Our Staff

Amy D’Amico, PhD, joined the SSEC in 2013 as the Division Director of Professional Services. She oversees professional development and leadership development initiatives at SSEC. Prior to joining the SSEC, Amy was a member of the faculty in the biology department at Georgetown University. At Georgetown, she taught a variety of biology courses and co-directed the RISE & Teach program for biology undergraduates who complete a thesis while teaching in the District of Columbia Public Schools. In addition, Amy served as a consultant at the SSEC to assist in the program development and execution of the K-12 Science Education Institutes for Leadership Development and Strategic Planning.

Amy has over two decades of experience as an educator that began by teaching middle school for the Cambridge Public Schools in Massachusetts. Amy quickly became a Middle Grade Science Teacher Leader and worked to implement the district’s five-year strategic plan based on the SSEC’s model of science education reform. While in Cambridge, she also worked on various educational and consulting projects with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, and the American Museum of Natural History. Amy earned her BA in Biology with a minor in Education for Certification from New York University and received a MS and a PhD in Biology from Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts.

Addy Allred is a Program Specialist with the SSEC. She started as an intern with the SSEC Professional Services Division in 2015 and it spurred her career in service, STEM, and education. After graduating from Guilford College with a bachelors in geology and environmental studies, Addy spent a year in AmeriCorps and FEMA Corps responding to disasters as a GIS technician, logistics specialist, and survivor assistant. She previously worked for Latinitas, a non-profit that focuses on empowering all girls to innovate through media and technology. She was able to coordinate multiple volunteer events and facilitate new partnerships such as JCPenney's Hope and Wonder Collection collaboration, raising over 100k for the organization. Her projects at the SSEC include planning and executing various leadership development opportunities. Addy hopes to integrate her passion for service and education into her work at the SSEC and beyond through actions and accountability.

Alexia joins the SSEC/serves as a Program Specialist. She is deeply committed to education development, both domestically and internationally. She obtained her undergraduate degree from Kansas State University and began her career as a second-grade teacher, where she advocated for coding opportunities for female students and implemented a STEM-based curriculum. Transitioning from the classroom, Alexia served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Ethiopia, engaging in grassroots initiatives such as providing reproductive health lessons, supporting students with physical disabilities, and enhancing teacher development.

Alexia then relocated to Washington, DC, where she contributed to the Raising a Village Foundation as a program coordinator within AmeriCorps. Collaborating closely with a local high school, she facilitated virtual learning for teachers and tutors during the challenging 2020 school year. Returning to the classroom as a second-grade teacher, she turned her focus to STEM and sustainability education.

Alexia holds a Master’s degree in International Education and Development from the University of Sussex, where she sharpened her expertise in teacher development, sustainable education practices, and refugee education. Now back in Washington, DC, Alexia is excited to embark on her new role as a Program Specialist at SSEC.

Denise Anderson joins the Smithsonian Science Education Center as the Advancement Associate and is dedicated to driving impact through philanthropy. Prior to joining SSEC’s efforts, she worked to fundraise for the construction of a new museum and related programming. Her primary responsibilities included stewarding high net-worth donors and cultivating new relationships for the opening of a new visitor center. Denise holds a BA in History and Political Science from American University. Throughout her undergraduate studies, Denise worked with AU’s Office of Development gaining experience in university fundraising. 

Katherine Pedersen Blanchard is Assistant Division Director of Professional Services at the SSEC where she has managed programs and led initiatives across the United States and around the world. Katherine works with teachers, schools, districts and communities to build support for science and STEM education that intersects with social issues and sustainable development. She is passionate about connecting people who are doing this work across geographic borders, disciplines, and generations. During her time at the SSEC, Katherine has led professional development workshops, leadership institutes, and has worked on the development of new initiatives including the Smithsonian Science for Global Goals project. Prior to joining the SSEC in 2012, Katherine worked in theatre production for companies in Santa Fe, New Mexico and Belgrade, Serbia, and was a Fulbright Fellow at the University of Belgrade. She holds a BA in Theatre and Political Science from Coe College, and an MA in International Education from The George Washington University.

Kate Echevarria is the Human Resources Liaison for the Smithsonian Science Education Center. She is responsible for handling recruitment, internships, performance management, and all aspects of human resources at the Center. She was previously the Executive Office Manager at SSEC for 10 years. Prior to SSEC, Kate was in human resource management having worked for an international hotel chain, the U.S. Government, and a science non-profit.

