Brand Development, Consulting, Curriculum Development, and Project Management
for the Dow Leadership Academy is provided by Orange Strategy.
2024 Student Application
The Dow Leadership Academy (DLA) is a three-year leadership, STEM career exploration, soft skills training, college preparedness, and mentoring experience. DLA emphasizes the importance of academic success, community involvement, and workplace readiness while providing young adults with the support and tools they need to achieve at the highest level.
Orange Strategy serves as the lead consultant, program administrator, and training provider. We work closely with a select group of emerging leaders at Dow through leadership and mentoring training. We pair them with young adults that live in the surrounding areas to serve as models of leadership, character, and career success. Members of DLA go through an intense, competency based series of classroom trainings that are accentuated with career exploration and service learning experiences.
This initiative is very forward thinking in terms of leadership development and workforce development. These young people are being exposed to high demand careers in industries such as chemical manufacturing, construction, banking and finance, engineering, robotics, and healthcare just to name a few.
The outcomes from the three-year pilot are amazing. These young people outperformed their peers locally, statewide, and nationally in nearly every category that was tracked and measured.
“Dow has been in the community for over 60 years. We must continue to ensure that students today are trained to become our workforce of tomorrow, particularly if we want a diverse talent pool. We have to provide young people with the right resources to cultivate their development in a way that puts them on the path to success.”
- Stacey Gautreau
Director of Public Affairs U.S. South, Dow
I. Challenges
A. Growing a local workforce
B. Diversifying a local workforce
C. Improving secondary and post-secondary outcomes, primarily for young people from minority communities
D. Increasing broader community awareness of high demand occupations at Dow and the education needed
“As a first generation college graduate, I understand the importance of these types of programs. With the right resources and relationships these students can reach their full potential.”
- Dianell Williams
Corporate Volunteer Manager, Stem Manager, Dow
II. Solution
A. Growing a local workforce
B. Diversifying a local workforce
C. Improving secondary and post-secondary outcomes, primarily for young people from minority communities
D. Increasing broader community awareness of high demand occupations at Dow and the education needed
“It is fascinating to see these young people evolve after each training or exploration. As their confidence grows their personalities begin to shine through, and you can see the impact they will have on the world.”
- David Castillo
Corporate Volunteer Manager, Stem Manager, Dow
Provide students from three School Districts with a three-year training, career development, and mentoring initiative to increase academic engagement, increase career exploration, and improve soft skills.
III. Orange Strategy’s Role
A. Consulting
B. Curriculum Development
C. Recruitment
D. Assessment
E. Aggregate and Analyze Data
F. Program Development
G. Training
H. Social Media Content Creation
“To grow a workforce, we have to be willing to groom a workforce. When we value human capital to the extent that we are willing to make a long-term investment in the development of young people, the return on investment is immeasurable.”
- Terry G. Simmons, Jr.
Workforce Development Consultant, Orange Strategy
About Orange Strategy
Orange Strategy, a T. Simmons company, is a branding, media, and talent solutions firm. We work to develop and execute cutting edge concepts that produce both economic and human outcomes. Understanding that the development of human capital happens one person at a time, Orange Strategy works with communities to execute strategic initiatives that drive individuals into the workforce pipeline. Our goal for DLA is to develop a sustainable, skilled labor pool by developing residents that are prepared to compete for opportunities in high-demand and emerging industries.
Project Coordinated by:
IV. Program Components
A. Leadership
B. STEM Career Exploration
C. Mentoring
D. Soft Skills Training- Communication, Conflict Resolution, Diversity & Sensitivity, and Ethics
E. Financial Literacy
F. Social Graces
G. College Prep
IV. Mentors Matter
Dow STEM Mentors are extremely valuable to the DLA program because they are the personification of the program values. These selected individuals go beyond just participating in the classroom trainings, but they shared their personal testimonials to help substantiate the training curriculum. Additionally, they accompany the program facilitators and mentees during exploratory events and service-learning opportunities.
2024 Student Application
Executive Summary
Co authored by: Terry Simmons and Jude August
The primary objective of DLA is to encourage minority community students to pursue STEM-related careers by attending a technical, community, or 4-year college to prepare them for opportunities in the 21st century workforce. To meet that end, DLA adopted a modular curriculum that was implemented through a partnership with Orange Strategy. Participants attended two trainings and/or applied learning opportunities per month during the Fall and Spring semesters from 2017-2020. Additionally, the program required each participant to be assigned a Dow STEM Mentor, which are liaisons between the program leads and participant’s families. Each Dow STEM Mentor was trained to be successful with personifying the program values and engaging young people outside of structured program activities.
Trainings were facilitated by Orange Strategy and co-facilitated by Subject Matter Experts in the areas of STEM career exploration, leadership, college preparedness, communication, ACT prep, financial literacy, diversity, and social graces. The program also fostered civic engagement and service learning by providing participants with opportunities to take on an active role in their community.
According to Diverse: Issues in Higher Education, for the last 50+ years minority students have enjoyed access to opportunities available in every occupation and profession. However, minority community students still gravitate toward the same types of professions. Too often minorities are noted to be less likely to enter a STEM-related field due to some roadblocks they face during their youthful years. The lack of resources, lack of physical and psychological safety and security, and the lack of positive influences or role models that are “relatable” were the most common reasons to discouraging their pursuit. Furthermore, the real problems are much more complicated and intensely magnified for minority community students because of systemic problems associated with crime, poverty, poor academic outcomes, and perception. The solutions are to begin setting higher expectations, engaging and exposing students sooner, and working to dispel the curse of self-doubt.
The results of the three-year pilot program are compelling to say the least. DLA participants outperformed their peers in every imaginable academic and measurable social category. The outcomes that were measured included:
Academic Engagement and Performance
High School Completion
College Admission
Occupational Skills and Work Ready Certifications
Soft Skills
Financial Literacy
Pursuit of STEM and/or High-Demand Occupations