Director
Amanda Smith, M.Ed.
Email: ajs398@psu.edu
Amanda J. Smith, M.Ed., is a dynamic education leader with more than 15 years of experience in STEM workforce development, cross-sector partnerships, and large-scale program implementation. As director, she focuses on building strategies and pathways to support the needs and vision of the K-12 community. Additionally, she currently serves on the advisory board for the Pennsylvania Statewide Afterschool Youth Development Network (PSAYDN) STEM Workforce Development initiative.
Amanda has successfully supported the development and implementation of numerous grant-funded programs, collaborating with 70+ school districts and community partners to secure funding that expands access to STEM education and workforce readiness initiatives. Her ability to align diverse stakeholders and craft innovative strategies has bolstered educational opportunities for underserved communities.
From 2014 to 2021, she served as the STEM outreach liaison for the Penn State Center for Science and the Schools (CSATS). She co-founded a STEM learning ecosystem in central Pennsylvania to drive cross-sector partnerships to identify and fill local STEM-learning and workforce-development needs. Through the ecosystem, she launched initiatives like the Chief Science Officers (CSO) program, STEM workforce summits, and Remake Learning Days of Central PA, significantly increasing STEM access for students and educators in central Pennsylvania. Amanda, along with other STEM learning ecosystem leaders across Pennsylvania, was an integral part of the team to develop the PA STEM Education Policy memo to the U.S. Department of Education under the Biden administration.
Prior to her role at Penn State, she spent 8 years in Loudoun County Public Schools in northern Virginia teaching honors and AP biology and an independent science research course, where she also received the 2007 Teacher of the Year award from the Tourette Syndrome Association. Amanda has had many outreach professional experiences that have impacted her work as a teacher, such as participating in the Zero Gravity Flight program sponsored by Northrop Grumman and leading more than 30 K-12 teachers, parents, and students on an ecological experience to Costa Rica.
Amanda earned a B.S. in biology and science education from Penn State in 2005 and an M.Ed. in education leadership with a K–12 administration certification from George Mason University in 2009.
Strategic Support Team
Leadership — Justin Aglio, Associate Vice President for Outreach, justinaglio@psu.edu
Marketing — Sarah Naylor, Marketing Strategist, Penn State Outreach, san53@psu.edu
News and Communications — Vincent Corso, Communications Specialist, Penn State Outreach, vbc5000@psu.edu