Sofia Elian is the Graphic Designer at the Smithsonian Science Education Center where she develops illustrations and graphics across multiple platforms for digital projects such as apps, e-books, games, interactive/simulations, and web. Before joining the team, Sofia was a full-time student at American University receiving a BA in Graphic Design. She also worked at her student-run campus coffee shop as both a barista and their graphic designer, as well as interning at The Federal Reserve as a graphic design intern. On top of working and studying, Sofia was the art director for her University’s 2018 Design Show, creating and developing the show’s content, visuals, and exhibition. She has received two awards during her time as a student, a Design Show “Best in Show” award in 2018 for a UI/UX app design and a Visions Award for a scientific explainer animation. In her free time, Sofia enjoys painting, drawing, and longboarding around DC.

Kat Fancher is a Program Specialist with the SSEC. Before joining the SSEC, Kat was an educator at McWane Science Center in Birmingham, AL where she created and presented informal science education for the public, students, and teachers. She received her Bachelor’s degree in Materials Science and Engineering from the University of Alabama at Birmingham and her Master’s degree in Instructional Design and Development from the University of South Alabama.

Katie Gainsback is Assistant Division Director of Professional Services. In this role, she manages programs promoting inquiry-based learning and STEM education across the United States for science teachers, administrators, and community partners. Most notably this work includes the Smithsonian Science for North and South Carolina Classrooms program, funded by a $4.5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education. Before joining the Smithsonian in 2012, Katie facilitated school and public programs in informal education spaces including the National Geographic Museum and at the U.S. National Archives. Katie earned her BA in History from the College of William & Mary and holds an MA in Museum Education from The George Washington University.

Allison is responsible for direct support to the SSEC Division Director of Finance & Administration overseeing financial and administrative operations. Allison comes to us after four years with the SI Office of Finance and Accounting, in the Accounts Payable Division. Her great customer relations with all the Smithsonian museums and centers facilitated high volume processing including overseas transactions in multiple foreign currencies.  Allison’s extensive experience as a subject matter expert for the OF&A enterprise system, guided software engineers with the upgrade of the SI-wide cross-functional finance workflow system (SNOW). Prior to moving to the DMV, Allison spent years in commercial industry accounting positions. 

Heidi Gibson is the Manager of the Global Sustainability Series in the Curriculum, Digital Media, and Communications Division. Heidi joined SSEC in 2020 to support the development of the Smithsonian Science for Global Goals community research guides. This followed her prior work as an SSEC Research Fellow helping to develop the structure of the guides and aligning it to ideas from socio-scientific, place-based, participatory action, civic, and global learning research. Heidi is passionate about engaging young people to realize their own power to transform the world. She published a book, From Ideas to Action: Transforming Learning to Inspire Action on Critical Global Issues, and has co-authored articles exploring the supports and educational shifts needed to help young people become a more central part of global sustainability efforts. Heidi has a MA in International Education and has held roles researching and directing global education programs. Diverse perspectives and experiences are exemplified by Heidi’s background which includes serving as a US Foreign Service Officer in China and Fiji, teaching experiential civics to middle and high school students in Washington, DC and Hawaii, and conducting lab research in Berlin and Baltimore while completing her Bachelor’s degree in Biology. She loves to travel to new places, grapple with new ideas, and learn new skills.

Sarah Glassman, PhD, is responsible for leading the development of K-8 curriculum that is aligned to national science, math, technology, and computer science standards. She leads the development of the Smithsonian Science for the Classroom series, which is an innovative curricula to support teachers to implement the science education reforms of the Next Generation Science Standards. She also led the development of Smithsonian Science for Computational Thinking, which integrates science, technology, engineering, math and computational thinking.

Prior to joining the SSEC, Sarah taught middle and high school and worked in education research at AAAS Project 2061. As a teacher, Sarah taught life, earth, and physical science to middle and high school students in Virginia and New York State. At Project 2061, Sarah worked on assessment alignment to the NGSS and on an NSF-funded project identifying linguistic factors associated with differential student performance on science assessments. Sarah has taught science methods to pre-service elementary teachers as an adjunct faculty at George Mason University.

Sarah earned her doctoral degree in Education from George Mason University in 2016. Her research focused on the relationship between middle school science instruction and student engagement. Sarah has a Master’s degree in Biology Teaching from Union Graduate College and a Bachelor’s degree in Biology from Brown University.

