Happy New Year Champions! I hope you all had a great holiday. I have a very special request. We are inviting a few folks from the business community to a meeting on January 14 from 1:00-5:00 to help the National Girls Collaborative become more responsive and helpful to corporations. As you know, we have been primarily funded by the National Science Foundation and grant goals have provided the vision for our activities. As we work on a new strategic plan and think about our future, we realized we have received very little input from corporations, even though they are key stakeholders in our workforce development and equity work. Microsoft is hosting us in their DC offices. I'm seeking recommendations for participants. Are there corporate Champions you know who would be willing to attend this meeting and provide input? This will intentionally be a small group so we can have a thoughtful conversation, rather than a presentation format. We have a number of confirmed participants, but we'd like the group to be as diverse as possible. Your connections and recommendations are valuable. I would appreciate your assistance as we enter this exciting next phase for the National Girls Collaborative! Karen Karen Peterson, Chief Executive Officer National Girls Collaborative www.ngcproject.org