In a move that will bolster its mission to support STEM education, The Arizona Technology Council Foundation today announced a new chairperson and the addition of four new employees to its staff. After retiring last summer, Bob Witwer brings his nearly 40 years of experience in strategic roles at Honeywell Aerospace to serve as the Foundation’s chairman of the board.

Staff additions include Anne Medina-Doak, who joins the Foundation as manager of Community and Business Partnerships. Kelly Greene, Bruce Jones and Kindra Maple are now a part of the Chief Science Officers (CSO) program, a collaboration between the Arizona Technology Council Foundation and the Arizona Commerce Authority. The program engages sixth to 12th-grade students elected by their peers to represent their school in STEM and innovation. A core component of the CSO program is to increase the student voice in the local, state and national conversation about STEM.

“We’re incredibly grateful for the opportunity to bring such talent and inspiration to our team,” said Jeremy Babendure, executive director of the Arizona Technology Council Foundation and the Arizona SciTech Festival. “With Bob’s hands-on, proven leadership, and the new staff’s stellar experience, we can ramp up our efforts to motivate students to seek educational and career paths in STEM-related fields.”

“I look forward to contributing to this important Foundation dedicated to creating a sustainable technology industry in Arizona by fostering the development of world-class, sophisticated leaders,” said Witwer. “The Foundation is an integral contributor to our state’s technology education efforts, and I’m honored to be a part of it.”

The biographies of the Foundation’s new chairman and staff members are:

Bob Witwer
Anne Medina-Doak

Bob Witwer, Chairman of the Board

Witwer retired last summer after 39 years with Honeywell Aerospace. For eight years, he was the vice president of Advanced Technology for Honeywell. He was responsible for defining and implementing the technology strategy for Honeywell’s entire product portfolio. Witwer has a passion for STEM and has engaged with hundreds of Arizona students over the last two decades to share that passion. He has also taught adult classes on leadership, innovation, human-centered design, and aircraft avionics. Witwer is also on the board of directors for the Arizona Technology Council, the Advisory Board for the Northern Arizona University School of Informatics, Computing, and Cyber Systems, and is a technical advisor on the Arizona State University AzLoop project.

Anne Medina-Doak, Manager of Community and Business Partnerships

With her passion and strength in community building, Anne will continue to develop partnerships to support the Foundation. Before joining the Foundation, Anne worked in consulting for three years where she served as an advisor to community organizations, non-profits, media representatives and elected officials on a local, state and national level, including Senator John McCain’s office. Anne’s service in the community includes serving on the board of the Salvation Army in Apache Junction, the Valley of the Sun United Way’s Financial Stability Committee, the Arizona Community Foundation’s Latina Giving Circle and the East Valley Based Si Se Puede Foundation.

Kelly Greene
Bruce Jones

Kelly Greene, Director of Operations and Student Success, CSO Program

With 21 years in the US Army, including three combat tours to Iraq and Afghanistan, plus 12 years as a middle school teacher, Kelly’s skill set is very diverse. Kelly’s responsibilities include empowering the CSOs to amplify their voice and their teachers to cultivate an environment to support leadership development. Kelly also serves as the overseer of operations for the Foundation team. In addition, she serves on the National CSO Program development team and supports the growth into new regions, including New York, Pennsylvania, Nebraska and Mexico.

Bruce Jones, National Systems Manager, CSO Program

Bruce’s key responsibilities will be to support the launch and growth of regions outside Arizona with an emphasis on the United States. He will help to establish systems and curriculum that will guide the national rollout of the CSO initiative. Bruce comes with over 10 years of experience in the public schools and is most known for his work as the science specialist for Mesa Public Schools. He also serves as the acting president of the Arizona Science Teachers Association and is a regional coordinator for NSELA.

Kindra Maples

Kindra Maples, Systems Coordinator, CSO Program

Kindra’s key responsibilities will be to oversee, improve and develop team and tracking systems, and focus on mentor development. She will focus on recruitment, training, and retention of quality mentors for the programs of the Foundation. Kindra brings more than 10 years of experience working with community mentors, students and programs at the Wounded Warrior Project, San Diego Zoo, Polar Bears International and Reid Park Zoo.

About the Arizona Technology Council Foundation

The Arizona Technology Council Foundation is dedicated to further promoting and growing technology in Arizona through the raising of funds, leadership, collaboration and innovation.  The Foundation is home to Science, Engineering, Technology and Math (STEM) programs including the Arizona SciTech Festival, Chief Science Officers, and Science for All. The purpose of this support is to motivate students to seek educational career paths in STEM-related fields.

For more information on the Arizona Technology Council Foundation, its mission and where to donate, visit www.aztechcouncil.org/serving-arizona/aztc-foundation.