George Stranahan
Dr. Stranahan has championed science education for more than thirty years.  He co-founded the Aspen Science Center and serves as Chairman of the Board.  He was co-founder, Trustee, and first President of the Aspen Center for Physics, and is currently an Honorary Trustee.  He founded and led the Aspen Community School, Aspen Educational Research Foundation (now COMPASS), and Manaus Fund, and has served on the boards of numerous non-profit and for-profit organizations and foundations.  He owned and operated Flying Dog Ranch, was founding owner of the Woody Creek Tavern and Flying Dog Brewery, and founded Stranahan's Colorado Whiskey.  Dr. Stranahan earned his B.S. in Physics from the California Institute of Technology and his Ph.D. in Physics from the Carnegie Institute of Technology.  He held a postdoctoral fellowship at Purdue University and was Associate Professor at Michigan State University.

Kevin Ward
Mr. Ward is co-founder and President of the Aspen Science Center.  After practicing law for several years, Mr. Ward dedicated himself to making science at the highest level accessible and compelling to non-specialists and designing interactive, immersive learning environments using cutting-edge technology and multimedia.  He served as Creative Director on such projects as Apple’s Macintosh launch, IBM’s Olympic CEO Programs (Atlanta and Nagano), Apple’s Pavilion at EPCOT Center, Johnson & Johnson’s CEO Innovation Initiative, and Discovery Channel’s Animal Planet Hyper-CDRom.  He created the logo, branding, and activist web network for Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.'s non-profit, Waterkeeper Alliance.  Mr. Ward received his B.A. at Harvard College and J.D. at the University of California.  He returned to Harvard University as a Teaching Fellow and was honored to receive the Derek Bok Excellence in Teaching Award every year he taught.

L. M. Simmons Jr.
Dr. Simmons is the Vice President of the Aspen Science Center.  He is the former Vice President for Academic Affairs, Trustee, Science Board Member, and Editorial Board Chair of the Santa Institute, where he was responsible for the research, education, and publications programs; he also co-founded the Complex Systems Summer School.  He served as Research Staff Member, Associate Theoretical Division Leader, and Deputy Associate Director for Physics and Mathematics at Los Alamos National Laboratory, where he co-founded the Center for Nonlinear Studies and the Los Alamos Series in Basic and Applied Sciences.  He is an Honorary Trustee and past President of the Aspen Center for Physics.  He was a postdoctoral fellow and faculty member at several universities and has consulted on complex adaptive systems and organizational strategy with numerous organizations.  His research interests have been in quantum mechanics, quantum field theory, mathematical physics, and quantum coherent states.  Dr. Simmons received his Ph.D. in Theoretical Physics from Cornell University.

Stephen Pinsky
Dr. Pinsky is the Aspen Science Center Treasurer.  He is Professor Emeritus at Ohio State University, having been a Professor of Physics and Director of the Ohio Center for Technology and Science.  While at OSU, he led the University Senate, was on the Board of the Health Care System, and led Ohio’s effort to attract the Superconducting Super Collider.  He was the co-founder of the International Light Cone Advisory Committee.  He was the Treasurer of the Aspen Center for Physics, was on the Science Board of the Nanotune Corporation, and has also served on other non-profit boards.  He is a Fellow of the American Physical Society.  He holds a B.S. from the University of Illinois and a Ph.D. from MIT.  His most recent research interests have been in theoretical particle physics and light cone physics; most recently, he developed a numerical method for solving supersymmetric quantum field theories.

Ilan Chabay
Dr. Chabay is the first Erna & Victor Hasselblad Professor of Public Learning & Understanding of Science (PLUS), held jointly at Chalmers University of Technology and Göteborg University in Sweden.  Dr. Chabay conducts research on how the public’s ideas about science and technology are learned, processed, used, and changed.  Having earned a Ph.D. from the University of Chicago and a B.A. degree from Clark University, Dr. Chabay transitioned from research scientist to an advisor and consultant to government agencies, media companies, design firms, schools, and museums worldwide.  He has been working for many years on science communication and public learning and understanding of science.  The two strands of this work have been the creation of innovative science learning experiences and the implementation of new strategies to engage children and adults from diverse communities in social issues and the ideas and fun of science.  He developed an innovative rural science outreach center and its educational programs.  Dr. Chabay served on the Leadership and Planning Group for the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) Office of Space Science and directed a team that designed an innovative web-based Science Education Framework.  He was the first recipient of the Alan B. Leviton Award for Outstanding Achievement in the Science Education of Children and Youth presented by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).

