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), 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 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 send 17 student team members to Egypt in August, 2022. The students will conduct training programs there to help Egyptian students get a foothold in the FIRST Technology Challenge (FTC) program. The in-person, hands-on summer program is called Cairo Bots, and will give the Egyptian students an opportunity to apply real-world STEM concepts and develop the skills of future engineers!

We are also in the process of a major update to the ORF website , and to the STEMpals website which serves the entire range of OSD Robotics teams.

Student members of our client Olympia Robotics Federation (ORF) are joined by STEM Partners Board Members Richard Corn and Peter Cook (far right) and by Team Coach Brenda Diettrich (far left) at a recent pancake breakfast fundraiser for ORF’s upcoming training mission to Egypt.

OUR BOARD

We currently have a Board of three:

  • Richard Corn, President
  • Peter Cook, Secretary
  • James Musslewhite, Treasurer

All three 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. 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.

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