Challenger Center Welcomes Three New Board Members

Former NASA Astronaut and Challenger Learning Center Representatives Join Board of Directors

 Washington – October 29, 2024 – Challenger Center has announced the election of three new members to its Board of Directors: former NASA Astronaut Wendy Lawrence (Captain, US Navy, Retired), Montgomery County Community College President Dr. Victoria L. Bastecki-Perez, and Challenger Learning Center of Maine Executive Director Kirsten Hibbard.

“We are excited to welcome Wendy Lawrence, Vicki Bastecki-Perez, and Kirsten Hibbard to our Board of Directors,” said Josh Izenberg, Chair of the Board at Challenger Center. “Their diverse experiences will greatly enhance our mission to inspire and engage the next generation of innovators. Together, we will continue to expand our reach and impact in STEM education, ensuring that it is accessible and transformative for students from all backgrounds.”

Wendy Lawrence (Captain, US Navy, Retired) is an engineer, helicopter pilot, and former NASA Astronaut. In addition to the four NASA missions, Lawrence held various jobs within NASA and the Astronaut Office including flight software verification in the Shuttle Avionics Integration Lab (SAIL), Director of Operations Russia in Star City, Russia at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center (GCTC) and Astronaut Office representative for ISS crew training and support.

Dr. Victoria L. Bastecki-Perez serves as the sixth President of Montgomery County Community College (MCCC) in Blue Bell and Pottstown, Pennsylvania, home to the Commonwealth’s only Challenger Learning Center. Since the beginning of her presidential tenure in May 2020, Dr. Bastecki-Perez has spearheaded about $98 million in capital projects to modernize MCCC’s two campuses, including the launch of its Challenger Learning Center at Montgomery County Community College, Pottstown, which opened in 2022. For her inauguration, she and her family established the initial endowed Presidential Scholarship (of 11 scholarships, totaling $340,000).

Kirsten Hibbard has worked with Challenger Learning Center of Maine since 2013, progressing from a part-time employee to Executive Director. As Executive Director, she has overseen tremendous growth for the Center, including leading efforts to acquire NASA federal funding as an inaugural community anchor awardee in 2022. Most recently, Challenger Learning Center of Maine became the recipient of a $2.186 million congressional direct spending request allowing for the complete upgrade of the Center’s Simulator.

To see a full list of Challenger Center’s Board of Directors, please visit challenger.org/champions.

 About Challenger Center 

As a leader in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education, each year Challenger Center provides hundreds of thousands of students with experiential education programs that engage students in hands-on learning opportunities. These programs, delivered in Challenger Learning Centers and classrooms, strengthen knowledge in STEM subjects and inspire students to pursue careers in these important fields. Challenger Center was created by the Challenger families to honor the crew of shuttle flight STS-51-L. For more information about Challenger Center, please visit www.challenger.org or connect on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.