THE OFCCP INSTITUTE - EO 11246 EQUALITY AT WORK SCHOLARSHIP FOUNDATION AWARDS $40,000 IN COLLEGE SCHOLARSHIPS TO FOUR DC HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATESs

June 22, 2016 – Washington, DC

Four DC public high school graduates were each awarded a $10,000 college scholarship by The OFCCP Institute, a nonprofit employer association based in Washington, DC. Last week, The Institute honored the students with the Equality at Work Scholarships in honor of the 50th anniversary of Lyndon B. Johnson’s signing of Executive Order 11246. The students and their chosen college or university are:

  • Nicholas Stauffer-Mason, a graduate of School Without Walls, Harvard College
  • Sierra Trammell, a graduate of Benjamin Banneker Academic, George Mason University
  • Brendan Upton, a graduate of E. L. Haynes, University of Worcester
  • Robin Williams, a graduate of McKinley Technology, Virginia Commonwealth University

The Co-Chairs of The Institute, David Cohen, David Fortney and Mickey Silberman, express their heartfelt gratitude to the federal contractors who made the Equality at Work Scholarships in honor of the 50th Anniversary of Lyndon B. Johnson’s signing of Executive Order 11246 possible. “The demonstrated leadership of these federal contractors has built a strong foundation for The Institute’s Equality at Work scholarships. With the continued support of these the federal contractor community, The Institute plans to make the awarding of the Equality at Work Scholarships an annual event to increase the high school students’ awareness of the importance of Executive Order 11246.” stated the Co-Chairs. Donors funding the scholarships included Northrop Grumman, The Boeing Company, General Dynamics, Lockheed Martin, Allina Health, USAA and L-3 Communications.

The Institute would also like to recognize and thank the District of Columbia College Access Program (DC-CAP) for their support in establishing the essay contest and Equality at Work Scholarships with the DC schools. DC-CAP is a privately-funded nonprofit organization dedicated to encouraging and enabling DC public high school students to enroll in and graduate from college. In partnership with DC public and public charter school systems, DC-CAP provides direct counseling and financial assistance to students who might otherwise never have the opportunity to go to college. More information on DC-CAP can be found on its website.

If you or your organization are interested in becoming a donor for the 2017 Equality at Work Scholarships, please send an email to contact@theofccpinstitute.org and we would be happy to send you more information.

About Executive Order 11246: Signed more than two years after the Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered his "I Have A Dream" speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, and more than a year after the Civil Rights Act of 1964 became the law of the land, EO 11246 charged the Secretary of Labor, a Cabinet-level official with strong enforcement authority, with the responsibility of ensuring equal opportunity for minorities in federal contractors' recruitment, hiring, training and other employment practices. Until that time, such efforts had been in the hands of various Presidential committees. EO 11246 further reinforced the requirement that federal contractors not discriminate in employment, and that they take affirmative action to ensure equal opportunity based on race, color, religion and national origin.

Executive Order 11246 prohibits federal contractors and federally–assisted construction contractors and subcontractors, who do over $10,000 in Government business in one year from discriminating in employment decisions on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or national origin. The Executive Order also requires Government contractors to take affirmative action to ensure that equal opportunity is provided in all aspects of their employment.

About The OFCCP Institute: The OFCCP Institute (“The Institute”) is a national nonprofit employer association based in Washington, DC. The Institute trains and educates federal contractors in understanding and complying with their affirmative action and equal employment obligations. The Institute also addresses related human resource management strategies to assist employers in creating and maintaining diverse organizations free from workplace bias. The Institute is not affiliated with the U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs. More information can be found by visiting https://theofccpinstitute.org and https://theofccpinstitute.org/50thanniversary/index.html.

" Thank you so much for selecting me for The OFCCP Institute Scholarship. I am incredibly grateful for the financial support for my college education that this scholarship will provide.

As I study political science and economics in college, I hope to learn more about the systems that make our country work. The OFCCP Institute's role is emblematic of these systems' complexity: as a non-profit group that advises corporate contractors on government regulations, the Institute bridges the gap between the public and private sectors and epitomizes the intersection of public policy and the economy. I greatly enjoyed learning at the scholarship luncheon about the OFCCP and OFCCP Institute's work promoting equal employment opportunity in this complex, cross-sector domain.

Again, thank you very much for making this scholarship possible. It is a privilege and an honor to have been selected, and this opportunity will empower me to make the most of my education over the next four years.Gratefully and sincerely yours, "
~Nicholas Stauffer-Mason
"I am taking the time to express my appreciation for choosing me as scholarship winner of The OFCCP Institute scholarship for $10,000. The scholarship award of $10,000 will make a significant difference in my college educational expenses. As happy as I am for being a winner of this scholarship, I am also happy that I had the opportunity to express my views on ways that Executive Order 11246 affects the American society in general and also in terms of the workforce and its workers. I was honored to write the essay. Thank you once again! "
~Sierra Trammell
"Thank you to The OFCCP Institute for lunch, and their generous scholarship. It means a lot, and will help me tremendously at the College of Wooster, I also want to appreciate the work that you all do in moving this country towards equality, I would love to one day be as successful as the gentlemen who generously benefited their time to educate us on the work they do, and be so willing to give the four students this scholarship. "
~Brendan Epton

2017 Scholarship Information Coming Soon