NASSMC Board of Directors
Biographies
Michael R. L. Odell, Ph.D.
Board President
Associate Vice President for Sponsored Research and Director of Federal Relations; Director of the Ingenuity STEM Center, The University of Texas at Tyler
Dr. Michael Odell is the director of sponsored research at The University of Texas at Tyler. A member of UT Tyler since 2006, Odell holds the Celia and Sam Roosth chair in education and is a professor of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education. The Office of Sponsored Research provides effective leadership through the promotion and support of quality research and sponsored programs both within the university and through collaborative efforts with other universities, industries and businesses. Sponsored research awards topped the $12 million mark in 2009.
Since his arrival at UT Tyler, Dr. Odell has built one of the best and most comprehensive STEM programs in the State of Texas. Because of his strong academic background and expertise, Dr. Odell has become the single most productive faculty member at the University in terms of attracting well over $5 million in government and private grants for his programs and has helped faculty colleagues attract nearly $1.7 million more.
Odell holds a Ph.D. in curriculum and instruction and science education from Indiana University and a master of arts in teaching degree from UT Dallas. He was instrumental in creating the UT Tyler East Texas STEM Center, which also is under his directorship. He also has served as a consultant or project evaluator to school districts, industry, professional organizations and universities. Odell currently serves as a reviewer for Pearson Publishing and has been acknowledged in a number of industry-leading science education textbooks.
Gerry G. Meisels, Ph.D.
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
Dr. Gerry Meisels co-organized 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 Center for Research in STEM. He represents science education on two statewide planning programs: the Florida Chamber Foundation’s Six Pillars effort where he serves on the Education Pillar Caucus, and the STEMFlorida team that is developing a plan for enlarging Florida’s High Tech industry. 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 was 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 has conducted research on causes of teacher turnover. Other recent activities supported by NSF, USDOE, FLDOE and NASA include evaluation of several science education and professional development programs and development of programs to incorporate aerospace and climate change education in local high school curricula.
Dr. 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 Society for Mass Spectrometry (ASMS) and Chairman of the U.S Council of Scientific Society Presidents (CSP). Meisels is a native of Austria. He graduated from Gymnasium there and attended the University of Vienna before coming to the US as a Fulbright and Smith-Mundt Fellow to attend the University of Notre Dame, from which he received his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees.
Douglas Heuser
Board Treasurer
Co-Founder/Executive Director SEE Science Center
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.
Kenneth W. Heydrick, Ed.D.
Executive Director, NASSMC
Dr. Kenneth W. Heydrick was appointed Executive Director of the National Alliance of State Science and Mathematics Coalitions in April 2012. Dr. Heydrick is a research professor at The University of Texas at Tyler where he works with various national and statewide STEM initiatives. Besides his work with NASSMC, he also assists with the Texas STEM Centers’ Coalition. Prior to his work in higher education, Dr. Heydrick served as the Director of Science Curriculum for the Texas Education Agency for almost four years. He has 15 years of experience as a district-level science supervisor and 10 years of experience as a high school science teacher. Dr. Heydrick received an Ed.D. in curriculum and instruction from The University of Houston in 1990, a M.S. in secondary education with an emphasis in science from Northern Illinois University in 1983, and a B.S. in biological sciences and chemistry from Northern Illinois University in 1980. He received the “National Outstanding Leadership in Science Education Award” from the National Science Education Leadership Association (NSELA) in 2005 and the Texas Outstanding Leadership in Science Education Award from the Texas Science Education Leadership Association (TSLEA) in 2004. Dr. Heydrick has served as President of the National Science Education Leadership Association (NSELA), President of the Texas Science Education Leadership Association (TSELA), and President of the Science Teachers Association of Texas (STAT).
With his 30-years of experience and credentials, Dr. Heydrick wants to direct attention and support of statewide and national STEM networks/coalitions. STEM programs can be enhanced, broadened, and have a greater impact on the achievement among students. Bringing together business, industry, academic institutions, nonprofits, foundations, and organizations to improve STEM education and opportunities is important.
Jim McMurtray
Senior Policy Advisor, NASSMC
Jim McMurtray is the Senior Policy Advisor 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.
Mr. McMurtray 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.
