J. Patrick White*
Board President
State Policy Manager, Education Technology Division,
Texas Instruments, Inc.

Gerry G. Meisels*
Board Vice President
Chairman, Florida Coalition for Mathematics and Science Education (CIMS) & Professor of Chemistry and Director Coalition for Science Literacy (CSL) at the University of South Florida

Douglas Heuser*
Board Treasurer
Co-Founder/Executive Director SEE Science Center

Jim McMurtray*
Board Secretary
Executive Director, NASSMC

F. M. Ross Armbrecht, Jr.
Executive Director, Delaware Foundation for Science and Mathematics Education

Phyllis Buchanan
Manager, Office of Education, Center for Collaborative Research and Education, E.I. Dupont de Nemours and Company

Yvonne B. Freeman
Executive Director, The Alliance for Global Education and Leadership (AGEL)

Orbry Holden
Director of Performance Management Services, Texas Business and Education Coalition (TBEC)

Charles R. Nash*
Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs,
The University of Alabama System

Sue Neuen
Director
California Science Center

Pat White is the State Policy Manager for the Education Technology Division of Texas Instruments, Inc. Pat also serves as Executive Director of the Idaho Science, Mathematics, and Technology Coalition (ISMTC) and was instrumental in founding the Coalition in 2004 as a 501(c)3 corporation.

Prior to taking the position with Texas Instruments, Pat served as the Chief of the Bureau of Educational Improvement at the Idaho State Department of Education (SDE). In this position he led Idaho's Mathematics and Science Partnership Program and directed SDE initiatives in the areas of content standards, curriculum, instruction, and assessment.

Pat served for four years as Executive Director of the Triangle Coalition for Science and Technology Education, a Washington, DC based nonprofit organization of businesses, educators, and professional societies dedicated to improving mathematics, science, and technology education. In previous positions, Pat has served as the Mathematics and Science Coordinator for the Idaho Department of Education, an Albert Einstein Fellow in the office of U.S. Senator James Jeffords, a classroom teacher, and a businessman. Pat received his BS from the University of Idaho and MA from Boise State University. He has taught middle school and high school mathematics and science.

Gerry Meisels was co-organizer of the Florida Coalition for Improving Mathematics and Science Education (CIMS) and has chaired it since its inception. CIMS has focused on influencing state policies and legislation affecting all aspects of mathematics and science education. In 1998, CIMS secured a 3-year appropriation of $8,400,000 for Professional Development of Elementary School Teachers in Mathematics and Science. Meisels secured NSF funding to organize two statewide M/S Summits in February and December 2005, which led to legislation establishing and funding the Florida Mathematics and Science Education Research Center. In his concurrent role as Director of the Coalition for Science Literacy at the University of South Florida, Meisels has led the development of introductory courses in Mathematics and Science for future elementary school teachers. He is PI on a USDOE grant to recruit qualified career-change Math/Science teachers, prepare them for alternative certification, provide them with effective induction, and model effective inductions. He is conducting research on causes of teacher turnover, and chairs a regional consortium on mathematics and science partnership initiatives. Meisels previously served as Provost of the University of South Florida, Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Nebraska in Lincoln and chair of its Department of Chemistry. He has published over 100 scientific papers. He was president of the American Association for Mass Spectrometry and Chairman of the U.S Council of Scientific Society Presidents. Meisels is a graduate of the Austrian Gymnasium and attended the University of Vienna. He was a Fulbright Fellow at the University of Notre Dame, from which he received his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees.

Douglas Heuser is the Co-Founder and Executive Director of the SEE Science Center, a hands-on science discovery center in Manchester, New Hampshire. Mr. Heuser has overseen the development of the institution from its establishment in 1984. More than half a million young people have been introduced to the excitement of science discovery through the programs and exhibits of SEE. Mr. Heuser also serves as the Executive Director (part-time) of the NH Mathematics, Science & Technology Coalition (NH MaST), the mission of which is to promote excellence in math, science and technology education. NH MaST is co-sponsor along with the Maine Mathematics & Science Alliance (MMSA) and the Vermont Institute of Science, Math & Technology (VISMT) of the NSF funded Northern NE Co-Mentoring Network, a 3-year teacher mentoring program. Mr. Heuser earned his BA in Psychology from Stanford University and completed the required course work for the Master of Education-Counseling degree program at the University of NH. He was selected to participate in the highly competitive Getty Museum Management Institute in 1994.

