STEM Education Specialist & Your Source For All Things STLA

Kate is a STEM Education Specialist contracted to the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR), where she creates and facilitates teacher professional development programs, including the STEM Teacher Leadership Academy and the ACCESS Lending Library Program. Prior to this role, she was an Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellow at the National Air and Space Museum, where she worked on virtual and in-person teacher programs.

Kate was a middle school science teacher and content lead before her fellowship kicked off, and she still finds ways to sneak back into the classroom whenever she can. She lives in Charlottesville with her husband, son, and sweet dog, Bo Peep - her favorite trail running partner.

kate.kogge@afk12stem.org

Phone: 571-289-7232

STEM Education Specialist

Svea is a STEM Education Specialist contracted to the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR), Her mission at AFOSR is STEM outreach to K12 students and districts across the NCR, as well as helping develop and facilitate the ACCESS Lending Library Program.

Svea was an Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellow at the Department of Homeland Security where she worked under the cybersecurity branch, CISA. Here she worked on K12 cybersecurity programming and National initiatives to keep districts safe from malware attacks. She is a PAEMST awardee, a former Grosvenor Teacher Fellow, and PolarTREC alumni. Svea's background is in wildlife biology and during summer months she guides in SE Alaska with National Geographic and helps a researcher conduct ecological research up in the Alaskan Arctic. Svea was in the classroom for twenty three years before this experience working with AFOSR STEM.

Email: svea.anderson@afk12stem.org

Phone: 202-643-5635

STEM Coordinator

Dr. Kim Jacoby Morris is a Program Coordinator at the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR). She manages programs covering education and outreach, internships and fellowships for folks interested in exploring STEM pathways. Prior to her time at AFOSR she earned her PhD in chemistry at Temple University and completed her postdoctoral fellowship at the National Institutes of Health. When she's not working with students, Dr. Jacoby plays with her dog-herd of 5 rescue pups, attempts to keep a garden alive and toys with fiber arts.

Educator Engagement Specialist

Shannon is the Educator Engagement Specialist at the National Air and Space Museum and will be on-site with us all week! She started the Teacher Innovator Institute (TII) at the museum, a two-week long professional development program for STEAM educators across the country. She’s been at the museum for almost 10 years, working in a variety of roles, but has been doing TII since she started building it in 2017.

She taught in elementary, middle, and high schools in Northeast Ohio after getting a teaching degree from Kent State University. During and after getting her Masters in Museum Education from GWU, she worked at a variety of museums in Maryland and DC.

Shannon is a fan of hair color changes, Baltimore baseball, Ted Lasso, gardening, and senior pit bulls. In her spare time, she loves watching baseball and visiting new MLB and MiLB stadiums with her husband and two young daughters.

2024 STLA Mentor

Melissa Green is an educator and a professional development leader in Fairfax County Public Schools. Her portfolio of work includes STEAM, Advanced Academics,equity, teacher leadership, curriculum development, and Aspiring leaders in FCPS. In addition to teaching students, she mentors teachers in high school, middle school and elementary. She is also a member of the Artificial Intelligence Cohort. Melissa has a M.S.E.E. and a MFA in Creative Writing. She is currently working on a fictional story that blends AI, Quantum and a futuristic robotic community. Aside from writing, Melissa loves to travel, dive into photography and catch a sports game every now and then.

2024 STLA Mentor

Louise is a STEAM Coach within Fairfax County Public Schools. She facilitates STEAM integration and access for all students by supporting teachers in the planning and implementation of STEAM learning opportunities. Louise is in her 21st year in education with an emphasis on STEM/STEAM integration in Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Virginia. She enjoys spending time with her family, traveling, and creating beautiful indoor and outdoor spaces.

2024 STLA Mentor

Kelsey Stiles is a K-5 STEM Lab teacher at Sully Elementary in Loudoun County. She works to integrate the Engineering Design Process, Scientific Method, and problem-solving skills into a variety of STEM lessons at her school. Before this position, she taught 3rd Grade for six years. In addition, she leads an afterschool STEM program and works with grade-level teams to enrich their science content throughout the year. She earned her MAT at Christopher Newport University. When she is not working with students, you can find her at the movie theater, baking, or solving a new jigsaw puzzle.

Strategy, Research & Curriculum Specialist, JHTO

Dr. Stephanie Stehle is a Strategy, Research, & Curriculum Specialist working with the Department of Defense’s (DoD) Joint Hypersonic Transition Office (JHTO), focusing on creating a K-12 Hypersonics STEM Curriculum. Each of the hypersonics lessons have been tested, critiqued, and approved by her two kids. She has a doctorate from George Mason University in Science Education Research, a masters from the University of Pittsburgh in science teaching, and a bachelors from Penn State University in physics. Stephanie has a combined 12 years experience as a high school physics teacher and has been coaching youth sports (softball and lacrosse) for 17 years. If she finds spare time, Stephanie like to re-read Harry Potter, paddle board, and listen to records.

Manager of Operations and Evaluation for the Air and Space STEM Outreach Office

Madison Venables has over 10 years of experience working in informal STEM education in art museums, science centers, and now for the Department of the Air Force’s K-12 STEM Outreach program. She brings a combination of education and evaluation skills to ensure that Air & Space STEM Outreach has a clear and robust system of measuring programmatic impact across all their K-12 STEM efforts onsite, out in local communities, and online.