STEM Learning Ecosystems Move to Self-Governance; Initiative Demonstrates Global Power of Collaboration

NEW YORK, Jan. 13, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The STEM Learning Ecosystems Community of Practice (SLECoP), launched as an initiative supported by philanthropy, is moving to sustainability with the appointment of 16 leaders from across the globe to serve as members of the newly formed Leadership Coordinating Council (LC2.)

Supported by the Teaching Institute for Excellence in STEM (TIES,) the backbone organization of the SLECoP, LC2 members will lead all aspects of the work of the STEM Learning Ecosystems Community of Practice as it enters its seventh year.

The SLECoP, the first initiative of its kind, brings together leaders from business and industry, K-12 and higher education, out-of-school-time providers, museums, non-profits, philanthropy and government to work together for meaningful STEM opportunities for all.

Forming STEM Learning Ecosystems has been cited as the top priority for driving meaningful STEM gains for communities by the U.S. Office of Science and Technology Policy and others and is credited with driving meaningful change in cities across the U.S. and in several other countries.

From programs to policy, the STEM Learning Ecosystems have been at the forefront of positive STEM gains in cities in the U.S., Mexico, Canada, Israel and Kenya.

The LC2 will move the SLECoP to new heights of leadership, recommending and implementing efforts to best support 100 global communities working to connect the diverse partners who recognize the power of STEM to improve the lives of individuals, families and entire communities.

"The STEM LEARNING ECOSYSTEMS has been an agent of change for reimaging STEM experiences, in large urban communities like New Orleans, Philadelphia, Cleveland, and Tulsa or more rural communities like upstate New York and Idaho. Leaders in STEM Learning Ecosystems across the Globe are organizing cross-sector partners to expand opportunities for and increase the inclusion of marginalized scholars in STEM, shining the spotlight on the diverse talent within each and every community across an Ecosystem's footprint," said Judd Pittman, former special consultant to the Secretary of Education for Pennsylvania.

"This work is transforming communities around the world and I am honored to be chairing the Leadership Coordinating Council (LC2)," said Pittman, explaining that collective action and network approaches to supporting scholars in STEM aligns with his new role as the director of K–16 Initiatives at Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology in Pennsylvania.

Reginald McGregor, Engineering Manager of the Rolls Royce Corporation, will serve as the vice chair of the LC2 and liaison to the Strategic Advisory Council. McGregor, who has been active with the Indiana STEM Ecosystem, said, "The LC2 will shape the future of this country by defining STEM as a skillset and diversifying the participants leading and those they are serving."

Other members of the LC2 are:

• Willonda McCloud, Lancaster County (PA) STEM Alliance, LC2 Vice Chair of Equity, Access and Opportunity
• Frank Creech, NC STEM Ecosystem, LC2 Vice Chair of Learning
• Tal Hakim Dromias, Beit Hakerem Cluster, Be'er Sheva (Israel) STEM Ecosystem, LC2 Vice Chair of International Relations
• LaTrenda Sherrill, Pittsburgh (PA) Regional STEM Ecosystem, LC2 Vice Chair of Communications
• Jeremy Babendure, Arizona SciTech Ecosystem, LC2 Vice Chair of Policy
• Lori Fillipin, Great Lakes Bay Regional Alliance, LC2 Vice Chair of Events
• Levi Patrick, Tulsa Regional STEM Alliance, Councilor
• Donna DeSiato, East Syracuse Minoa Central School District STEM Learning Ecosystem, Councilor
• Natasha Smith Walker, Chicago STEM Pathways Cooperative, Councilor
• Deb Bailey, Oregon's Statewide Regional STEM Hub Network, Councilor
• Lisa Blank, North Country STEM Network, Councilor
• Jo-Ann Coggan, STEAMecosystemBC (Canada), Councilor
• Graciela Rojas, Ecosistema STEAM (Mexico), Councilor
• Kathleen Schofield, NE Florida STEM2 Hub, Councilor

LC2 members were selected based on their demonstrated leadership at the STEM Learning Ecosystem level with brilliance in understanding the importance of STEM and the alignment with workforce and economic development.

The LC2 will prepare for the first in-person convening of the SLECoP since the pandemic, "People, Planet, Prosperity."

Learn more about the global initiative at stemecosystems.org. Address specific questions to [email protected]. Join online conversations on Twitter @STEMecosystems and #STEMecosystems and on Facebook and LinkedIn.

About the STEM Learning Ecosystems Community of Practice
STEM Learning Ecosystems encompass schools, community settings such as after-school and summer programs, science centers and museums, and informal experiences at home, businesses/industry, higher education including community colleges and in a variety of environments that together constitute a rich array of learning opportunities for young people. A STEM Learning Ecosystem harnesses the unique contributions of all these different settings in symbiosis to deliver STEM learning for all children.

STEM Learning Ecosystems unite all community stakeholders to ensure all students and people are engaged STEM learners who are competent and college and career- ready, that the educational system and its out-of-school time partners are equipped with the resources they need to engage, teach and develop STEM competency, and that communities thrive through a robust and competitive STEM skilled workforce. STEM Learning Ecosystems develop their knowledge, strengthen their persistence and nurture their sense of identity and belonging in STEM disciplines, and enable young people to connect what they learn in and out of school with real world learning opportunities, leading to STEM literacy, further education and careers.

Contact:
Veronica Gonzales
[email protected]

Alyssa Lenhoff-Briggs
3304021016
[email protected]

SOURCE Teaching Institute for Excellence in STEM