GLOBE Implementation Office (GIO)

GLOBE Breadcrumb

GLOBE Implementation Office (GIO)

A panned downed view of the Earth from outer space. A flare of light can be seen in the distance.

The GLOBE Implementation Office (GIO) provides support to the GLOBE community worldwide. It works with scientists, teachers and an extensive network of stakeholders to improve participation in The GLOBE Program.

The GIO is sponsored through a NASA cooperative agreement award to Education Development Center (EDC) and The City University of New York (CUNY). Together with the GLOBE Working Groups, GIO works to support community initiatives in science, education, evaluation, technology, diversity, equity and inclusion, as well as the development of new science and education content.

Leadership

GIO Leadership

Rebecca Boger
Director, Science and Training, Education, and Public Engagement
Rebecca Boger (Becky) is the director of the Science, Training, Education, and Public Engagement (STEPE) team at the GIO, and is also a professor and chair of the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences at Brooklyn College, CUNY. Before coming to Brooklyn College, she worked for GLOBE, first as a NOAA Knauss Fellow and then as an international project scientist and partner liaison. She collaborated with teams of scientists and educators to develop classroom materials, conduct workshops, and facilitate international collaborations. After joining Brooklyn College in 2007, she continued to work with GLOBE on the Science Working Group and GISN, as an IVSS judge, and on other funded GLOBE-related education and science projects. Becky lives in New York.

Rebecca Lewis
Director, Community Engagement and Support
Rebecca Lewis (she/her/hers) is the director of the Community Engagement and Support (CES) team at the GIO. As a managing project director at EDC, Rebecca focuses on strategic direction, international and federal co-sponsor relationships, and partnerships to advance GLOBE. She has developed and led a range of initiatives that focus on engaging leaders from STEM industries, corporations, schools, and communities in collaborating to improve students’ outcomes. In addition, she has led an international biotechnology education program for more than 10 years. Rebecca lives in Massachusetts.

Communications

GIO Communications

	Leana Nordstrom Communications Lead Leana Nordstrom leads communications for the GIO. Leana is an expert in communications, event management, product management, and fostering peer-to-peer professional learning. She leads the design of publications, infographics, videos, websites, and events that advance efforts to improve the quality and equity of education, with a special focus on STEM education and early learning. Leana lives in Massachusetts.
	Kerry Ouellet Communications Manager Kerry Ouellet (she/her) is a managing editor at EDC and is the communications manager at the GIO. Kerry supports all GLOBE communications but focuses on coordination and promotion of GLOBE news and events. During her tenure at EDC, Kerry has managed the development of online and print curricula, professional learning programs, and program websites, from inception to publication. As a managing editor, she has guided the production of numerous STEM education resources. Kerry lives in Massachusetts.
	Pradipti Bhatta Communications Specialist, Social Media Pradipti Bhatta is a communications specialist at the GIO, focusing on social media. As an EDC project associate, she manages key aspects of projects and brings expertise in research communications, social media strategy, website management, accessibility, data visualization, and community engagement. She advances the goals of multiple initiatives that seek to improve the quality and equity of education. Pradipti lives in Washington State.
	Mary Fedorchak Communications Specialist, Student Vlogger Program Mary Fedorchak is a communications specialist at the GIO, focusing on the Student Vlogging Program. At EDC, she has managed projects that focus on equity in STEM education. Her interests center on better serving underserved and underrepresented populations in STEM. She has co-led large-scale district-wide implementation programs in STEM and equity-focused programming. Prior to coming to EDC, Mary led community and school programs at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago, IL. Mary lives in Illinois.
	Shanna Russ Communications Specialist Shanna Russ is a project director at EDC and a GLOBE communications specialist. Shanna is a research communications expert and leads the dissemination strategy for REL Northeast & Islands at EDC, which partners with educators and policymakers to improve outcomes for students. She specializes in strategic dissemination, public information outreach, accessibility, user experience, and information design. Shanna lives in Maryland.

Community Engagement

GIO Community Engagement

	Jackie DeLisi Deputy Director, Community Engagement & Support Jackie DeLisi is the deputy director for the GIO Community Engagement and Support (CES) team at the GIO. As a senior research scientist at EDC, Jackie leads a wide variety of projects that improve science learning and teaching in classrooms and informal learning environments. Her recent work includes organizing a convening to develop K-12 green workforce initiatives, evaluating a STEM learning ecosystem, and developing research partnerships with science teacher preparation programs. Jackie lives in Massachusetts.
	Evangeline Ambat Community Engagement Specialist Evangeline Ambat is a community engagement specialist for the GIO. As a senior technical assistance and training associate at EDC, Evangeline has several years of experience working on a variety of National Science Foundation (NSF) programs leading community engagement activities to broaden participation in STEM. Evangeline also works with state departments of education across the US to build capacity on making data-informed decisions. Prior to working at EDC, Evangeline led community engagement programs in both formal and informal education across various states in India. Evangeline lives in Massachusetts.
	Amy Busey Community Engagement Specialist Amy Busey is a community engagement specialist for the GIO. As a research scientist at EDC, Amy also leads community building, knowledge sharing, dissemination, and support activities for STEM education researchers funded through CADRE, the resource network for NSF’s DRK-12 program. Amy’s other work focuses on data literacy education, including developing and testing curricula and instructional approaches that can support learning with and about data in science classrooms. Amy lives in New York.
	Alyssa Na'im Community Engagement Specialist Alyssa Na’im is a community engagement specialist for the GIO. Across EDC, as a research scientist, Alyssa leads initiatives that build capacity to advance equity and quality in education, particularly STEM education in formal and informal learning settings. She draws on her personal and professional experiences to inform her dedication to improving educational opportunities for historically marginalized populations. Alyssa lives in Massachusetts.
	Anne Wang Continuous Improvement Lead Anne Wang (she/her/hers) leads continuous improvement efforts for the GIO CES team. She is an experienced researcher and project leader with expertise in data-driven continuous improvement, program evaluation, instructional design, training and technical assistance, strategic planning, root cause analysis, and needs and resource assessments. Spanning the fields of education, health, and mental health, her work focuses on improving outcomes for youth from low-income communities and underrepresented groups. Anne lives in Massachusetts.

