CARLSBAD, CA - The SEMI Foundation has appointed Joseph Stockunas, Corporate Vice President for Electronics Systems at Nordson Corp. and the immediate past chair of the SEMI North America Advisory Board, to the SEMI Foundation Board of Trustees.

"We are excited to leverage Joe's passion for innovation and his desire to help young people make thoughtful education and career choices," said Leslie Tugman, Executive Director of the SEMI Foundation. "As the foundation's vision is expanding to address the larger industry workforce development pipeline and leadership in the area of women's issues, Joe's talent, industry insight and commitment will be a great asset."

The mission of the SEMI Foundation is to support education and career awareness in the field of high technology. The SEMI Foundation produces SEMI High Tech U (HTU), a three-day interactive program that encourages high school students to pursue academic paths that emphasize science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) and to expose them to high-technology careers such as semiconductor manufacturing.

The Nordson Corp. Foundation sponsored its first HTU program Feb. 12-15, 2018, at the Nordson facility in Carlsbad, California. This was one of the first HTU events to be held in Southern California. Forty high school students from five local high schools, including Carlsbad, Sage Creek, San Marcos, Rancho Buena Vista, and Mission Hills, attended the program, where they learned from industry instructors and visited the UC San Diego campus for a look at college life.

Stockunas has a long history of engaging and supporting STEM activities and the workforce development pipeline. Stockunas sponsored SEMI High Tech U at Air Products in Pennsylvania where he had previously worked for 30 years. In 2013, he joined Nordson Corp. and has helped facilitate the company&'s sponsorship of SEMI High Tech U in 2018.