About STEM Partners
STEM Partners Washington (SPW) is a Washington non-profit corporation created to serve as a fiscal agent for STEM-education organizations and projects in Washington State, with a current focus on support of the Olympia School District (OSD) STEM Robotics Program.
The OSD program utilizes FIRST® Robotics teams, both in-classroom and after school, to teach STEM concepts to students who may eventually decide to pursue a career in a STEM field.
Our first OSD client was the Olympia Robotics Federation (ORF), FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) Team 4450, for whom we serve as a full-service fiscal agent. Since taking on ORF as a client, SPW has added financial management of funds for FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC) teams at Capital and Olympia High Schools.
SPW was awarded 501(c)(3) status by the IRS in February, 2021.
Current Special Projects for Clients
We are currently helping to manage a fundraising campaign in support of ORF’s plan to compete in the 2025 FIRST Robotics Competition season.
FRC Teams start in January of each year and have until March to construct a robot to complete in the annual robotic challenge. In March, the team will compete in two qualifying events hoping to advance to the Pacific Northwest District Championship in April. If the team does well enough at district, it will advance to the World Championship at Houston, Texas.
The team is mostly self-funded and must raise the funds to cover registrations, robot parts and travel to the competition events.
Our Board
We currently have a Board of five:
- Richard Corn, President
- Peter Cook, Secretary
- James Musslewhite, Treasurer
- Ryan Zimmerman, Vice President
- Jacob Lyon
All of the Directors have extensive participation in all levels of FIRST robotics since 2012, have helped create new robotics teams, and served key roles in the development of OSD policies that fostered ORF’s existence as a joint effort by OSD and the community.
Mr. Corn has served as President of the STEM Robotics Advisory Committee for Career and Technical Education in the Olympia School District since its inception. He is the lead mentor for the ORF build and programming teams. He owns a successful software company and previously managed a racing car team.
Mr. Cook is an engineer-economist who has built teams in many countries around the world. He helps manage three non-profits and is one of the founders of the Faith Alliance for Tiny Houses in Thurston County.
Mr. Zimmerman is an alumni of team 4450’s first group of students and is now a finance professional.
Mr. Musslewhite played a pivotal role in STEM Partners’ approval by the IRS as a 501(c)3. He has a long history of service in various capacities in the nonprofit sector. He was Executive Director of United Communities AIDS Network (UCAN) for 18 months, and served as Board Member and Treasurer of Thurston Community Television (TCTV, now TC Media), having been appointed to that role by the Olympia City Council.
Mr. Lyon is also an alumni of 4450’s first group of students and is now a mechanical engineer.