Building What's Next, Together
Washington STEM names Jenée Myers Twitchell as Chief Executive Officer.
Last month, we welcomed Jenée Myers Twitchell into the role of Chief Executive Officer. Jenée first joined Washington STEM in 2018 and has served as our Chief Impact Officer since 2020.
A recognized expert in education systems change, Jenée combines deep expertise with an exceptional ability to align people, strategy, and action. Her appointment provides organizational continuity and investment in internal leadership that will enable Washington STEM to build on its current momentum and continue advancing our mission.
Jenée holds a Ph.D. in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies from the University of Washington, where her research explored policy and systems changes that expand opportunity for underserved students and strengthen regional education-to-workforce ecosystems.
FAQs
How did Washington STEM select a new CEO?
The search was led by Acting CEO and current Board Chair, Michelle Judson, with support from our board search committee and close consulting partners. Together, they engaged in a thoughtful and rigorous process that included:
- Formal interviews conducted by an executive recruiter to gather insights from our board members, staff directors and program leaders, and select funders and partners.
- A comprehensive evaluation, interview, and selection process, with Jenée as the sole internal candidate to apply for the position.
The Board was impressed by Jenée's clear vision, strong cross-sector relationships, proven fundraising success, data-informed strategic leadership, and unwavering commitment to justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion.
"Jenee is a visionary leader who truly embodies the mission of Washington STEM. Throughout our rigorous selection process, she consistently demonstrated a remarkable track record in capacity building, strategic fundraising, and deep community engagement. The Board is thrilled about her appointment, and we are confident her leadership will unite and inspire our partners to champion equitable STEM futures for the next generation.”
— Jennifer Daquiz Hare, Acting Board Chair & Chair of the CEO Selection Committee
“This is a well-deserved recognition of Jenee’s vision, leadership, and unwavering commitment to expanding opportunity for Washington's learners. As a partner, we’ve long admired her ability to pair data with deep community engagement to drive meaningful systems change. I can't think of a better person to lead Washington STEM into its next chapter.”
— Angela Jones, Director, Washington State Initiative & US Charters, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
What does this leadership transition mean for Washington STEM?
This next phase of leadership at Washington STEM is part of a larger reimagining of our organizational structure and institutional culture. The CEO will work in close partnership with our Chief Operating Officer, Lacie West-Wilder, and our newly established core leadership team: Jayme Shoun, Angie Mason-Smith, Blair Peterson, Min Hwangbo, Ph.D., and Gloria Jordan.
By embracing a distributed approach to strategic planning and decision-making, we are reinforcing our ability to be responsive, accountable, and impactful—both within our organization and in partnership with communities, educators, policymakers, and employers across Washington.
“The shift to shared leadership is not just an internal evolution—it’s a commitment to the communities we serve. By leading collectively, we model, practice, and embody our JEDI values in ways that extend beyond Washington STEM. This is how we ensure our partners and communities experience the same integrity, collaboration, and shared power that guide our work from within.”
— Lacie West-Wilder, COO, Washington STEM
What is Jenee’s vision for Washington STEM?
“I am focused on understanding the forces shaping the future our students will inherit—from AI and emerging technologies to the economic and societal changes unfolding alongside them. The choices we make today—in education, policy, business, and our communities—will determine whether these technologies expand opportunity or deepen existing inequities.
By fostering STEM literacy and strengthening equitable pathways to credentials and careers, we can ensure young people are prepared not only to navigate change, but to shape it. This has always been Washington STEM's work, but the stakes have never been higher. As new technologies become part of everyday life, we have an important role to play in helping ensure they serve people, strengthen communities, and create a future where every learner has the opportunity to thrive.”
— Jenée Myers Twitchell, PhD, CEO, Washington STEM
Read Jenée’s letter here.
What to watch for in the coming year
Washington STEM exists to ensure that a student's ZIP code, income, race, gender, or circumstance does not determine their future. STEM literacy is a powerful lever for justice, and we are laser-focused on creating the conditions for young people to gain the knowledge, skills, and sense of belonging they need to succeed in a rapidly changing world.
PREPARING WASHINGTON STUDENTS TO THRIVE IN AN AI-ENABLED FUTURE
Through continued statewide engagement and collaboration with educators, employers, and researchers, we're advancing a balanced vision of STEM literacy that pairs meaningful use of AI with durable human skills: critical thinking, ethical reasoning, adaptability, and evidence-based decision-making.