F. M. Ross Armbrecht, Jr., Ph.D.
Board Member
Executive Director of the Delaware Foundation for Science and Mathematics Education
Dr. F. M. Ross Armbrecht, Jr. is Executive Director of the Delaware Foundation for Science and Mathematics Education. Dr. Armbrecht earned his B.S. in Chemistry from Duke University and his Ph.D. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Joining DuPont as a Research Chemist, he later served in various technical and management positions, including Technical Manager for the Ethylene Copolymers Business, Laboratory Manager for Polymer Products Research, and Strategic Planning Consultant for the DuPont Experimental Station. After serving as Director of Technology for AlliedSignal's Polymer Additives business, he joined Witco Corporation in 1995, retiring from the role of Vice President, Technology and Chair of the Technology Leadership Team. From 2001 to 2005 he served as President of the Industrial Research Institute, Inc. (IRI) in Washington, DC.
He is now an Emeritus Member of IRI and a member of the American Chemical Society. He is past chair of the Committee on Science, Engineering and Public Policy, an advisory group for the board of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). He previously chaired the Advanced Technology Program Advisory Committee at the National Institute of Standards and Technology, and currently serves on the Governor’s Council for STEM Education. He also serves the National Science Resource Center on its International Committee, and the Advisory Committee for its I3 education grant.
Phyllis S. Buchanan
Board Member
Manager, Office of Education, Center for Collaborative Research and Education, DuPont
Phyllis S. Buchanan brings more than 30 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, 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 Association of Science Material Centers (ASMC), the Triangle Coalition for Science and Technology Education; the Delaware Valley Science Fairs, Inc., the Delaware Foundation for Science and Mathematics Education, and SECME, Inc. She is a member of the advisory board for the National Science Resources Center, the CASE Advisory Committee (Curriculum for Agricultural Science Education); and the President’s Advisory Board, Clemson University. Ms. Buchanan is a graduate of Widener University (B.S. and M.Ed.) and a recent recipient of an honorary degree from Clemson University.
Jeanne Finstein, Ed.D.
Board Member
President, Polyhedron Learning Media, Inc.
Dr. Jeanne Finstein has 20 years of experience as a mathematics teacher and served 8 years on the Ohio County (West Virginia) Board of Education. She worked at the Center for Educational Technologies, Wheeling, West Virginia from 1990 to 2004 and is currently President of Polyhedron Learning Media, Inc., an educational software development company that has produced software for NASA and for the U.S. Department of Education. Since 1999, Dr. Finstein has participated in NASSMC Directors' meetings. 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.
Susan Maxey
Board Member
Director, Transformation 2013 Texas STEM Center
Susan Maxey is the Director of Transformation 2013 T-STEM Center and Coordinator for Differentiation and Program Support at Education Service Center Region XIII in Austin, Texas. Transformation 2013 T-STEM Center is a partnership between Education Service Centers Region XIII and Region 20 (San Antonio). Transformation 2013 T-STEM Center serves central Texas and El Paso T-STEM Academies and other schools focusing on innovative Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) instruction. As Coordinator for Differentiation and Program Support at Education Service Center Region XIII, Ms. Maxey works to ensure strong programming in the areas of early childhood, gifted/talented education, advanced academics, bilingual education, and English as a second language initiatives.
Before coming to Region XIII, Ms. Maxey worked in public and independent schools the area of gifted education and advanced academics, both as a classroom teacher for regular education, special education, pre-advanced placement, and gifted students and as a campus-level administrator. Ms. Maxey holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from the University of Texas at Austin and a Master of Arts degree in Educational Administration with an emphasis in Instructional Leadership and a minor in Gifted and Talented education from Southwest Texas State University. She has completed 54 hours of doctoral work in education with a focus on school improvement at Texas State University - San Marcos. She is co-author of How to Help Beginning Teachers Succeed published by the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.
Charles R. Nash, Ed.D.
Board Member
Vice Chancellor for Academic and Student Affairs, The University of Alabama System
Dr. 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, Dr. 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, Dr. 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. Dr. Nash holds an Ed.D. from Mississippi State University.
Sue Neuen
Board Member
Director, California Science Center
Sue Neuen is spearheading the California Science and Math Coalition. As a director of the California Science Center in Los Angeles, 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, Ms. Neuen 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. Ms. Neuen’s passion is student achievement in STEM to build the pipeline for a United States workforce that will ensure national security and global competitiveness.
Patrick White
Board Member
State Policy Manager, Education Technology Division, Texas Instruments, Inc
Pat White is the State Policy Director for the Education Technology Division of Texas Instruments. Mr. White also serves on the Board of Directors 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, Mr. White served as the Chief of the Bureau of Educational Improvement at the Idaho State Department of Education. In this position, he directed initiatives in the areas of content standards, curriculum, instruction, and assessment.
Mr. White 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, Mr. White 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. Mr. White 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.
Updated: May 1, 2012
