Summary: The nation is facing a critical challenge in maintaining leadership and preeminence in the fields of Science Technology Engineering and Math {STEM}. Some prominent leaders have referred to this situation as “The Gathering Storm”. This talk discusses this critical issue; why we should be concerned about it; and, describes numerous efforts to address the problem! General Lester Lyles has had a long and distinguished career in leading large, high technology organizations involved in aeronautical and astronautical research, development, acquisition and logistics. General Lyles completed a remarkable military career in 2003, retiring from the U.S. Air Force as a four-star general. His last Air Force position was as Commander, Air Force Materiel Command, at Wright Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio. The command conducts all Air Force research, development, test and evaluation worldwide, and provides all acquisition management services and logistics support necessary to keep Air Force weapons systems in a state of readiness. Earlier in his 35 year Air Force career, Gen Lyles served as Vice Chief of Staff of the Air Force in the Pentagon, Director of the Ballistic Missile Defense Organization in Washington D.C., Commander of the Space and Missile Systems Center at Los Angeles Air Force Base, California, and Commander of the Ogden Air Logistics Center at Hill Air Force Base, Utah. Since his Air Force retirement, General Lyles has served as an independent aerospace consultant through the Lyles Group, based in Vienna, Virginia. During this time, he has been engaged on the Board of Directors of General Dynamics, MTC Technologies, USAA, the Air Force Association, and Dayton Power and Light. In 2004 General Lyles received a Presidential appointment to the President’s Commission on Implementation of United States Space Exploration Policy and in 2005, he was appointed to the NASA Advisory Council. General Lyles holds the B.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering from Howard University, and an M.S. in Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering from New Mexico State University. He received an Honorary Doctorate of Laws degree from New Mexico State University in 2002. In addition to being a tireless community servant, General Lyles has been the recipient of numerous honors and awards, including: the Defense Distinguished Service Medal; the Astronautics Engineer of the Year Award from the National Space Club; the National Black Engineer of the Year Award; and NASA’s Distinguished Public Service Medal. In 2003, General Lyles received the Black Engineer of the Year Lifetime Achievement Award and in 2004 he was inducted into the Aviation Week and Space Technology Hall of Fame.
