(From Business Wire) — A group of promising young college women will soon complete an intensive leadership program that connects them to some of the most successful women in American business today. The National Math + Science Young Leaders Program is designed to provide role models for students majoring in STEM subjects (science, technology, engineering, and math) and is a collaboration between FORTUNE magazine, NMSI and Exxon Mobil Corporation, a founding sponsor of NMSI. The goal is to help encourage the participating young women and address the gender gap issue in careers in these innovative fields. The competitive program has matched young women who are college juniors majoring in STEM subjects with female executives working in these fields at FORTUNE 500 companies. Twenty-two senior executives and students have participated in the 2010 leadership program. Throughout the year, the executive mentors have provided leadership coaching and have shown students the tangible impact of math and science in their work through a series web-based seminars and company site visits. The program also has underscored the critical need for more young women to specialize in math and science: Women currently constitute 46 percent of the U.S. workforce but hold just 26 percent of U.S. jobs in science, technology and engineering, and fewer than 10 percent of American engineers are women. “One of the key challenges we face is that young women who are interested in science or engineering careers often get discouraged or face barriers along the way,” said Margaret M. Mattix, vice president of global marketing for Exxon Mobil Chemical Company and a Young Leaders Program mentor. “This program helps young women see the world of possibilities that are open to them.” Read more.

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Young Leaders Program Recruits Fortune 500 Execs to Coach College Women