News Release

Coalition of Associations and Unions Defending Professional Integrity Launches with News Conference at National Press Club

WASHINGTON (19 May 2009) — A coalition of 19 national and global organizations, including IEEE-USA, will announce the formation of“Professionals for the Public Interest (PftPI): Associations and Unions Defending Professional Integrity” at a news conference in the First Amendment Lounge of the National Press Club on Wednesday 20 May at 9:30 a.m.

“Professionals across a range of government and private enterprise positions are experiencing pressures and challenges to the integrity of their work,” said Paul Almeida, president of the Department for Professional Employees (DPE), AFL-CIO, which has played a coordinating role in bringing the organizations together. “PftPI will engage those professionals, the public and policymakers in discussing ways to defend against those external pressures.”

The PftPI coalition includes professional associations and unions representing more than four million professionals in science, engineering, health, the arts and human services.

Featured speakers Wednesday include Randi Weingarten, president, American Federation of Teachers; Ann Converso, president, United American Nurses; Mary Ghikas, senior associate executive director, American Library Association;and Dr. Mark Frankel, director of the Scientific Freedom, Responsibility and Law Program, American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Glenn Ruskin, director of the American Chemical Society’s Office of Public Affairs, and DPE’s Almeida, will serve as moderators.

President Barack Obama recognized the importance of scientific integrity with a 9 March memorandum that assigns to Dr. John Holdren, director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy, “the responsibility for ensuring the highest level of integrity in all aspects of the executive branch’s involvement with scientific and technological processes.”

“The public must be able to trust the science and scientific process informing public policy decisions,” Obama wrote. “Political officials should not suppress or alter scientific or technological findings and conclusions. If scientific and technological information is developed and used by the Federal Government, it should ordinarily be made available to the public.

“To the extent permitted by law, there should be transparency in the preparation, identification, and use of scientific and technological information in policymaking.The selection of scientists and technology professionals for positions in the executive branch should be based on their scientific and technological knowledge, credentials, experience, and integrity.”

See the memo at http://www.whitehouse.gov/the_press_office/Memorandum-for-the-Heads-of-Executive-Departments-and-Agencies-3-9-09/.

In addition to the news conference, PftPI is launching its Web site, www.PftPI.org, to allow professionals to share ideas and experiences related to professional integrity and its connection to the public interest. The stories will be entered into a contest and several will be highlighted on the Web site on Labor Day 2009. The site, accessible at http://pftpi.org/, also highlights the members of the coalition and their statements on professional integrity.

IEEE-USA advances the public good and promotes the careers and public policy interests of more than 210,000 engineers, scientists and allied professionals who are U.S. members of IEEE. IEEE-USA is part of IEEE, the world's largest technical professional society with 375,000 members in 160 countries. See http://www.ieeeusa.org.

Contact: Chris McManes
IEEE-USA Public Relations Manager
Phone: 1 202 530 8356
E-mail: c.mcmanes@ieee.org

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