WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- The Siemens today announced that Juan Cantu, national operations manager for Siemens Smart Infrastructure, and Denise Quarles, head of external affairs for Siemens USA’s Southeast region, have been named to the Siemens Foundation Board of Directors.

“We welcome Juan and Denise to our board of directors and look forward to benefitting from the tremendous skills and experiences they each bring,” said Barbara Humpton, chair of the Siemens Foundation Board of Directors and CEO of Siemens USA. “Their knowledge and passion for philanthropy and community engagement will be invaluable to the Siemens Foundation as we continue to advance social equity and workforce development in STEM.”

As national operations manager for Siemens Smart Infrastructure, Juan Cantu is responsible for front-line staffing for service personnel, improving energy efficiency and reducing carbon footprint at customer sites. He has held several service management roles within the company, most recently overseeing 500 employees as Pacific Zone service operations manager, where he supported a diverse customer portfolio ranging from healthcare and K-12 schools to industrial and life sciences. A Certified Energy Manager, Cantu was a nuclear machinist mate in the United States Navy for six years.

Each year, facilitated through the Siemens Foundation, Cantu’s branch hosts a Siemens STEM Day at a nearby elementary school. Siemens STEM Day is an educational program that brings science, technology, engineering, and math to life inside and outside of the classroom.

“Getting to see the passion and energy these young people exude as they experiment with STEM has quickly made STEM Day the best time of the year,” said Cantu. “I’m looking forward to having more direct involvement with the Siemens Foundation’s efforts to ensure the future workforce has the training, skills and opportunity necessary for a successful STEM career.”

In her role, Denise Quarles partners with Siemens’ leadership to establish public policy and government affairs priorities while spearheading the company’s public policy positions at the state and local level. She focuses on combining infrastructure with technology to meet emerging needs. Prior to Siemens, Quarles served as the director of the Mayor’s Office of Sustainability for the City of Atlanta. Before that, she served as vice president of environmental affairs at Southwire Company and adjunct instructor at the University of West Georgia. In addition to her new Siemens Foundation’s role, Quarles is on the board of directors for Greenhouse Accelerator and is a past board member of the U.S. Green Building Council.

Motivated by her history with STEM programs to help pass the torch to tomorrow’s future STEM stars, Quarles credits her enthusiasm for science and engineering to her participation in a program designed to introduce minority students to STEM careers when she was a high school student. The impact of this experience inspired her to ultimately change her degree trajectory from liberal arts to chemical engineering.

“Being introduced to STEM at a young age was instrumental in determining my education and career path,” said Quarles. “I’m excited about the opportunity to be a voice that further connects the Siemens Foundation with communities of varying demographics that similarly may not be aware of or have access to STEM education and career opportunities.”

For more information on the Siemens Foundation, follow @SFoundation on Twitter or visit siemens-foundation.org.

About the Siemens Foundation

The Siemens Foundation has invested more than $130 million in the United States to advance equitable workforce development and education initiatives in science, technology, engineering and math. Its mission is inspired by the culture of innovation, research and continuous learning that is the hallmark of Siemens’ companies. Together, the programs at the Siemens Foundation are narrowing the opportunity gap for young people in the United States in STEM careers and igniting and sustaining today’s STEM workforce and tomorrow’s scientists and engineers.

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