Diverse representation from the SCTN community is important on our leadership team. If you are interested in getting involved with the SCTN at the leadership level (we have room for low- to high-commitment roles), please contact us at SciCommTrainersNetwork@gmail.com.
Executive Director
Dr. Virginia Schutte (she/her) is an award-winning storyteller, consultant, and trainer who is unstoppably and loudly enthusiastic about how science makes life better. Since earning her Ecology Ph.D. in 2014, she has worked to diversify how people interact with science online. She has created and led digital engagement programs, designed communications strategies, and trained scientists to identify and meet their communications goals.
Operations Director
Dr. Marissa Weiss (she/her) is a science communication trainer, communicator, and researcher. She is currently a Climate Fellow at the USDA. She is a co-author of the "rainbow figure" for inclusive scicomm. She was a 2010 AAAS Mass Media Fellow, and a co-founder of the inaugural scicomm class for grad students and postdocs at Cornell University in 2007.
Engagement Director
Dr. Jac Goldstein (she/her) is the Instructional Designer for the MIT School of Engineering Communication Lab, where she trains researchers in technical communication and peer-coaching best practices. She is particularly interested in using inclusive communication to foster scientific understanding and identity in higher education. She is also a founder of SciCommBites, a research summary blog dedicated to digesting the latest research on science communication.
Initial work to convene the field to form a network was led by the Alan Alda Center for Communicating Science, COMPASS, the Kavli Foundation, and the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative at events in 2018 and 2019. The convenings were designed and facilitated by Converge, a group that supports the formation of collaborative networks of individuals and organizations for social and environmental impact. At the 2019 Summit, which officially launched the SciComm Trainers Network, the 40 participants discussed and refined the SCTN's purpose and principles. An inaugural working group also agreed to shepherd the emerging Network through its first post-launch year.
The SCTN was launched with seed funding from the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative and the Kavli Foundation.