Sylvia Acevedo

Sylvia Acevedo, a distinguished leader, has left an indelible mark across diverse industries, excelling in corporate and public sectors as a trailblazer. Beginning her career as a rocket scientist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Acevedo's journey took her through executive roles at renowned companies such as Apple, Autodesk, Dell, and IBM. Her tenure at NASA fulfilled her lifelong dream of contributing to the space program through her work on the Voyager 2 mission. Internationally, Acevedo pioneered some of first fiber technology network installations outside the USA and played a pivotal role in enhancing the software distribution business across Latin America.

Today, Acevedo serves on the Board of Directors for two public companies, Qualcomm and Credo Technologies, and two early stage companies, Quark.ai and Ambri Battery.

Beyond her corporate achievements, Acevedo's unwavering commitment to public service is unmistakable. During her tenure as CEO of the Girl Scouts of the USA from 2016 to 2020, Acevedo's transformative leadership left an indelible mark. She spearheaded the organization's most significant program expansion in over a century, introducing 146 new badges and programs in STEM, Outdoors, Entrepreneurship, and Civics. This initiative resulted in the earning of over one million STEM badges by girls in rural, urban and suburban communities.

Before assuming her leadership position at the Girl Scouts, Acevedo was a co-founder of a software startup, REBA Technologies, which was acquired. Subsequently, she directed her efforts towards enhancing educational outcomes through grassroots educational initiatives. Beginning in Austin, Texas, these campaigns expanded nationally, delivering vital resources to millions of parents and students. President Obama selected Acevedo as a White House Education Commissioner where she led a change in Federal Policy in early childhood education. Her leadership as a White House Education Commissioner and her receipt of the Ohtli Award from the Government of Mexico in 2010 for her work in parental engagement in education in the USA underscore her monumental contributions to the field of education.

Acevedo’s leadership and impact have garnered prestigious accolades such as the Captain of Industry Leadership Award from the Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineering and the esteemed title of "Cybersecurity Person of the Year" by Cybersecurity Ventures in 2019. Forbes has honored her as one of America's Top 50 Women in Tech, while InStyle magazine recognized her as "Number 7 on the Badass 50: Women Who are Changing the World." In December 2022, Bloomberg featured her as one of the top 100 Influential Latinos.

To inspire the rising generation, Acevedo authored the bestselling middle school memoir, "Path to the Stars: My Journey from Girl Scout to Rocket Scientist," imparting the values of perseverance and ambition in the pursuit of excellence to live your life potential.

Acevedo is a graduate of New Mexico State University, holding a Bachelor's degree with Honors in Industrial Engineering. Notably, she stands as one of the first Hispanics, male or female, to earn a graduate degree in Engineering from Stanford University. Her commitment to education and STEM leadership has been further acknowledged through an Honorary Doctorate of Science from Duke University in 2022 and an Honorary Doctorate from Washington College in 2020.