American Technical Education Association

Keynote Speaker, Susan Brooks: Restoring Middle Class Security

Congresswoman Susan W. Brooks represents the 5th District of Indiana, which spans eight diverse counties throughout the central part of the Hoosier state. She currently serves on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, the House Ethics Committee and the Select Committee on the Events Surrounding the 2012 Terrorist Attack in Benghazi.

Before joining the House of Representatives, Congresswoman Brooks received her undergraduate degree from Miami University of Ohio, then went on to pursue a Juris Doctor from the Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law. In 2001, President George W. Bush appointed her as U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana. In this position, she received bipartisan acclaim for her efforts to battle mortgage fraud, gun violence, drug trafficking, gangs, child exploitation and identity theft. Prior to her election, she served as Senior Vice President and General Counsel for Ivy Tech Community College with a focus on statewide workforce development strategies.

During her first term, Congresswoman Brooks introduced the bipartisan Computer Science Education Act, which has over 100 cosponsors. This legislation seeks to ensure Computer Science is added as a core academic subject, providing more opportunity for students of all ages to access computer science curriculum in our nation’s schools. She is also the Congressional Co-Chair of the Women’s High Tech Coalition and the author of legislation – passed by the House of Representatives – which requires the Department of Homeland Security to study and publish best practices on the use of social media during disasters.