Massachusetts STEM Advisory Council

The STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) Advisory Council is established by M.G.L. Chapter 6, Section 218 in order to expand access to high-quality STEM education for students across the Commonwealth.
Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll with Students

Members of the Council include individuals from academia, business, government and non-profits who believe in the necessity of a STEM-literate and skilled citizenry ready to meet the needs of a 21st Century workforce.

Table of Contents

STEM Council Mission

The Council serves as the central coordinating entity to bring together all of the participants from state agencies, the legislature, and members of the public and private sectors involved with STEM planning and programming.

The STEM Advisory Council has three priorities for STEM education in MA:

  • STEM skills for all through applied learning.
  • Guided pathways to college, careers, and lifelong learning.
  • Alignment to economic & workforce development through employer partnerships.

Between 2009 and 2014, the STEM Advisory Council wrote two STEM plans, which guide the Council’s work and aid STEM advocates across the Commonwealth:

The STEM Pipeline Fund, created by Section 2MMM of Chapter 29 of Massachusetts General Laws, enables the STEM Advisory Council to leverage grant funds to support its priorities. 

STEM Council Co-Chairs

Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll

Headshot for Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll

Kim Driscoll is the 73rd Lieutenant Governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. She was sworn in on January 5, 2023, joining Governor Maura Healey in an historic series of firsts: Governor Healey is the first woman and first openly LGBTQ person elected Governor of Massachusetts, and together, Healey and Driscoll are the first all-women executive team to lead Massachusetts. 

Driscoll was elected the City of Salem’s first woman Mayor in 2006, taking office at a time when the community was struggling with record deficits, poor financial management, and a declining bond rating. As Mayor, she turned deficits into record surpluses and saved taxpayers’ money by strengthening city services, revitalizing Salem’s downtown, leading a vast improvement in Salem’s k-12 schools, reforming city pensions and health insurance programs to protect employee benefits, bidding public contracts, and bringing transparency to City Hall. 

Working collaboratively with state officials and local partners, Driscoll secured sizable public and private investments, including a new MBTA train station, a state courts complex, senior center, ferry and waterfront port at Salem Wharf, and positioned Salem as the primary marshaling port for the forthcoming Commonwealth Wind project that will serve residents across Massachusetts and New England, establishing the City as a national leader in the offshore wind sector.

From passing one of the first fully-inclusive LGBTQ non-discrimination ordinances in Massachusetts, to securing major investments in veterans’ benefits, standing up for immigrants’ rights, and enacting one of the first age-friendly action plans certified in the Commonwealth, Salem under Driscoll’s leadership has been – first and foremost – an inclusive community that welcomes everyone.

A proud mother of three children who attended Salem Public Schools, Driscoll chaired the Salem School Committee as Mayor. She helped push for collaboration and strategies to improve Salem’s schools and for added investments to support teachers and students. Under her leadership, Salem became one of the first communities in Massachusetts to adopt the expansion of free, high-quality early education opportunities starting at age four.

The daughter of a Navy chef from Lynn and an accountant’s assistant from Trinidad, Driscoll spent her childhood in a number of states, before attending Salem State University where she studied government and became a stand-out athlete on the women’s basketball team. Like so many Salem State students, she fell in love with Salem and made it her home after graduation, pursuing a career in municipal government, and married her college sweetheart, a second-generation union bricklayer.

Beginning with a position as the City of Beverly’s Community Development Director after college, Driscoll embarked on her long career of service to municipalities and went on to earn her law degree from the Massachusetts School of Law. Before becoming the Mayor of Salem, Driscoll served as the City of Chelsea’s Chief Legal Counsel and Deputy City Manager, and also served on the Salem City Council.

Exemplified by her extensive and successful career in local government, Lieutenant Governor Driscoll is focused on working with Governor Healey to create a forward-looking Commonwealth and communities that work for, empower, and include all who call Massachusetts home, as well as those who aspire to do so.

