Inclusive Competitiveness: Empowering underrepresented populations to improve their productivity performance to compete in the 21st century innovation economy.

1. Johnathan Holifield
State Director of Inclusive Competitiveness
for Believe in Ohio
JHolifield@believeinohio.org
Mary McWilliams
Columbus Metro Inclusive Competitiveness
Coordinator for Believe in Ohio’s Urban
STEM Mentoring Network
mmcwilliams@believeinohio.org
Wayne Hicks
Cincinnati Metro Inclusive Competitiveness
Coordinator for Believe in Ohio’s Urban
STEM Mentoring Network
wayne.hicks@believeinohio.org
Dr. Bilal M. M. Bomani
Cleveland Metro Inclusive Competiveness
Coordinator for Believe in Ohio’s Urban
STEM Mentoring Network
bbomani@believeinohio.org
The Urban STEM Mentoring
Network Leadership Team
Our team is here is guide you
as Mentor for the Believe in
Ohio Program.
Believe In
When you believe in Ohio,
a student from an urban
area can become a scientist
and/or an entrepreneur.”.
As the old adage states, “Each One,
Teach One,” your involvement with the
Believe in Ohio Urban STEM Mentoring
Network will allow you to teach and
reach a motivated student.
We need professionals, like you,
to align urban students with the
future of science, technology and
entrepreneurship for Ohio. In as little
as 1 hour per month, you can mentor
a student to compete for hundreds of
thousands of dollars in cash awards
and scholarships to Ohio colleges and
universities.
Ohio has a long tradition of innovation
and your guidance can encourage
an urban student to be a successful
competitor in the
Innovation Economy.
The Believe in Ohio
program helps our
students to go
from consumers
of innovation
to creators of
innovation.
“Each One,
Teach One”
Believe In
Urban STEM
Mentoring Network
Promoting STEM
Education and
Entrepreneurship

2. About Believe in Ohio
Believe in Ohio seeks to develop Ohio’s next generation of innovators and entrepreneurs to create
the new products and services of the future through the application of science, technology,
engineering, and mathematics (STEM). It is the only statewide Ohio student education program
to integrate innovation and entrepreneurship as pathways to create future jobs.
Follow these simple steps to “Believe
in Ohio” and help an urban student
became an Ohio innovator.
Tell us you are interested by going to
www.believeinohio.org/mentor-signup
After the customary background check, a
teacher will match you with a motivated
student
For about 1 hour per month you will work
with your matched student
Mentor them through our “Ohio Roadmap
to Future Jobs & Prosperity” to compete for
cash awards and scholarships.
Prepare the student for the STEM
Commercialization and Business Plan
Competition in March 2016.
Cheer them on for completing the process.
Steps for Success
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Global Innovation
Century...
Believe In
The 20th century, often called the “American
Industrial Century”, was a time when Ohio and other
states comprised the world’s preeminent economic
force. The 21st century can be called the “Global
Innovation Century”. Today, facing unprecedented
world competition, Ohio cannot reach its economic
goals without contributions from many more
Ohioans, including underserved, urban populations.
As described by the Ohio Board of Regents
Subcommittee on Inclusive Competitiveness, to
build a more competitive, resilient and prosperous
economy, Ohio must begin to connect African
Americans and Latinos in urban areas to the state’s
science, technology, engineering and math (STEM)-
driven, Innovation Economy. The Believe in Ohio
program does just that.
Believe in Ohio provides urban students deep
exposure to STEM disciplines, uniquely enhanced
with entrepreneurship tools. To ensure broad
participation in the program, Believe in Ohio
has adopted Inclusive Competitiveness – an
interdisciplinary framework to improve the
performance of underrepresented Ohioans in the
Innovation Economy – to help urban students
become more successful STEM education
competitors and economic contributors.
Young people in urban centers need to
know that the true path to success is to fill
the dual pipelines of productivity – becoming
“intrapreneurial” employees and job creating
entrepreneurs in next generation industries. These
industries are largely in STEM areas that represent
our state’s present and future economic promise.
“If our state and country are going to continue
to be prosperous, then all parts of our society
- including youth in Ohio’s urban areas –
need opportunities to become innovators and
competitors in today’s Innovation Economy. For
that to happen, we need accomplished African
Americans, Hispanics
and others in STEM and
business from all over Ohio
to serve as inspirational
role models and mentors
for our urban youth.”
Dr. Julian M. Earls, Retired
Director of NASA Glenn
Research Center in Cleveland
and Lifelong Mentor and
Advocate for Urban STEM
Education