Community Support and Technology

GIO Data Science

Andrew Clark
Technology Specialist
Andrew Clark is a technology specialist who has been working with the GLOBE Observer team at IGES. For the GIO, he will be working on many applications including data analysis, searches, and website updates. He is an engineer by training, with experience across a broad range of web technologies. He is building his machine learning toolbox, with a specific focus on computer vision algorithms. The symbiosis of remote sensing, computer vision, and personal human connection to place and time is the driving force behind his curiosity.

Angelica Giardina
Community Support Specialist
Angelica Giardina (she/they/we) serves as a community engagement and support specialist with the GIO. As an associate project director at EDC, Angelica focuses on strengthening technology and operations for public health and education programs, drawing on experience from guiding technology, operations, and helpdesk systems for national and state technical assistance centers, an educational nonprofit, and several large retail companies. Angelica is passionate about making technology accessible for all, using a holistic approach that enhances operations while promoting diversity, equity, accessibility, and inclusion. Angelica lives in Massachusetts.

Eslam Khair
Community Support Specialist
Eslam Khair, a community support and engagement specialist, joined the GIO team in 2012, and is based in Colorado. Eslam focuses on helping the GLOBE community with on-boarding new countries, partners, and educators and GLOBE website-related issues. Before GLOBE, Eslam earned his MBA in IT Management and he brings a wealth of knowledge from his previous role as an account Team Lead at IBM to GLOBE.

Science

GIO Education

Russanne (Rusty) Low
Deputy Director
Rusty Low is the deputy director for science. She has been active in various roles in the GLOBE community since 2001, most recently as the science lead for the GLOBE Program’s GLOBE Observer Mosquito Habitat Mapper. For this work, she was recognized as a USAID Grand Challenge Female Innovator in 2018 for identifying the need for a citizen science mobile app to fight vector borne disease in low resource communities. A senior scientist at the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES), she served as a Fulbright Scholar in 2021–22 in Brazil and is a Fulbright Specialist and UNITAR Global Diplomacy Fellow. She earned her PhD at the University of Minnesota.

Charles Vörösmarty
Science Lead
Professor Vörösmarty is the science lead and he will be working closely with the team at GIO working with the GISN, field campaigns and student research. His research centers broadly on human-environment interactions. He has led interdisciplinary study teams using earth system models to assess: the impact of water resource management worldwide and how they generate downstream coastal zone risks; strategic U.S. water-food-energy risks; and, global threats to human water security and aquatic biodiversity. He has served in leadership positions supporting several national and international science consortia, including as co-Chair of the Global Water System Project, as an Arctic Research Commissioner (appointed by Presidents Bush and Obama), and Chair of the National Research Council’s Committee on Hydrologic Science. He led a team of scientists solicited to provide advice to the High-Level Panel on Water (11 heads of state) in sustainable infrastructure investments, a component of which was delivered as a briefing to the U.N. General Assembly in early 2023.

Training, Education, and Public Engagement

GIO TEPE

	Mike Jabot Deputy Director Mike Jabot is the deputy director for education at the GIO. Mike is a SUNY Distinguished Professor of Science Education at the State University of New York at Fredonia. Mike has led the GLOBE Partnership for the Institute for Research in Science Teaching at SUNY Fredonia since he founded it in 2001. Mike is a mentor master trainer and also serves on numerous leadership teams for national and international science and technology curriculum development projects.
	Gillian Bayne Education Lead Gillian Bayne is the Education Lead for the GIO. She is a Professor of Science Education and a program coordinator in the Middle and High School Education Department at Lehman College, part of CUNY. With over ten years of science teaching experience in both New York City public and private schools, her research focuses on improving teaching and learning in science education through the use of cogenerative dialogues and co-teaching at the high school, undergraduate and graduate levels.
	Larissa K. Schelkin UN SDG Consultant Larisa Schelkin is a GIO consultant for the United Nations (UN) and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Larisa is a NASA GLOBE Partner since 2014, GLOBE educator, GLOBE International STEM Network member (GISN), she served as a GLOBE IVSS judge and GLOBE SRS Leadership team. She is the CEO of the Global STEM Education Center, Inc., a 501(c) (3) nonprofit corporation and President of the Global STEM Education Consulting, LLC. Larisa is a teaching faculty at the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) Global Diplomacy Fellowship Program, where she teaches courses on Science Diplomacy, UN Sustainable Development Goals, Global Environmental Outlook, UN Environmental program, and Environmental Science Diplomacy.
	Cassie Soeffing Senior Earth Scientist Cassie is a Senior Earth Scientist for Education and Public Outreach at IGES. Her current role is campaign coordinator with GLOBE Mission Mosquito. Cassie is a GLOBE Partner, GLOBE Teacher, IVSS Judge, and mentor for the Earth System Explorers virtual internship. She provides GLOBE Community webinars relating to mosquitoes and contributed to creating many of the current Mosquito resources for K-12. As a SciStarter facilitator, Cassie teaches participatory science (GLOBE Observer) to the Osher Lifelong Institutes in Hawaii and South Dakota. Cassie has over thirty years as a classroom science educator, an Einstein Fellow, and a Presidential Awardee. She will play an important role on the GIO STEPE team in revising existing and developing new GLOBE materials.