David Heil
As President of David Heil & Associates, Mr. Heil works with non-profit organizations, governmental agencies and corporations to design, launch, and evaluate a range of educational and public outreach initiatives.  Former Director of Informal Science Education for the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA), Mr. Heil is an innovative science educator, new enterprise developer, lecturer, and author.  He is the former host of the Emmy Award-winning science series, Newton’s Apple.  He was lead author on the award-winning program, Discover The Wonder, and is editor of Family Science.  David was the Associate Director of the Oregon Museum of Science & Industry.  While there, he initiated and administered many of the museum’s nationally recognized education and outreach programs, and also developed hands-on exhibits for national tour.  He also taught science and enrichment programs in grades 7-12, conducted research in plant biochemistry and radiochemistry, and worked with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.  He served on the Board of Directors of the Biological Sciences Curriculum Study, the Keystone Center, and currently serves as the Senior Science Advisor for the Council of Chief State School Officers.  Mr. Heil recently received NSTA’s award for Distinguished Service to Science Education.

Jennifer Maguire Isham
Ms. Isham is the Executive Vice President of Tribeca Enterprises, the parent company of the Tribeca Film Festival.  Jennifer previously worked for CNN as a senior vice president for programming and talent development.  She joined CNN from ABC, where she was a producer and senior staff member at Primetime Live and ABC News.

Garland Lasater, Jr.
Mr. Lasater received his B.A. from Princeton University, served as a United States Marine Corps fighter pilot, and then received his law degree from Southern Methodist University.  He practiced law in California for several years before joining a small group of entrepreneurs in the Fort Worth/Dallas area who were active in the life and health insurance business.  With this group, he served in executive positions, including as President and CEO, of a number of life insurance companies.  Semi-retired after the sale of the last life insurance company controlled by the group, Mr. Lasater took on roles in not-for-profit organizations and activities.  He has served or currently serves on the boards of the Community Foundation of North Texas, Aspen Center for Physics, McDonald Observatory Board of Visitors, and Aspen Science Center.  He also serves on several family business boards.  Mr. Garland and his wife, Mollie, were instrumental in the development of the Aspen Science Center’s High School High Scholar (HS)2 Program and are mentors for the Scholars.

David Micklos
Mr. Micklos is founder and Executive Director of the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory’s DNA Learning Center, a science museum that provides lab instruction to pre-college students.  The nationwide training program he began and the DNA Science text he co-authored have introduced thousands of high school and college faculty to laboratory methods in molecular biology.  In the last several years, he has focused on developing lab and Internet resources to allow students to use their own DNA polymorphisms as a gateway for the study of human evolution.  He is editor of several genetics Internet sites and received the Dana Award for Pioneering Achievement in Higher Education.

Sarah Johnson Redlich
A former Portfolio Manager at Franklin Templeton, Ms. Redlich left the financial services firm to launch Spike & Annie, a children’s clothing company.  Educated at St. Lawrence University and the University of San Francisco, Ms. Redlich has dedicated herself to education, science, and conservation.  She recently spearheaded the drive to build a $40M state-of-the-art science facility for St. Lawrence.  A Trustee of St. Lawrence, she has also served as Vice-Chair of the Capital Campaign, and served as Vice-Chair of the Architecture and Physical Plant.  Ms. Redlich advances science-based environmental legislation as the Chair, National Affairs and Legislation, for the Hillsborough Chapter of the Garden Club of America.  At Conservation International, she is a member of the Chairman's Council.  Ms. Redlich also serves in an advisory capacity at the board level for other non-profit organizations.    

Andrei Ruckenstein
Dr. Ruckenstein is past President of the Aspen Center for Physics and a co-founder of the Aspen Science Center.  He holds a B.S. from Harvard College and a Ph.D. in Physics from Cornell.  He was the founding Director of BioMaPS, a Rutgers University program focused on research and education in the area of interdisciplinary biology, and has served as the Co-Director of the BioMaPS Institute and the founding Director of the BioMaPS Graduate Program while a Professor of Physics at Rutgers.  He is trained as a theoretical condensed matter physicist and is well known for his work in strongly correlated quantum systems.  He later redirected his interests towards biology-driven research.  He was awarded the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Fellowship, an Office of Naval Research Young Investigator Award, and a Humboldt Foundation Senior Prize. Dr. Ruckenstein is currently Associate Provost & Vice President for Research and Professor of Physics at Boston University.