Carolina Gonzalez is a Marketing and Communications Specialist with a background in copywriting, strategy, and digital media advertising for nonprofits and blue-chip brands. She is currently pursuing her Master's degree at Harvard University.

Grace Harnett is a Program Specialist in the Professional Services division at the Smithsonian Science Education Center (SSEC).

Grace received her Bachelor's Degree in Education and Public Policy and Master's in Education, Policy, and Theory from The Pennsylvania State University. After graduating college, Grace joined Teach for America and received her certification as a Special Education Generalist for K-14. She spent two years as a case manager in Aurora, CO, for students with mild to moderate needs, teaching middle school special education Math and English classes.

Most recently, Grace worked as the Host and Activities Facilities at Camp Bob Waldorf in Los Angeles, CA. At camp, she designed and executed events for various groups and organizations.

Hyunju Lee, Ed.D. is a research scientist in the Professional Services division of the SSEC. Before joining the SSEC, she was a postdoctoral researcher at Utah State University and at the University of South Florida, and a visiting scholar at Leiden University in the Netherlands. She received the NASA HST Education & Public Outreach grant, and a postdoctoral fellowship from the Science Education Center at the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO) of the Caltech. She has participated in several NSF-granted studies in science education, and her research has focused on teacher learning of technology, professional development, student learning of science, and astronomy education. She received her doctoral degree in Science Education from the University of Massachusetts Amherst in US, and a MS in Astronomy from Seoul National University and a BS in Physics with a science teaching certificate from Ewha Womans University in South Korea. She had previously worked for STEM education programs, taught students, and translated children’s science books including Magic School Bus series from English to Korean. Hyunju likes to travel, to look at the night sky, and to spend time with her kids. More information about her research can be found at: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Hyunju-Lee

Victor Lucena is the Digital Instructional Designer and Producer at the Smithsonian Science Education Center. He designs and develops games, simulations, and other digital media. Victor received his Master’s in Education from the Harvard Graduate School of Education, in their Learning Design Innovation Technology program. He also has a Bachelor’s of Engineering in Computer Science and a minor in Music from Cornell University. Before working at SSEC he had been an instructor at KTBYTE Lt., where he taught and developed curriculum for online computer science classes. And in his free time, Victor enjoys playing games (both digital and tabletop), making musical mashups, and watching video essays on YouTube.

Johnny is the Executive Assistant to Smithsonian Science Education Center Director Dr. Carol O’Donnell. He was born and raised in Golden, Colorado. He attended the University of Colorado at Boulder graduating Summa Cum Laude in Policial Science with a minor in Sociology. In 2018 he jumped onto a re-election campaign, and after a successful campaign worked as a staff assistant in the Member’s legislative office on Capitol Hill in Washington. After two and a half years he transitioned roles to become the scheduler for a Congressman of Southern New Jersey.  After he departed the Hill, he worked for a think tank for just under a year before he found himself lucky enough to take this incredible opportunity with the Smithsonian. He is passionate about a lot of things: food, film, roller coasters, oil painting, video games, pets, and people…just to name a few!

Rachel Patton is a science curriculum developer with the Smithsonian Science Education Center. She began her education career in New Orleans, LA, where she taught most of the high school sciences, but fell in love with teaching Chemistry. After moving to Denver, she began developing storylined chemistry units with Inquiry Hub while still teaching. This allowed her to write and field test at the same time, and also receive real time, VERY honest feedback from her students. While teaching and learning the ropes of curriculum development, she completed her MS in Science Education from Montana State University. She has also worked with OpenSciEd as both a curriculum developer and professional learning facilitator. 

When not teaching science, thinking about teaching science, or planning experiments in her kitchen, Rachel spends her time enjoying the Colorado outdoors: attempting to grow things in her yard, hiking and camping with her two pups, fishing, running, and watching any and all of the Denver sports teams. 

Shellie Pick (she/her) is a Special Projects Coordinator in the Professional Services division of the Smithsonian Science Education Center. Prior to joining SSEC, Shellie began her Smithsonian career at the National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute, first working as an animal keeper on the Asia Trail before moving to education. In her most recent role as a Learning Programs Specialist at the Zoo, Shellie developed and delivered virtual learning programs for K-12 and adult audiences, highlighting the importance of saving wildlife and wild places. She is passionate about STEM education, especially ensuring it is inclusive and accessible to all. Shellie received her B.S. from the University of California- Davis in Wildlife, Fish, and Conservation Biology.  

