Microsoft photo

Microsoft’s Brad Smith (right), joined NASA Administrator Charles Bolden and other Seattle-area business leaders in a Friday forum organized by the Business Higher Education Forum

Microsoft’s chief council Brad Smith joined other local leaders from tech and venture capital Friday morning to talk with NASA Administrator Charles Bolden about how to better prepare students for careers in science, technology and engineering.

Smith has been the face of Microsoft’s efforts on education issues. In November, Smith called for state leaders to avoid more cuts to higher education funding.

Smith and Bolden were joined Friday at The Fairmont Olympic in Seattle by Darlene Miller, president and CEO of Permac Industries and a member of the President’s Council; John Vechey, founder and CEO of PopCap Games; Nicolas Hanauer, partner at Second Avenue Partners; and Don Graves, executive director of the President’s Council on Jobs and Competitiveness.

The Business-Higher Education Forum event was part of an ongoing series of ‘listening and action sessions’ of President Obama’s Council on Jobs and Competitiveness.

Microsoft has made higher education funding a priority, saying the issue is paramount to maintaining and expanding a highly skilled workforce. Microsoft and Boeing have pledged $25 million each to seed a scholarship program that is aimed at offsetting big jumps in tuition at UW and other state universities. The scholarships are aimed at students pursuing degrees in health care, manufacturing, science, mathematics and technology.

In October, Microsoft’s Smith was in the U.S. Capitol in D.C., talking about the high unemployment rate among the nation’s military veterans and what government and the private sector should do about it.

In August, Microsoft announced it was backing a U.S. military veteran hiring effort with $2 million in cash and up to $6 million in software and training.