ABOUT US

OUR STORY

The STEM Academy, Inc. is a national non-profit organization dedicated to advancing economic development by improving STEM literacy for all students. Our meta-disciplinary, state and national standards-based K-16 STEM curriculum creates student pathways for industry and post-secondary advancement. We validate instructor and school competency through national standard STEM instructor certification and STEM school accreditation practices.Our approach is designed to improve under-represented minority and low-income student growth, close achievement gaps, decrease dropout rates, increase high school graduation rates, and improve teacher and principal effectiveness. We represent a national next-generation high impact academic model that targets all schools and is for all students.You and I want our lives to matter. We want our lives to make a real difference, to be of genuine consequence in the world. We know that there is no satisfaction in merely going through the motions, even if those motions make us successful, or even if we have arranged to make those motions pleasant. We want to know we have made some impact on the world. In fact, you and I want to contribute to the quality of life. We want to make the world work.

MEET THE TEAM

Proud Members of the STEM 101 Family.

RUSSELL MICKELSON

CEO and Co-Founder

CHRISTOPHER STRZOK, MD.ED.

Chief Operations Officer

ALAN GOMEZ, PHD

Chief Academic Officer and Co-Founder

THOMAS DICAMILLO

Chief Technology Officer

About Russell

Russell Mickelson formerly provided education market strategies for technology companies such as Hewlett Packard and Autodesk. It was this exposure to education which inspired the creation of The STEM Academy, Inc..

It isn’t enough to simply go through the motions of life, we want our lives to make a real difference and contribute to an improved quality of life for others. Through the advancement of STEM education capacity we will improve the overall quality of life and opportunities for the communities we serve.

Commit today to making a real difference in the world!

About Chris

Christopher Strzok is a former Technology and Engineering instructor and administrator from Wisconsin. While in the classroom, he was nominated and a recipient of the teaching excellence award from the Wisconsin Technology Education Association. He has presented at numerous state and national conferences and served on the national STEM panel addressing high impact, K-12 academic models, at the American Society for Engineering Education conference in Vancouver, B.C. Canada.

Christopher’s vision and passion for educational leadership, through the lens of STEM education, ignites his desire to advance schools globally. Christopher is a firm believer that strategically planned implementation of STEM 101 coursework is the key to student success. The time is now to prepare your students to excel in our global economy!

“If you aim for nothing, you’ll hit it every time”.

Zig Zigler

About Alan

Alan Gregory Gomez, Ph.D, is currently the Chief Academic Officer for the STEM Academy. He is also an instructor at the University of Wisconsin in the College of Engineering. Dr. Gomez is responsible for the development and continuous improvement of the STEM Academy’s internationally recognized k-12 curriculum and professional development program. Dr. Gomez has written a National Foundations of Technology curriculum and a National Introduction to Engineering curriculum for ITEA’s Center to Advance the Teaching of Technology & Science. Alan has published materials in professional journals and in the Proceedings for the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) and presented in over 40 states at major conventions and conferences. Alan has reviewed for the ASEE conference proceedings and the National Science Foundation.

Dr. Gomez sat on the National Academy of Engineering’s committee that is charged with “Understanding and Improving K-12 Engineering Education in the United States”. Alan is a former NASA Astronaut Selection Candidate and is the principal author of “Engineering Your Future: A Project-Based Introduction to Engineering” and of “Survey of Engineering,” textbooks for use at the college freshman/high school and middle school levels, respectively. Alan holds degrees from the University of Wisconsin-Stout and the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Dr. Gomez has taught at several locations including Fort Worth, TX, Minneapolis, MN, and Madison, WI including five years as a CTE Coordinator.