IRVINE, CA, January 20, 2022 — Doug Bender has assumed the role of chairman of the board for Base 11. After successfully serving his two year term as vice chairman, Bender will now serve a two year term as chairman, leading the board’s effort to provide strategic guidance and support to Base 11’s executive management team.
“I could not be more pleased with the passion, insight and immense value that Doug has contributed as a Base 11 board member over the past six years,” said Base 11 founder and immediate past chairman Landon Taylor. “I’m looking forward to Doug’s leadership as chairman as we move to the next phase of Base 11’s growth and expansion.”
Taylor will continue serving on the board of directors with a focus on providing strategic guidance to the board and management team and helping cultivate new corporate and private equity partnerships to support Base 11’s growth and expansion.
Bender has served on Base 11’s board of directors since 2015, and has been actively involved in the development and execution of a number of initiatives including the $1.5 million grant to establish a rocketry program at an HBCU and the Base 11 Boulé Fellows Program.
Bender has more than four decades of experience in human resources, both in private consulting practices and in-house for some of America’s most well known corporate brands including Miller Brewing Company, Uncle Ben’s Foods, Dove Bar International, M&M/Mars, and Kal Kan Petcare. In addition to publishing numerous articles, Bender is the author of two books, The ABC’s of Leadership (2008 Axiom Business Book Award winner) and Caution: Smiles At Work (2014). He teaches as an adjunct professor at the University of Southern California. He also has served on boards for the Community Services Foundation in Villa Park, California, and currently chairs the Human Rights Commission for the City of Greensboro, North Carolina. He is also Chair of the city’s Cultural Affairs Commission. Bender is a proud graduate of two HBCUs: Alcorn State University (B.A. in political science) and North Carolina A&T State University (M.A. in human resources). He also attended law school at North Carolina Central University.
“I’ve been deeply committed to the mission of Base 11 since day one, and am proud of the difference it’s made in the lives of thousands upon thousands of young people already,” said Bender. “It will be an honor to continue working together, and guiding the organization through its continued digital transformation and growth.”
Bender and his fellow board members, will continue to support Base 11’s efforts to scale its impact 10-fold by 2030 through the Next Frontier Initiative. Through the initiative, Base 11 and its partners will accelerate 100,000+ students, early STEM career adults, and STEM entrepreneurs on their pathway to success in Next Frontier industries — which include data analytics, cybersecurity, fintech, life sciences, aerospace autonomous systems, private equity/venture capital, AR/VR, advanced manufacturing and edtech. Base 11 runs programs, facilities and events as part of the Next Frontier Initiative. But it is the Base 11 Digital online platform, unveiled earlier this year, that promises to extend the programs and opportunities most broadly to reach more students and young adults than ever before.
About Base 11
Base 11 is a nonprofit 501c3 STEM workforce and entrepreneur development company empowering women and minorities with the Access, Awareness, and Belief needed to succeed in Next Frontier Industries of the 21st century. Base 11 facilitates partnerships with industry, academia and philanthropy which deliver to employers a pre-recruitment pipeline of well-trained, highly skilled STEM talent. Through Next Frontier programs, facilities and events, Base 11 and its partners set students — and those returning to the workforce — on direct pathways to four-year STEM degrees, well paid STEM jobs, and the opportunity to launch their own STEM related business. For more information, please visit www.Base11.com. Base 11 is a DBA of the Center for Innovations in Education, a nonprofit 501(c) 3 – IRS exemption EIN# 26-4365936.