Ashley Lomboy - 2023 Indigenous Excellence

The Indigenous Excellence Award acknowledges an individual who has done substantial work for 10 or more years to advance programs and opportunities for Indigenous students and professionals within their Indigenous community and/or in support of Indigenous people at the national level.
In 2019, Ashley Lomboy founded Waccamaw Siouan STEM Studio, a program that aims to increase community understanding of STEM, while providing STEM opportunities to Indigenous youth. Lomboy is the recipient of the AISES 2023 Indigenous Excellence award. With 22 years of information technology (I/T) and computer science experience, Lomboy’s “day job” is global information security manager for Corning, Inc. She also leads the Corning Native American Council. In order to provide community-based STEM exploration, the STEM Studio involves marshalling a multidisciplinary team of science, math, engineering, and I/T instructor-role models, as well as several sponsor-partners that include universities and museums. STEM Studio has delivered more than 40 program events, encompassing tribal culture, language, history, and STEM (ranging from robotics to reforestation), while celebrating and educating about Indigenous people’s contributions to STEM. During the Covid-19 pandemic, Lomboy arranged for her Waccamaw Siouan Tribe to distribute 185 STEM activity kits to Indigenous youth. Lomboy is an active volunteer board member and community leader in southeast North Carolina, advocating on such issues as Indigenous Peoples Day and Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women. Lomboy is a U.S. Army veteran who served in Operation Iraqi Freedom.