Our Work

We amplify the voices and impact of South Carolina’s STEM community

Mission

To identify and address Grand Challenges in STEM Education through partnerships, advocacy, and public engagement.

Vision

For all South Carolinians to exemplify world-class STEM knowledge, skills, and life/career characteristics that enable successful careers and engaged citizenship.

Purpose

To inspire learning and leadership in STEM education in schools, out-of-school time, business and industry, and community.

Our Team

Our Family of Organizations

SCCMS provides an umbrella for our organizational family to operate.  Collectively, these organizations serve educators, business and industry leaders, government, community organizers and out of school organizations focusing on STEM education and its relevance to economic and workforce development.

Our History

SCCMS is a convergence of alliances in STEM education forged over the past decade. Key among these are the former South Carolina Coalition for Science and Mathematics Education (SCCSME) and SC Leadership and Assistance for Science Education Reform (SC LASER) a regional site of the National Science Resources Center's LASER initiative (1997-2003).

SCCSME, was instrumental in developing strong ties with NASA. Through the Linking Leaders initiative business, education and public policy leaders from South Carolina joined with NASA and the National Alliance of State Science & Mathematics Coalitions (NASSMC) to establish a common vision for improvement in STEM education and to engage NASA resources in accomplishing its goals.

SC LASER brought together BMW, Dupont, Michelin and Progress Energy to impact K-8 science education across the state. With the assistance of the SC Department of Education and the National Science Resources Center, SC LASER developed and implemented Strategic Planning Institutes directly impacting school districts and Institutions of Higher Education from South Carolina and 11 other states.

In 2004, after the consideration of many alternatives and acronyms, our partnership began to operate under the name of South Carolina’s Coalition for Mathematics & Science. As we refined our vision and set our mission we also began preparing for our first statewide STEM Summit in April of 2005. With the help of the National Alliance of State Science & Mathematics Coalitions, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the U.S. Department of Education we began a dialog that continues to inform our state’s thinking and action in STEM Education.

Our Board of Advisors, as an indicator that we are purposeful about our work, adopted our tag line, “Achievement By Design”. We also like it because of its simplicity of form...three words that say a lot about our intentions.

Advisory Board

The SCCMS Board of Advisors is responsible for providing broad policy and programmatic guidance for SCCMS in accordance with the collective views of the membership, partners and funding agents. We appreciate the service of our current Board Members.

Current Board Members

Trent Acker
Founding Partner
District Manager
SC Government and Community Relations
Duke Energy
Max Metcalf
Founding Partner
Manager
Government & Community Relations
BMW Manufacturing Co.
Anton Thomas
Founding Partner
Director, Campus Transformation
Michelin North America
To Be Determined
South Carolina Department of Education
To Be Determined
SC Chamber of Commerce
Regina E. (Wragg) Ciphrah, Ph.D.
Board Chair
Place-Based Education
Owner and Principal Consultant
Verbalizing Visions LLC
Representative Sylleste H. Davis
SC Legislator
Erin Ford
South Carolina Business/Industry
Executive Vice President/COO
SCBIO
Marc Drews
South Carolina Mathematics (Interim)
Vice President of Mission & Strategic Partnerships
EdVenture
Lynn Mann
South Carolina Business/Industry
Community Relations
Fluor Corporation
Zelda Waymer
Informal STEM
SC Afterschool Alliance
Dr. Gary J. Senn
South Carolina Science
Director, Ruth Patrick Science Education Center, Professor
University of South Carolina Aiken
Alex Vitou
South Carolina Business/Industry
CO Engineering Manager
Mechanical Power Transmission – Bulk Material Handling Motors and Generators Business
ABB Motors and Mechanical Inc.
Renée Lyons, Ph.D.
Institution of Higher Education
Director, Clemson University Life Sciences Outreach Center
College of Science
Tom Cronin
School Superintendent
​Green Charter Schools
Dr. Donna Foster
Technical College
Associate Vice President, Assessment
and Compliance
Piedmont Technical College

Ex Officio

Greg Bunner
Founding Partner
Corporate Communications
BMW Manufacturing Co
Anand K. Gramopadhye
Clemson University Center for Workforce Development
Assoc. Vice President for Work Force Development
Dean of College of Engineering and Science
Cheryl Wiggins
Fluor Corporation
RETIRED

Our Partners

SCCMS is funded, in part, by the State of South Carolina, and by grants, contracts, gifts and in-kind support from corporations, foundations, government agencies and other sources. We appreciate the organizations and individuals who share our passion for constancy and quality in South Carolina's approach to STEM education.

Thanks to our founding partners - BMW Manufacturing Company, Duke Energy (formally Progress Energy), DuPont, Michelin North America, and the South Carolina Department of Education. Their vision and support established SCCMS in 2005 and sustains us today.

Thanks to our program partners, present and past, for their interest and enthusiasm in support of STEM teaching and learning.

Thanks to Clemson University, the College of Engineering & Science, the Center for Workforce Development, and the Clemson University Foundation for continuing to provide SCCMS with expert operations and infrastructure support and to the SC General Assembly for their continued support of STEM Education in our state.

Affiliations

Clemson University Center for Workforce Development
Million Women Mentors SC
SC Association of Non-Profit Organizations
STEMx
The STEM Education Coalition
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