retention initiatives, and cultivated more inclusive campus climates.
These systemic changes continue to influence national conversations about STEM equity and remain a model for large-scale collaboration in higher education.
A full summary of outcomes can be found in the 50K Coalition Impact Report.
“The work of the 50K Coalition proves that a diverse alliance of people and organizations can work together to achieve a common purpose and build something greater for all of us. We came together to work collectively to serve our future generations, and for that I am grateful to have been a part of it.”
“Working with Gabriel Najera and the Najera Consulting Group through the 50K Coalition was both inspiring and transformative. Their partnership helped me see new possibilities for how academia, industry, and community organizations can collaborate to strengthen community college transfer pathways and expand opportunities for engineering students.”
Ready to turn collaboration into measurable change?
Contact Najera Consulting Group today to learn how our strategic frameworks can help your organization achieve transformative, system-wide impact.
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