Elevate Quantum’s plan to scale a thriving and fair workforce for America’s largest quantum economy took an important step forward last week on Capitol Hill.

Colorado Senators John Hickenlooper and Michael Bennet came to discuss their commitment to helping the Mountain West lead the world into the quantum future. Their presence was symbolic of the support and partnerships across the Mountain West, partnerships that helped drive historic new commitments of more than $80M in state funds, unlocking $1B in private capital to even further strengthen the quantum opportunity across New Mexico, Colorado, and Wyoming.

The Senators were joined by an inspiring set of workforce leaders rising to activate the potential of everyone in our region. Quantinuum’s Chief Scientist, Professor Bob Coecke, illustrated a groundbreaking and accessible language of quantum to more powerfully and inclusively build the discipline. Lucy Sanders, founder of NCWIT, spoke about how their experience building the country’s largest computer science education network could be leveraged to build our industry the right way from the ground up. The presentations were complemented by remarks from the AFL-CIO, Los Alamos National Lab, Activate Work, Xairos, and Colorado’s OEDIT. These speakers highlighted the multifaceted nature of the region’s ecosystem and the opportunity we have to build a community actually reflective of the populations in the region by ensuring everyone has a seat at the table.