Part of NACME’s mission is to take a leadership role in shaping national and state policy regarding underrepresented minorities in education and the workplace. Led by a board of directors from the world’s most prestigious companies and institutions, we debate and deliberate over key issues affecting science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education.

Lately, these include the impact of the anti-affirmative action movement on the ability of higher education institutions to award financial aid based on race or ethnicity. We firmly believe that diversity is not just a way to broaden minority participation in the STEM professions, but that it should be among the basic values of America’s colleges and universities. NACME’s president, Dr. John Brooks Slaughter, has written extensively on this topic. (See "Featured Articles")

Through our national symposia NACME brings together some of the greatest minds in the corporate and academic worlds to inform and inspire the leaders shaping the way education is conducted in this country. Only by changing long-held biases against minority groups can America hope to make progress toward a workforce that is more diverse and, therefore, more competitive in the global economy.