Under Kleinfeld's direction, Alcoa has supported STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) workforce development initiatives to train and educate students and teachers globally. A July 2012 op-ed piece co-authored by Kleinfeld and Richard Haass, president of the Council on Foreign Relations, proposed closer business and government collaboration to narrow the STEM skills gap between the labor market and manufacturers. In September 2013, President Obama appointed Kleinfeld to the President's Advanced Manufacturing Partnership Steering Committee 2.0 for Alcoa's continuing efforts to maintain U.S. leadership in emerging technologies.