Congressman Jake Auchincloss

Headshot for Jake Auchincloss

Jake was born and raised in Newton, Massachusetts, the son of a surgeon and scientist. They taught him to be a lifelong learner and to give back to the community. From the moment he could read, Jake loved American history. After graduating from Harvard College, Jake joined the Marines. He commanded infantry in Afghanistan and special operations in Panama. He's now a major in the reserves. When Jake returned home to Newton, he wanted to continue service. He won election to the Newton City Council in 2015 and topped the ticket in 2019. His favorite part of being a city councilor was constituent services and communication. Jake chaired the transportation & public safety committee and was a member of the land use committee. His work at the intersections of (a) housing & racial justice, and (b) transportation & the environment earned him endorsements from Progressive Newton and environmental advocates. Jake was the first city councilor to endorse Ruthanne Fuller, the first woman to be Mayor of Newton. While serving as a city councilor on nights and weekends, Jake managed teams at both a Fortune 100 and a startup. He led product development in cybersecurity and insurance. He has degrees in economics and finance from Harvard College and MIT Sloan. Jake lives in Newtonville with his wife, Michelle; their son, Teddy; and their Labrador Retriever, Donut.

Jeffrey Leiden, M.D., Ph.D

Headshot for Jeff Leiden

Dr. Leiden is the Chairman, President and CEO of Vertex Pharmaceuticals. He has served as a member of Vertex's board of directors since 2009. Dr. Leiden has more than 20 years of scientific, commercial and financial experience in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries as well as clinical and scientific experience in academia as a practicing cardiologist and molecular biologist.

Prior to joining Vertex, Dr. Leiden was a Managing Director for Clarus Ventures, a life sciences venture capital firm he joined in 2006. From 2000 to 2006, he served as President and Chief Operating Officer, and Chief Scientific Officer, at Abbott Laboratories where he had responsibility for running Abbott’s global pharmaceuticals business. While at Abbott, Dr. Leiden helped launch multiple breakthrough medicines, including Humira for rheumatoid arthritis and other autoimmune diseases and Kaletra for HIV infection, among others. He also served as a member of the Board of Directors of Abbott Laboratories and TAP from 2001 to 2006.

Dr. Leiden began his career in academia as a practicing cardiologist and molecular biologist. From 1987 to 2000, Dr. Leiden held several academic and hospital appointments, including roles as Chief of Cardiology at the University of Chicago, the Elkan R. Blout Professor of Biological Sciences at the Harvard School of Public Health and Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. During his academic career, Dr. Leiden was also involved in starting several biotechnology companies including Vical and Cardiogene.

Members

Jay Ash, President and CEO, MA Competitive Partnership*
Matthew Beyranevand, K-12 Mathematics & Science Dept. Coordinator, Chelmsford Public Schools
Jim Brosnan, Superintendent, McCann Technical High School
Al Bunshaft, Senior Vice President, Dassault Systemes
Lane Glenn, President, Northern Essex Community College
Leslie Gould, President and CEO, Greater Beverly Area Chamber of Commerce
Stacey Kaminski, Executive Director, Connect Partnership*
Matthew Keator, Partner, Keator Group LLC, Member of Massachusetts Cultural Council
Nancy Gifford, 7th Grade Science Teacher, Monomoy Regional School District, 2023 STEM Teacher of the Year
Adam Couturier: Director of Manufacturing Education and Workforce Development Liaison, Mass Tech Collaborative*
David Lucchino, President and CEO, Frequency Therapeutics
Rear Admiral Francis McDonald, President, Massachusetts Maritime Academy
Kenneth Turner, designee for MA Life Sciences Center
Jennifer Daloisio, CEO and Executive Director, MA Clean Energy Center
Gary Evee, Member of the MA Business Roundtable*
Jennifer Roecklein-Canfield, Professor and Chair, Chemistry & Physics, Simmons College
Dan Shine, Senior Vice President & President, Analytical Instruments at Thermo Fisher Scientific*
Tye Brady, Chief Technologist, Amazon Robotics
Tim Ritchie, President, Museum of Science
Sam King, CEO, Veracode
Dr. John Dolan, Head of School, St. Mary's Lynn

Ex Officio Members

Patrick Tutwiler, Secretary of Education* 
Lauren Jones, Secretary of Labor & Workforce Development 
Yvonne Hao, Secretary of Housing & Economic Development 
Josh S. Cutler, State Representative, Chair of the Joint Committee on Labor and Workforce Development 
Patricia D. Jehlen, State Senator, Chair of the Joint Committee on Labor & Workforce Development 
Denise Garlick, State Representative, Chair of the Joint Committee on Education 
Jeff Riley, Commissioner, Department of Elementary and Secondary Education 
Noe Ortega, Commissioner, Department of Higher Education 
Amy Kershaw, Commissioner, Department of Early Education and Care

* denotes membership on Council’s Executive Committee

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