Jasmine Rogers is the Finance Specialist for the Smithsonian Science Education Center. She is responsible for assisting the Division Director of Finance and Administration with budget formulation and execution, procurement oversight, and accounting functions. Prior to joining SSEC, she served as the Assistant Dean for Finance and Administration with Georgetown University’s medical school. Jasmine holds a BA in International Affairs and a master’s degree in Conflict Resolution.

Layla Sastry is a Program Assistant in the Professional Services Division of the SSEC. Layla developed an interest in sustainable education while growing up on Cape Cod and soon became passionate about the intersection of climate change, culture, education, and social justice while studying Anthropology and Environmental Studies at Tufts University. Prior to working at the SSEC, Layla had internships at the US Geological Survey creating public education resources, at the Cape Cod Museum of Natural History as a Museum Operations Intern, and at Massachusetts-based environmental justice and disaster relief organizations. She is thrilled to join the SSEC team and to help develop and implement exciting, relevant, accessible, and empowering STEM curricula for sustainable development.

Elle Satterthwaite is a Program Assistant in the Professional Services Division of the SSEC supporting programs focused on expanding opportunities in science education. Prior to working at the SSEC, Elle designed and supported programs and initiatives aimed at improving recruitment and retention of students for Bucknell University’s Office of Admissions as an Admissions Intern. She is passionate about STEM education and is thrilled to contribute to program initiatives that help shape the future of science education. Elle graduated from Bucknell University with a Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Engineering and a minor in Public Policy.

Beth Short, Ed.D. is a Science Curriculum Developer in the SSEC’s Curriculum and Communications division.  Prior to working with SSEC, she worked in both formal and informal educational settings.  Her experience includes working as Associate Director of Nature’s Classroom Inc. where she developed standards-aligned environmental education curriculum, coordinated with schools across the New England region, and served on the board of directors for the Massachusetts Environmental Education Society.  As a classroom teacher, Beth taught fourth, fifth, and sixth grade where she continued to share her passion for the natural world with her students. She received her doctorate degree in Curriculum and Instruction from George Washington University in 2023.  Her research examines evidence of global thinking in student discourse about socioscientific issues. Beth earned her Master of Science in Ecological Teaching and Learning in 2011 from Lesley University and Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theater from the University of Detroit-Mercy.

Amanda Tao is a Program Assistant in the Professional Services Division at the SSEC. She is passionate about bringing Smithsonian Science into K-12 classrooms through inquiry-based teaching and learning.

Amanda holds a degree in Elementary Education from Boston University and a master’s in Social Justice and Education from University College London (UCL). Prior to joining SSEC, Amanda spent three years working in higher education in London, where she supported universities, faculty, and students in US to UK study abroad programs. She guided academic programming, collaborated with faculty to enhance courses, and assisted students in navigating their international experiences, fostering global learning and cultural exchange.

Outside of work, Amanda enjoys traveling to new places, tending to her plants, hunting for treasures in thrift stores, indulging in delicious food, and getting lost in a good book!

Khadijah Thibodeaux is a Science Curriculum Developer in the SSEC’s Curriculum, Digital Media and Communications division. Khadijah joined the SSEC in 2023 to support the development of Smithsonian Science for Global Goals community research and action guides. Before joining the SSEC, Khadijah was a middle school science teacher serving historically underrepresented and under resourced students. Her role in the classroom ignited her passion for creating engaging, accessible, and inclusive science learning experiences for educational transformation. Khadijah has a Master’s Degree in Education from Southern Methodist University concentrated in Urban Education, where she focused extensively on Universally Designed Learning, Asset Based Pedagogies, and Culturally Responsive Teaching. She also has earned a Bachelors degree in Molecular Biology from Pomona College. 

Raymond Williams is the Publishing Assistant for SSEC’s Curriculum, Digital Media, & Communications Division. Prior to SSEC, Raymond held administrative positions at American Public Health Association and Management Concepts. He received his bachelor's degree in Mass Communications, Print-Online Journalism from Virginia Commonwealth University. In his spare time, he enjoys traveling, writing, exploring new restaurants, and spending time with family and friends.