TERC Board Names Interim Leader Laurie Brennan President
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Ken Mayer
ken_mayer@terc.edu
617.873.9670
Cambridge, MA — The TERC Board of Trustees announced today the permanent appointment of Laurie Brennan as TERC president. Brennan, a senior management leader at TERC for more than a decade, has been serving as interim president for the past 18 months.
“The Board is unanimous and confident we have the right person to move TERC forward in its mission to improve STEM education,” said Board Chair George Hein. “Laurie Brennan’s executive business management experience, leadership of TERC particularly during the interim period, and commitment to making sure TERC’s R&D innovations have the greatest impact, underscore our confidence. She is skilled at building momentum for a common purpose and dedicated to outreach and ensuring that TERC can meet the needs of underserved communities.”
Brennan has led the organization’s business functions and strategic investments and most recently, the expansion of TERC programs providing technical assistance to schools and districts. The expansion has enabled more rural and urban schools to work directly with TERC’s researchers and professional development providers.
During the interim period, TERC has received 25 grants totaling more than 10 million dollars, furthering initiatives in climate science, energy, computational reasoning, computer science, the maker movement, artscience, assessment, program evaluation, and broadening participation in STEM fields. In addition, TERC has seen a major relaunch of its work in educational gaming with the release of the award-winning Zoombinis app and is about to release the third edition of its K-5 math curriculum Investigations in Number, Data, and Space, published by Pearson Education. Brennan has also overseen the development of a new hands-on lab space at TERC’s main location in Cambridge, which will open later in 2016.
“TERC is a treasured resource and an important part of our education infrastructure. It is a privilege to lead TERC and its talented, experienced staff of educators, researchers, scientists and mathematicians. Their visionary, innovative work has introduced so many learners of all ages to the joys of math and science,” said Brennan. “I often think how inspiring the TERC programs would have been for me when I was pursuing my interests in math and computer science as a young woman. I want to make sure that our efforts reach the largest audience and ignite students’ passions for STEM and further their confidence and abilities. I also want to make sure we are always learning in collaboration with the communities we serve, particularly those that are in our own backyard.”
Brennan holds an MBA from the University of Massachusetts and has an education background in mathematics and computer science. She is on the Board of Trustees for the Rennie Center for Education Research and Policy, serving as treasurer, and is the co-chair of the Citizen Advisory Board for the Massachusetts Department of Developmental Services.
About TERC
For more than fifty years, TERC has been introducing millions of students throughout the United States to the exciting and rewarding worlds of math and science learning. Led by a group of experienced, forward-thinking math and science professionals, TERC is an independent, research-based organization dedicated to engaging and inspiring all students through stimulating curricula and programs designed to develop the knowledge and skills they need to ask questions, solve problems, and expand their opportunities. terc.edu