This December, at our annual Summit event, we'll release initial guidelines for evolving Washington's education and workforce systems to build these skills, spanning P–12 STEM through career-connected learning. With input from educators, employers, and researchers, we'll finalize statewide recommendations early next year—positioning Washington as a national leader in responsible, equitable AI literacy.
KICKING OFF OUR RURAL STEM INITIATIVE
With a multi-year investment from foundry10, this new initiative brings STEM educators and regional partners together in a Community of Practice to build coordinated, place-based support for rural early elementary STEM education.
The work strengthens rural students' sense of belonging and confidence in STEM, while building educators' own STEM identity and instructional capacity. By connecting classrooms, schools, districts, and communities in a shared improvement process, the project shows how coordinated action across the education system can close equity gaps in STEM literacy — starting in the earliest grades. The result: a replicable model that other rural regions can adapt to advance early STEM learning.
INVESTING IN INFORMATION ACCESS FOR WASHINGTON’S EDUCATION ECOSYSTEM
Washington is a data-rich state, yet decision-makers often lack a clear, longitudinal picture of how policies and practices are shaping outcomes for our students.
Critical insights and artifacts from innovative programs and initiatives are often siloed, limiting their impact. To close that gap, Washington STEM is building a public resource for P–20 insights, resources, and impact stories—designed to surface connections across subject areas and make it easier to find, understand, and use. Keep an eye out for our Cradle-to-Career Knowledge Hub launching later this summer!
ALIGNING WASHINGTON'S EDUCATION-TO-WORKFORCE SYSTEM
In collaboration with the Schultz Family Foundation, Washington STEM has supported the collection of feedback and data from youth/young adults, parents/caregivers, employers, and navigators (counselors and youth engagement staff). These insights are helping us understand the challenges—and point to solutions—that will make our education-to-workforce system work for Washington. We will release the findings and recommendations from this work at our annual Summit this fall. Early findings point to a clear need: the assets within our education-to-workforce system must work better together.
We don't need more programming—we already have some of the best-kept secrets in financial aid resources and rigorous pathways programming. We need to coordinate those assets and ensure they’re accessible to youth, parents, and navigators.
GEARING UP FOR THE 2027 LEGISLATIVE SESSION
“As we prepare for the 2027 legislative session, I have every confidence that Jenee has the vision and steadiness to guide us through it. She understands what it takes to build a true cradle-to-career vision and ecosystem in our state that serves every learner along the way. She doesn't just navigate change: she sets our direction. I am excited for what is next as we look to continue to improve our P20W system to deliver equitable outcomes for Washington graduates and meet the needs of the state’s economy.”
—Jayme Shoun, Director of Policy & Government Affairs, Washington STEM
BUILDING ON THE LEARNING AND SUCCESSES OF THE HORIZONS REGIONAL GRANT PROGRAM
As network manager for Horizons, Washington STEM supports a statewide learning community of regional backbone organizations, technical assistance partners, and funders — all committed to increasing postsecondary access and success. Because statewide accountability and support systems don't yet exist, we're helping regional partners build that foundation from the ground up: identifying and strengthening the systems, policies, and proven practices that align school districts, colleges, employers, and community organizations.
Through cross-regional convening, technical support, data-informed improvement, and continuous learning, we help grantees identify effective practices, tackle common challenges, and build collective knowledge. Together, we're focused on creating lasting infrastructure that supports student success well beyond the life of the grant.
More team updates
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Angie Mason Smith is stepping into the Senior Director of Programs role.
In this new position, Angie serves as Washington STEM’s lead programmatic strategist, responsible for shaping and driving the organization's overall vision, performance, and impact across Early Childhood Education (ECE), P–12 STEM, and Pathways to Credentials and Careers (PCC). Congratulations Angie!
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Raeshawna Ware is stepping into the Senior Program Manager –
P-12 STEM role.
In this new position, Raeshawna leads projects and initiatives that advance Washington STEM’s P-12 STEM strategy. This role builds and sustains relationships with stakeholders across the state, including regional coalitions, public agencies, philanthropic organizations, and other regional and statewide partnerships. Congratulations Raeshawna!
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Kat Freeman joins the Washington STEM team as Outreach Manager
Kat advances Washington STEM’s fundraising, engagement, and visibility efforts by managing donor and partner relationships, leading donor-facing communications, and designing meaningful volunteer opportunities. Welcome Kat!
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