WASHINGTON (13 November 2017) – On Friday, November 10th, RedState.com published an article containing a number of factually inaccurate statements about IEEE-USA, our prestigious Congressional Fellows Program and former volunteer Ron Hira. We would like to correct the record:

  • IEEE-USA is neither a union nor a ‘quasi-union,’ but is an operating unit of IEEE, which is the world’s largest technical professional association. IEEE-USA promotes the careers and policy interests of U.S. IEEE members who are involved with the creation and use of advanced technologies around the world. Founded by technological pioneers, including Alexander Graham Bell and Thomas Edison, we continue to count among our members many of the most innovative and productive men and women in the country, in fields such as artificial intelligence, aerospace, the Internet and defense technology.
  • The IEEE-USA Congressional Fellows Program allows highly accomplished technical professionals to serve as Congressional staff members for one year. It is part of a bipartisan, multi-society educational fellowship program that provides participating members of Congress with direct access to dedicated technical experts who accept offer to work on their personal or committee staffs.Although IEEE-USA sponsors the Congressional Fellows program, we play no role in Fellowship assignments or giving any management direction to our Congressional Fellows while they are on the Hill, and in fact have only minimal contact with our Fellows during their fellowship year. For more information on the Congressional Fellows Program, visit: https://ieeeusa.org/public-policy/government-fellowships/congressional/“IEEE-USA is deeply proud of the service our Fellows have provided to Congress for more than 30 years,” says IEEE-USA President Karen Pedersen, “and we hope to continue providing Congress with access to experienced professionals every year to help them understand our ever more complicated world.”
  • More than a decade ago, Mr. Hira worked with IEEE-USA as a volunteer leader on a variety of career and workforce issues, including immigration reform, but his role in IEEE-USA leadership ended in 2006.
    For more information about IEEE-USA’s Policy and the Congressional Fellow Program, visit ieeeusa.org.

 

IEEE-USA serves the public good and promotes the careers and public policy interests of nearly 190,000 engineering, computing and technology professionals who are U.S. members of IEEE.

Web: ieeeusa.org
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ieeeusa
Twitter: www.twitter.com/ieeeusa
Instagram: www.instagram.com/ieeeusa/

Contact: John Yaglenski
IEEE-USA Communications Director
j.yaglenski@ieee.org