Jim McMurtray is the Executive Director of the National Alliance of State Science and Mathematics Coalitions. He joined NASSMC after serving for nearly 20 years as a contractor to NASA's Education Division during which time he presented lectures and workshops on space science and other aerospace related topics throughout the United States and in Mexico, Venezuela and Puerto Rico. McMurtray served as an instructor in NASA's Space Flight Participant Program in 1985, conducting seminars in space science and NASA future programs for the 114 candidates of the original Teacher in Space Project. As a representative of NASA, he was involved in the planning and execution of the first NASA/NASSMC Linking Leaders Workshop in 1996. A former planetarium director and teacher of astronomy, he has been actively involved in reform efforts in science education for over three decades. He is the author of Barbarian Science (1999), a book on science literacy in America, and the creator of Starlight (1981), a nationally distributed planetarium show on the physics of stars. In April 2004, McMurtray testified before the President's Commission on Implementation of U.S. Space Exploration Policy (Moon, Mars and Beyond) at a Public Hearing In San Francisco on improving mathematics, science and technology education.

Phyllis S. Buchanan brings more than 25 years of experience with the DuPont Corporate Education Program to her current position. She has overseen corporate funding for science education and leading edge research at the university level; identified and contributed to the development of national programs that promote young people's interest in science and technology; and repositioned significant Office of Education resources to the support of K-12 science and mathematics education reform. In managing the Office of Education's ambitious agenda, she weaves together an extensive network of alliances and partners across all educational levels to engage DuPont as a catalyst for educational reform.  

Ms. Buchanan is a board member of the Triangle Coalition for Science and Technology Education; the Delaware Valley Science Fairs, Inc.,; the Delaware Foundation for Science and Mathematics Education; the F.I.R.S.T. Philadelphia Regional Advisory Board (Drexel University); and the National Science Resources Center's National LASER Advisory Board. Ms. Buchanan is a graduate of Widener University (B.S. and M.Ed.) and a recent recipient of an honorary degree from Clemson University.    

She continues to work collaboratively with teachers and educators, and she actively encourages all DuPont employees to contribute expertise and resources to improve science and mathematics education.

Richard Cole is President and Chief Executive Officer of the Connecticut Academy for Education in Mathematics, Science & Technology, Inc., a non-profit corporation located in Middletown, CT. The CT Academy works with educational entities in Connecticut and other locations to accomplish high levels of participation and achievement in mathematics, science, and technology by all students. Prior to the CT Academy, Mr. Cole served as Director, Public Affairs for United Technologies Corporation and as Administrative Assistant to the corporation's Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. He was also a middle and high school teacher, school and district administrator, and college administrator. He has been awarded the 2005 Dr. Sigmund Abeles Science Advocate Award, sponsored by the Connecticut Science Teachers Association (CSTA) and Connecticut Science Supervisors Association (CSSA). The award is given to an individual who has provided outstanding service to science education in Connecticut and who demonstrates a long-term commitment to science education. Mr. Cole holds undergraduate degrees in Business and Political Science, and a Masters of Arts in Communications.

Jeanne Finstein has had 20 years of experience as a mathematics teacher and served 8 years on the Ohio County (WV) Board of Education. She worked at the Center for Educational Technologies, Wheeling, WV from 1990 to 2004 and is currently the Director of Development for Polyhedron Learning Media, Inc. Since 1999, Jeanne has co-chaired the Linking Leaders program in West Virginia and has participated in NASSMC Directors' meetings. She helped coordinate the first Systemic Linking Leaders program, held at NASA Langley Research Center for West Virginia participants. She holds a Bachelor's Degree in Math Education from West Virginia University, a Master's in Math Education from Wheeling Jesuit University and a Doctorate in curriculum and instruction from West Virginia University.

Dr. Yvonne B. Freeman serves as the Executive Director of the Global Alliance for Linking Leaders, Inc., an education and leadership development program that creates and supports a global network of educators to discover, adapt, share and integrate the best educational practices found in Asia, Africa, the United States and Latin America for teaching science, mathematics, arts, reading, and technology (SMART). Her prior experience includes service as SECME's Executive Director April 2000 through July 2006 where she raised 80 percent of the funding to support the general operation of the organization and its programs. She pioneered a number of signature programs that built on a legacy of precedent excellence. Dr. Freeman was previously Vice President and Chief Operations Officer of Integra Ventures, Inc., Vice President for Science and Technology, Morehouse School of Medicine; Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, Clark Atlanta University; and Associate Administrator for Equal Opportunity Programs, National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Earlier she was Manager of the Minority Science and Engineering Initiatives Office at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology; Manager of NASA's Minority University Program; Special Assistant to the Director, Civil Rights, Office of Advocacy and Enterprise, U.S. Department of Agriculture; Education Officer, Africa Bureau, Agency for International Development, U.S. Department of State; Deputy Director, Minority Research and Teaching Programs, Office of Grants and Program Systems, USDA; Chief, University Affairs Staff, USDA Office of Equal Opportunity; Assistant Superintendent for Administration in the Montclair (New Jersey) Public Schools; Assistant Director, National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education; and Policy Fellow, Institute for Educational Leadership, George Washington University. She received the BA degree from Fisk University, Master of Education from Loyola University at Los Angeles, and Doctor of Education from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.

