JENNIFER STANCIL IS AN INNOVATIVE AND VISIONARY C-SUITE EXECUTIVE FROM NORTH CAROLINA.
A Proven Leader in Innovation and Education
Stancil has more than 25 years of leadership experience in informal learning, notably at Carnegie Science Center, Glazer Children’s Museum, McWane Science Center, and PBS. Her commitment to education in the K-12 sphere is matched by a passion for equity, belonging, and justice for all in STEM careers. She’s been tapped by the White House and other national organizations to lead projects resulting in more than $12M in philanthropic investment and recognition, including an Emmy ® Award. Jen’s projects have impacted millions of children and families. Her charismatic style and passion is a hallmark of the way she innovates, advocates, and leads.
INNOVATING IN EDUCATION
An architect of places and spaces for STEM
As an architect of places and spaces for STEM learning to thrive, Jen leads by bringing new ideas to life. Beginning her career by opening two major museums in the Southeastern United States, Jen worked on the educational programs, operations, outreach, research, and exhibits that are still encouraging learning, exploration, and joy. Today, both museums have served millions of children.
From art installations, new exhibits, and the world’s first motion-capture lab ever in a museum, Jen invents and embraces cutting-edge programming in person, online, TV, and radio. Leveraging technology and PBS content, she co-created iQ KidsRadio (you can listen to it on TuneIn and other platforms) and launched a hosted TV show, iQ: smartparent, that’s aired for 10 years to millions across 36 states from WQED in the same studio where Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood filmed.
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TELLING THE STORY OF AN INCLUSIVE FUTURE
Promoting Girls & STEM
If you can see it, you can be it. As a staunch advocate and activist in the Girls and STEM movement, Jen’s lifetime of work is a testament to what diversity, inclusion, and belonging mean to her and our collective vision of the future. As Executive Director of the Girls, Math and Science Partnership, Jen launched the brand, the products, and the programs, She created visionary stories about what equity can mean when we constantly work to move the needle. BrainCake.org was a website community of girls with more than 2M hits annually. The Girl Solution, a toolkit to train educators on how to equalize their classrooms. Click!, The Spy School for Girls made summers into secret science missions for middle schoolers. Building CanTEEN’s kit for girls across the nation and world is a resource that gave real personas to eight budding scientists. All of these programs built girls’ identity embrace their unique selves, while building confidence in STEM topics and the ability to seize a career. Jen is an advisor for NSF grants around equity including SciGirls and BRITE, a voice in amplifying the messages of the IF/THEN project, and a former advisor to the Obama White House. The collective storytelling of these projects is meant to rewrite the future for equity, identity, confidence, and access for all.
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2015
For creating the TV series, iQ: smartparent, aimed at helping parents navigate the digital age
2020
Riding in the Rose Parade in support of girls in science for NGCP + Amazon Studios’ new movie release, Troop Zero
1998
Opened 300,000 sq. ft. science center in downtown Birmingham
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2009
Invited Advisor for the Obama White House’s Council on Women and Girls
Jen Stancil has achieved significant recognition and led transformative projects throughout her career, making an impact in the fields of education, digital media, and STEM advocacy.
FEATURED AWARDS
Leadership & Innovation
Recognized for Excellence
Jennifer’s impact has been recognized at the highest levels. She has been named a Woman of Distinction, Collaborator of the Year as well as a winner of the prestigious MacArthur Digital Media Competition grant and an Emmy ®.
Core Competencies
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Helping organizations define their vision, map out strategic plans, and build capacity to achieve long-term goals.
STRATEGIC PLANNING & CAPACITY BUILDING
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Designing programs and initiatives that inspire students, educators, and communities to engage deeply in STEM learning.
STEM & EDUCATION INNOVATION
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Guiding organizations to integrate diversity, equity, and inclusion into their strategies and organizational culture.
EQUITY & INCLUSION CONSULTING
WANT TO WORK WITH JEN?
Jen’s Vision for Innovation
Jen has also consulted with a diverse range of clients, including educational institutions, non-profits, and corporate partners. Her workshops and keynote presentations have inspired audiences globally, covering topics such as strategic planning, leadership development, and fostering innovation. Whether collaborating with senior executives or empowering young professionals, Jen’s approach combines her deep industry knowledge with a focus on creating meaningful impact.
Board Service
Paying it Forward
Time and experience are treasures we can all share. Jen’s advisory roles including working currently on an NSF grant, BRITE, that focuses on STEM, intersectionality, and girls in an online learning community. She serves the University of Maryland as an outreach advisor for its iHARP grant, and has spent a decade and half working on PBS media projects like SciGirls, Hero Elementary, Peg + Cat, and more. That service extends to national education boards. She is the immediate past Board Chair of the National Girls Collaborative, a former Presidential Appointee to the Board of the National Association for Gifted Children, and a former Obama White House Advisor to his Administration’s Women and Girls Council. Her governance expertise includes strategic planning, fundraising, educational content, marketing, outreach at scale, and more.
Jen is open to National Board positions that begin in late 2025 and after.
Ready to Collaborate with Jen?
Let’s work together to create transformative spaces, stories, and strategies that drive impact.
#merging #nightdrives 51 from Jen's personal collection by Lee Nisbet www.leenisbet.com
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Crafting imaginative, winning strategies
Catalyzing Non-Profit Leadership
Jen’s passion, expertise, and commitment have led her across the globe to train, inspire, and build capacity in museums, broadcasting, and educational institutions. In her career, she has raised millions of dollars to sustain mission-driven non-profits through relationships across government, individual, foundation, and corporate social innovation funds. And, as an Emmy ® Award Winner, she’s crafted curriculum and media for IMAX films, shows on PBSKids, and an American Masters documentary. Through her winning strategies building museums to leading a TV series, Jen has developed imaginative work throughout her career that continues to captivate audiences on diverse topics such as math, science, technology, literacy, equity, and educational innovation. As an example, her strategies at Glazer Children’s Museum lead to the acquisition of the museum’s $10M building, a 33% increase in the operational budget, and 550% in corporate giving, a 20% increase in membership, and hosted galas that brought in more than $1.5M. All of this growth happened over three years.