02.01.19

Hoeven to Host Bethlehem Gronneberg at 2019 State of the Union

Senator Invites Fargo STEM Educator, Founder and CEO of uCodeGirl to D.C. as His Guest for President’s Annual Address to Congress

WASHINGTON – Senator John Hoeven today announced that he will host Bethlehem Gronneberg, Founder and CEO of uCodeGirl, as his guest at the President’s State of the Union Address on Tuesday, February 5. uCodeGirl is a non-profit organization in Fargo providing tech education and enrichment for young women, empowering them to pursue careers in software development and engineering. Gronneberg delivered a featured presentation on the organization’s work at Hoeven’s 2017 State of Technology Conference, which he hosts each year with the Fargo Moorhead West Fargo Chamber of Commerce.

In addition to her work with uCodeGirl, Gronneberg serves on the Governor's Innovative Education Task Force of North Dakota and as an adjunct instructor of computer science at Concordia College in Moorhead, Minn. She was recently named the 2018 YWCA Woman of the Year in Science and Technology, was honored by the Women Economic Forum, a global conference for women leaders and entrepreneurs, and was a recipient of the 2016 Bush Foundation Fellowship.

“Bethlehem is doing tremendous work in the Fargo region, helping prepare young women to be the next generation of innovators and tech entrepreneurs,” said Hoeven. “This aligns with our efforts to bolster STEM education and continue advancing technology as the third wave in North Dakota’s economic growth. That’s why we featured Bethlehem’s work during our State of Tech conference in 2017 and why we’re so excited to have her in D.C. for this year’s State of the Union address.”

In the new Congress, Hoeven is continuing his efforts to establish North Dakota as a hub of technology entrepreneurship and support greater opportunities for STEM education. To this end, Hoeven worked through his role on the Senate Appropriations Committee to help secure the following funds in Fiscal Year 2019:

  • $1.2 billion for Student Support and Academic Enrichment grants, which can be used by all school districts to support STEM education.
  • Dedicated STEM funding within the Education Innovation and Research program.

Hoeven is also working to advance measures like the bipartisan Portable Benefits for Independent Workers Pilot Program Act, which he cosponsored last year. This bill would make portable benefits more accessible for entrepreneurs and provide greater certainty for them and their families. Further, the senator is part of the Entrepreneurship Caucus, which works to address the issues facing the nation’s entrepreneurs and small businesses, bolster the creation of startups and increase the capital investment flowing into the U.S.

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