TROY
A. THRASH TO BECOME DA VINCI SCIENCE CENTER EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR MARCH 30
-Biography
of Troy A. Thrash
-Ten
Years of Curiosity, Creativity, and Imagination
The Da Vinci Science Center marked a decade of inspiring science and curiosity
Friday and announced that Troy A. Thrash will become its executive director
and chief executive officer on Monday, March 30.
Thrash,
who grew up in
Northampton, Pa. and graduated
from Northampton Area High
School, has lived a life dedicated
to science and education. Since
2005, Thrash has been executive
director of the National Aerospace
Development Center (NADC) in
Alpharetta, Ga. and a significant
contributor to several other
organizations focused on science,
technology, engineering, and
mathematics (STEM) education
and workforce development.
Thrash will succeed Dr. Frank K. Schweighardt, who has been the Center's interim
CEO since Aug. 2008.
The Da Vinci Science Center introduced Thrash Friday at a news conference that also signified its tenth anniversary as an independent nonprofit organization. The commemoration will continue Saturday night during the Center's 2009 Science Hall of Fame Awards and Keynote.
As executive director of NADC, Thrash oversaw all of the organization's internal and external operations. He built and managed partnerships with federal and state governments, industry groups, and educational systems to help regions across the country build and maintain vibrant technical workforces.
In his work with NADC and several other groups in the public and private sectors, Thrash has become a recognized leader in STEM education and career development. Over the past five years, Thrash has contributed significantly to STEM-focused groups including the Transportation Education Foundation of Georgia (TEFGA), the federal Interagency Task Force on Aerospace Workforce Revitalization, the Aerospace States Association, and SkillsUSA Georgia.
Thrash also emceed the 2008 FIRST Robotics international championships in front of nearly 30,000 spectators in Atlanta's Georgia Dome. This global competition for high school students challenges them to build robots from a standard set of parts to solve a common problem. Thrash will return to Atlanta April 15-18 to emcee the 2009 world championships.
While he was fulfilled by his work in the southeastern United States, Thrash dreamt of finding an opportunity in the Lehigh Valley to make similar impacts on students, educators, and the general public by helping to build the region's next-generation technical workforce.
"The opportunity to be the Da Vinci Science Center's next executive director is literally a dream-come-true for me," Thrash said of his appointment. "I am extremely passionate about inspiring other Lehigh Valley boys and girls to pursue careers in science and technology with the same passion I found in the place I have always called home.
"Moreover, I am deeply impressed with the work of the Da Vinci Science Center in its ten years as an independent organization, and I am convinced that the Center has the potential to be a catalyst for building a skilled regional workforce in eastern Pennsylvania that will compete successfully in the global economy."
Thrash's appointment realizes a national search begun by the Da Vinci Science Center in the summer of 2008 when then-CEO Frank Steslow became chief operating officer of the Miami Science Museum.
"We are very pleased that Troy Thrash will join the Da Vinci Science Center," said Peter C. Dent, chairman of the Da Vinci Science Center's Board of Trustees. "We expect his knowledge of the region, his background, his passion, and his vision for strengthening our community through STEM education to have a significant impact on the Center, its programs, and the community. We look forward to Troy's contributions and leadership as we move forward to advance inquiry-based learning aggressively in this new millennium using the inspiration of Leonardo da Vinci."
Thrash's first public
appearance as the Da Vinci Science Center's executive director will take place
Saturday night, when he helps welcome supporters and honorees to the Science
Hall of Fame Awards and Keynote at The Swain School in Allentown. The event
will also recognize Science Hall of Fame alumni dating back to 1999, when
the Center spun off from Lehigh University.
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