Shelley Henderson is the global Equity, Diversity & Inclusion Director for FIRST – a global non-profit robotics community, preparing young people for the future. She leads its STEM equity efforts to design and implement strategies that will not only improve the diversity of K-12 program participation but will also embed inclusion within the FIRST organization and field implementation.
Shelley has defined and prioritized underrepresented and underserved populations to design laser-focused strategies aligned with metrics for optimal impact. A thought leader in this space, Shelley is a nationally-sought speaker and contributes to Education World, Scholastic and the FIRST Inspire blogs. She provides opportunities for major corporations like Amazon, Google, Apple, Microsoft, Qualcomm, Boeing, John Deere, Dow Chemical, Caterpillar and others to demonstrate their commitment to social responsibility and diversifying the STEM talent pipeline through funding sponsorship, employee engagement and more.
Shelley earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Secondary Education and her Master’s Degree in Educational Administration and Supervision of Secondary Schools from the University of Nebraska at Omaha. She is working on her PhD in Leadership and Change at Antioch University and a certificate in Diversity & Equity in Education with an emphasis in Human Resource Development at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