Orbry Holden is Director of Performance Management Services for the Texas Business and Education Coalition (TBEC). Prior to joining TBEC, Holden managed the Texas Association of School Boards, helped establish the Texas Learning Technology Group that pioneered the development of the first full-year science course using interactive video disks and advanced computer technology, and worked at the Texas Center for Educational Research and the Educational Productivity Council in the Department of Education Administration at the University of Texas at Austin. Holden also held memberships with the committee that recommended the Texas State Plan for Educational Technology, the National Geographic Kid's Network Advisory Committee, the editorial boards of The Journal and the Texas Center for Educational Research, and was past chairman of Project Bluebonnet, a consortium of Texas high technology companies that helped to establish the state's Telecommunication Infrastructure Fund.

Charles Ray Nash is Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs of The University of Alabama System and chairman of the Board of the Alabama Mathematics, Science, and Technology Education Coalition (AMSTEC). As the senior academic officer in the System, Mr. Nash serves as chief liaison to academic and planning officials at The University of Alabama, The University of Alabama at Birmingham, and The University of Alabama in Huntsville. He advises the Chancellor on all academic policy matters and provides primary leadership in program planning, development, and review. He also is a member of the Task Force that developed the Alabama Mathematics, Science, and Technology Initiative (AMSTI) for the Alabama Department of Education. Prior to assuming this position in 1992, Mr. Nash was Associate Executive Director, Commission on Colleges, Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. From 1979 to 1986, he was Dean of the School of Education at Armstrong State College in Savannah, Georgia. He also is former Director of Special Studies and Assistant Vice Chancellor for Academic Development for the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia. Mr. Nash holds an EdD from Mississippi State University.

Sue Neuen is spearheading the California Science and Math Coalition. As a director of the California Science Center in LA, the state's science museum, she oversees science programs and professional development for 23,000 teachers in Orange County, California. Sue has worked closely with the National Science Resources Center for over 10 years serving on the resource team for 23 State and National LASER Institutes, designed to help school districts develop leadership for STEM reform. Prior to her work in California, Sue was Director of the Einstein Project, a model school/ business partnership in Wisconsin, and in that capacity served on the design team for the Wisconsin Coalition. Sue's passion is student achievement in STEM to build the pipeline for a United States workforce that will ensure national security and global competitiveness.

Kathleen (Kay) O'Keefe is the Senior Program officer for the Medtronic Foundation. Her responsibilities include managing the Foundation's education grant program plus grant programs at 15 US Medtronic Facilities outside company headquarters. For the past twelve years Kay has led Medtronic's efforts to improve the quality of K-12 science education through the STAR (Science and Technology Are Rewarding) grant initiative and has developed partnerships with several major school districts. She also oversaw the development of the Foundation's Higher Education science and engineering scholarship/ fellowship program and manages the implementation.

Prior to work with Medtronic, Kay worked as policy analyst and research consultant for a number of organizations, including Policy Study Associates, Washington D.C., Montgomery Public Schools, Montgomery Maryland, the National Science Foundation, the Office of Education, and the Learning Research and Development Center, University of Pittsburgh. Kay also held academic appointments at the University of Pittsburgh and the University of Maryland. She received a Ph.D. in education from The Ohio State University

Kay is a past board chair and current board member of the Triangle Coalition for Science and Technology, and a board member of the National Alliance of State Science and Mathematics Coalitions and SciMathMN. She serves on a number of advisory committees including the Minneapolis Stakeholders Advisory Committee for Science and Mathematics, the St. Paul Schools Science Advisory Committee, and the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce education committee.

Medtronic Inc, headquartered in Minneapolis is the world's leading medical technology company providing lifelong solutions to people with chronic pain.

Rick Scott recently retired from a position as Professor of Bilingual Math Education at New Mexico State University (NMSU) to become the Bureau Chief of the newly created Math and Science Bureau of the New Mexico Public Education Department. He is a founding member of the New Mexico Math Coalition, a Board Member of the New Mexico Partnership for Math and Science Education, a member of the US National Commission on Math Instruction, and the Vice President of the Interamerican Math Education Committee. He is the author of numerous publications on mathematics education.

updated 4/2007