Cox Science Center and Aquarium Appoints Eric Stonestrom as Board Chair

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla., June 27, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The Cox Science Center and Aquarium (CSCA) proudly announced the appointment of Palm Beach resident, Eric Stonestrom, as its new board chair. His position begins immediately following the retirement of his predecessor, Lew Crampton. Stonestrom, comes from a family of engineers and scientists and he is a technology executive with 40 years of experience in the telecommunications field.

"It is a bittersweet moment as we are forever indebted to Lew for his years of service," said Kate Arrizza, President and CEO of CSCA. "However, we very much look forward to this new wave of leadership with Eric, given his distinguished career and passion for sciences. He has managed many complex projects throughout his career, and we have full confidence that he will carry our multimillion-dollar expansion to successful completion with his expertise and foresight."

After earning undergraduate and graduate degrees at the College of Engineering at UC Berkeley, Stonestrom joined AT&T Bell Laboratories in 1984. After a decade long stint in the US and Italy, he joined DSC Communications, a telecom infrastructure company, moving to Copenhagen to run various fiber, software and wireless businesses. In 1998, through the creation of Airspan Networks Inc., he led a London based spin out of the fledgling wireless part of DSC by a consortium of Venture Capital stalwarts. He ran the company for 26 years as CEO, and lastly Executive Chairman, delivering billions of dollars of network equipment to a collection of innovative telecom operators in 35 countries. Airspan holds over 200 critical patents and Stonestrom recently had a patent issued for a network device known as "the Magic Box," co-authored with Softbank founder Masayoshi Son.

He and his family moved to Palm Beach in 2000. His son, Atticus, was a frequent visitor to the Science Museum as a child and also worked briefly as an intern explaining aspects of the Raspberry Pi to visitors. Stonestrom served on the board of the Academy of the Palm Beaches prior to the merger with the Palm Beach Day School before joining the Science Museum board in 2015 and has served as both Treasurer and the Finance Committee chair.

He says he holds the strong belief that science education and early exposure to the "hows and whys" of the natural world can instill youth with problem solving skills and valuable tools throughout adult life.

"This is an exciting and pivotal time for the Cox Science Center," said Stonestrom. "In this new leadership role, I look forward to working with the incredible staff and trustee base to continue our mission of opening every mind to science. Our exciting expansion provides a platform to increase the number of young and older people that we can engage. I have seen how childhood exposure to math and science can massively impact lifelong career paths."

The planned expansion will now allow CSCA to exponentially grow its attendance to serve nearly 1 million guests annually in new and renovated spaces, including a new science building visible from I-95, new outdoor spaces and one of Florida's largest indoor aquariums. The current indoor/ outdoor campus is expected to double in size from 50,000-square-feet to more than 100,000-square-feet, with the aquarium growing from 10,000 gallons to 130,000 gallons.

In addition to floor-to-ceiling aquariums, CSCA will present an interactive extended reality experience, displaying signature programs from rocket launches to deep sea exploration; a digital arts studio to promote skills that align with high-demand jobs and an expanded biology lab that consolidates the Center's preferred provider status to all schools in Palm Beach County.

The current traveling exhibit on display is Dinosaur Revolution now through late September 2024.For more information about CSCA's leadership please visit coxsciencecenter.org/board-trustees.

Media Contact:
Lauren Eissey
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SOURCE Cox Science Center and Aquarium