Craig Hirsty

I have been a proponent of STEM education since I was a child growing up in Fort Wayne, Indiana. I was blessed and privileged to be raised by a mother with an education degree that recognized the benefits of experiential learning. I also had a grandfather with a PhD in chemistry who worked at DuPont. The vast majority of my childhood toys were STEM based i.e., microscopes, building sets, electronic kits, etc. While I thoroughly enjoy STEM subjects, my education and work took me a different direction.

I earned a BS in Business Management in 2010 from Indiana Tech, an MBA in 2021 from University of the People, an MOL in 2021 from Anderson University in South Carolina, and began a PhD in Leadership in the Fall of 2021 at Anderson University in South Carolina. I have served in a consulting capacity of some sort for the past decade. My focus has been on leadership, team building, business development, sales, marketing, small businesses, startups, and strategic growth. I have also served on several advisory boards for young companies seeking growth.

I chose to join NSTEM to contribute my skills and knowledge to advancing the access and availability of STEM education and resources. In fact, I did not set out to be a mentor with NSTEM. I actually applied for an intern position. After meeting with Eric and discussing the research for my dissertation, we saw an opportunity for me to facilitate development of the emerging leaders in the NSTEM internship program as the NSTEM Leadership Mentor. The intern network that powers NSTEM is filled with incredible people. I am honored to have a role that allows me to provide insight and share strategies with people that will be the future leaders of STEM and society.