About Ignited
About Ignited
Ignited is a Silicon Valley nonprofit transforming STEM education to equip students with 21st Century Skills. Ignited provides teachers with summer fellowships at top companies and universities so they can inspire and prepare students to become the next generation of innovators. Founded in 1985 as Industry Initiatives for Science and Math Education, the organization has awarded 3,704 fellowships to teachers from kindergarten through college level in 743 schools, impacting more than 3 million students. Learn more at www.IgnitEducation.org.
About Jeff Schmidt
Byline BIO: Jeff Schmidt is the Chief Executive Officer of Ignited. He passionately advocates for new solutions to critical issues in our educational system, including growing larger, more diverse talent pools and pipelines, prioritizing teacher professional development, simplifying STEM access for all students and recognizing their achievements, building more affordable teacher housing, and investing in a streamlined and collaborative STEM blueprint where all educators, companies, nonprofits, and policymakers can collaborate locally, nationally, and globally. Learn more at www.IgnitEducation.org.
Broadcast BIO: U.S. students continue to trail their peers in many industrial nations in math and science scores, while robots may soon displace one-third of jobs in the US. Our guest today is Jeff Schmidt, CEO of Ignited (www.IgnitEducation.org). The Silicon Valley nonprofit awards teachers fellowships at top companies so they can equip students for jobs of tomorrow. Welcome, Jeff. How is Ignited working to transform STEM learning and prepare students for the future?
Full BIO: Jeff Schmidt is the Chief Executive Officer of Ignited. He joined the organization in August 2019 from Lockheed Martin, a long-term partner over Ignited’s 35-year history. He has worked with nonprofits, school districts, community leaders, policymakers, and companies with a focus on innovative STEM strategies that support teachers and under-served school districts.
Jeff passionately advocates for new solutions to critical issues in our educational system, including growing larger, more diverse talent pools and pipelines, prioritizing teacher professional development, simplifying STEM access for all students and recognizing their achievements, building more affordable teacher housing, and investing in a streamlined and collaborative STEM blueprint where all educators, companies, nonprofits, and policymakers can collaborate locally, nationally, and globally.
In his 25-year career, he has held a variety of leadership positions at Lockheed Martin, Lam Research, eBay, and Hewlett-Packard in areas such as community relations, university relations, operations, sales, marketing, communications and human resources.
For more than a decade, he was based in Switzerland and Ireland, and worked extensively with teams across Asia Pacific, Europe, and the Americas. Learn more at www.IgnitEducation.org.
About Anissa Kalinowski
Byline BIO: Anissa Kalinowski is a biotech professional and president of the board of directors at Ignited. The Silicon Valley nonprofit awards teachers fellowships at top companies and universities so they can inspire and prepare students to become the next generation of innovators. Learn more at www.IgnitEducation.org.
Broadcast BIO: U.S. students continue to trail their peers in many industrial nations in math and science scores, while robots may soon displace one-third of jobs in the US. Our guest today is Anissa (SAY a-nee-sa) Kalinowski, president of the board of directors at Ignited (www.IgnitEducation.org). The Silicon Valley nonprofit awards teachers fellowships at top companies so they can equip students for jobs of tomorrow. Welcome, Anissa. How is Ignited working to transform STEM learning and prepare students for the future?
Full BIO: Anissa Kalinowski is a biotech professional and president of the board of directors at Ignited. The Silicon Valley nonprofit awards teachers fellowships at top companies and universities so they can inspire and prepare students to become the next generation of innovators. Anissa is a master’s candidate in epidemiology and clinical research at Stanford University and an experienced life sciences professional with a passion for transforming healthcare markets, products, and processes for patients. Skilled in marketing, global business operations, and team leadership, Anissa has worked in biotech for more than 20 years and has been a member of the Ignited the board of directors since 2009. She has also served in director-level roles in functions spanning commercial, medical affairs, and regulatory affairs at companies including Genentech, Hoffman-La Roche, and, Biogen. Anissa earned an MBA from Harvard Business School and a bachelor’s degree in Foreign Service from Georgetown University. Learn more at www.IgnitEducation.org
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