Challenger Center Announces Chair Elect and New Board Member

WASHINGTON (September 7, 2016) – Challenger Center, a leading science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education organization, is pleased to announce the election of Virginia “Ginger” Barnes, retired Boeing Vice President, as Chair Elect and the election of Josh Izenberg, Co-Founder and CLO of Off-World, Inc. as a board member

“Ginger has proven herself to be an incredibly dedicated and critical member of our board. She’s a natural leader and a perfect fit to become the organization’s next Chair,” said Lance Bush, president and CEO. “I look forward to working with Ginger over the next year as she prepares to step into the role of Chairman in August 2017.”

Ms. Barnes led a number of defense and space programs and efforts, including International Space Station (ISS), fighter and support programs, defense modernization and weapons, and simulation and training during her tenure with Boeing. Previously, as president and chief executive officer of United Space Alliance, LLC (USA), Ms. Barnes was responsible for the strategic direction and operations for USA, and retirement of NASA’s Space Shuttle Program Operations. She held that position from April 2010 to May 2013 before returning to Boeing, where she had previously worked for 29 years. She retired from Boeing as Vice President, and Program Manager for Boeing’s stages on the Space Launch System program.

Challenger Center also welcomed Josh Izenberg to the board. With almost 20 years of experience, Josh Izenberg offers a wealth of expertise with particular strengths in mergers and acquisitions, finance transactions, debt and corporate restructurings, corporate governance, and financial and corporate strategy. He has served in both General Counsel and Chief Financial Officer roles and currently serves as pro-bono counsel to Challenger Center. Prior to his current roles, he was Vice President and Deputy General Counsel, and General Counsel of the Aerospace and Defense businesses, of Orbital ATK, a leader in aerospace and defense technologies.

“Over the last several years, Josh Izenberg has not only provided the organization with legal expertise, he has also demonstrated great enthusiasm for our education mission. That passion is the characteristic we look for in board members and we are all thrilled to have Josh join the team,” said Bush.

The leading STEM education organization is currently in its milestone 30th anniversary year. Since its founding in 1986, Challenger Center has impacted more than 4.4 million students through STEM education programs. To see a complete list of the Challenger Center board of directors and to learn more about the organization, visit challenger.org.

About Challenger Center
As a leader in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education, Challenger Center and its international network of Challenger Learning Centers use space-themed missions to engage students in dynamic, hands-on learning opportunities. These experiences strengthen knowledge in STEM subjects and inspire students to pursue careers in these important fields. Challenger Center was created to honor the crew of shuttle flight STS-51-L: Dick Scobee, Gregory Jarvis, Christa McAuliffe, Ronald McNair, Ellison Onizuka, Judith Resnik, and Michael J. Smith. Learn more about Challenger Center at challenger.org and connect with us on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

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MEDIA CONTACT:
Lisa Vernal
Challenger Center
202-827-1573
lvernal@challenger.org