Jill Ott is the Chief Executive Officer, co-founder and inventor, who used her five years of elementary to college science teaching experience to develop the successful Science Coach nonprofit that provides systems, processes and resources helping 6th-12th grade students and teachers complete original research for advanced competitions. Jill brings a wealth of knowledge from not only her teaching career, but also from executive, software entrepreneur, and non-profit management experiences.
Prior to running a consulting company for three years, Jill was the Development Director for the Academy of Applied Sciences and Executive Director for 14 years of the Mastodon Fair, a non-profit that was the largest art and science fair in the United States. Growing the Mastodon Fair from one county to 12, increasing participation to more than 3,000 students, and creating a commercially-available software product called E-Fair for the complete administration of a science or art fair, were some of the major accomplishments. As a 20-year CEO of an entrepreneurial software development company, Jill raised $3M in venture capital, had one patent awarded, and secured contracts with seven Fortune 500 companies and one multi-year government contract.
Jasmin Patel, PhD, is Chief Growth and Innovation Officer, leading strategic partnerships with companies, schools, and universities to address high-demand STEM talent needs. She focuses on creating pathways for teacher development, meaningful career pursuits for students, and a future workforce. Prior to joining Science Coach, Jasmin was Vice President for Strategy and Innovation at Boston University. There, she oversaw the development of the university’s strategic framework, integrating a long-term vision with initiatives and metrics and milestones for success.
Jasmin’s extensive experience also includes her tenure as Associate Vice President for Research and Chief of Staff at Saint Louis University, where she led the university’s research growth strategy, doubling research expenditures and spearheading the creation of interdisciplinary institutes across campus. Jasmin’s work fills important gaps in the innovation ecosystem, from developing R&D roadmaps, public-private partnerships, and strategies for growth and talent recruitment, her work crosses boundaries in order to create value to all stakeholders. She holds a Ph.D. in Education from Saint Louis University, an M.B.A. from the University of Chicago, and a B.S in Speech and Hearing Science from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.
Peggy Killian has 25+ years of experience in communications, marketing, and brand awareness. Over the course of her career, she has earned multiple industry awards for her work. Prior to joining Science Coach, Peggy was with the Alzheimer’s Association, as Vice President of Communications and Marketing for the Greater Missouri chapter. She also served as an Association research champion which involved conducting presentations on the disease pathology and the latest advancements in detection and treatment. That sparked a love for research which ultimately led her to Science Coach. She is thrilled to be part of the team and the effort to grow the next generation of researchers and scientists.
In her role as Chief Brand Officer, Peggy will lead communications and marketing, with a dedicated focus on building awareness of and enhancing the Science Coach brand with key audiences.
Shawn joined Science Coach in January, 2020, as the Program Coordinator. Shawn is responsible for recruiting, managing, and supporting the Science Coach teams of Head Coaches, Teacher Coaches, and students across the United States.
Shawn’s excellent attention to detail, inquisitive questioning, and task prioritization proficiency are great skill assets perfected during her 28-year career with Missouri Department of Social Services, Children’s Division, where she worked as a child abuse/neglect investigator with a specialized statewide unit for over 19 years.
Jennifer has just retired from teaching science at Holt High School for 24 years where she served as the department chair and assistant National Honor Society sponsor. Jennifer has been actively involved with Science Coach as a Head Coach, presenter, and consultant since 2007. She was recently named an Advanced Science Research Teaching (ASRT) Program Semi-Finalist. She is the director of the Missouri Tri-County Regional Science and Engineering Fair and the co-director of the Missouri Junior Academy of Science, St. Louis regional competition.
Jennifer has spent much of her professional career creating opportunities for high schoolers to become involved in real-world scientific research and has seen many of her students become research scientists, physicians, nurses, veterinarians, engineers, and seek countless other professions in fields of science. Her students through the years have won numerous awards at ISEF and other scientific competitions.
With over 13 years of experience in education, Caylie has served as a science teacher, instructional coach, administrator, and head volleyball coach. An alum of Teach For America-KC and Kansas City PLUS, Caylie is deeply committed to equity in education and the power of strong science instruction to transform student outcomes and minimize the opportunity gap. Whether in the classroom, on the court, or supporting educators, Caylie brings a passion for student growth, teacher development, and inclusive leadership.
In her current role as Education and Outreach Coordinator for Science Coach, Caylie is excited to network with schools, organizations, and community partners to expand access to high-quality, authentic, science research education. She believes awareness, collaboration, and access is key to creating equitable learning opportunities and inspiring the next generation of scientists and changemakers.
Service Started: January, 2022
Mr. Schmidt and his wife Jane are the primary benefactors of Science Coach, Inc. Mr. Schmidt is the president of FWS Land Strategies, a real estate brokerage, investment, and consulting company since 1989. Following his appointment by former Governor Eric Greitens in 2017, Mr. Schmidt continues to serve on the Safe Drinking Water Commission. Mr. Schmidt is a graduate of Maryville University in St. Louis County, Missouri.
Dr. Gary Stocker has substantial business experience in health care and higher education, skills in sales and marketing, management, consulting, operations, and technology. Majoring in medical technology at Eastern Illinois University, he earned a Master’s degree in healthcare management and leveraged that education to manage quality and statistical operations for a 2-hospital system in St. Louis. His 2010 doctoral dissertation addressed the technology acceptance of electronic medical records by nurses. Dr. Stocker’s military responsibilities during his career included managing field-based clinical laboratory operations of U. S. Army Reserve medical units in the 102nd ARCOM.
As a laboratory manager of a medium-sized hospital in Oklahoma City, Dr. Stocker was known for his ability to create statistical models for work productivity in clinical laboratories. During ten years of sales and marketing experience for diagnostic medical equipment manufacturers throughout the Midwest, Dr. Stocker developed early versions of a sales force automation database that included automated pricing tools.
Dr. Stocker is a program director and full-time faculty at Lindenwood University and developed and implemented a wide variety of data and analytical tools for course scheduling and course demand forecasting.
Currently he is creating awareness of medical laboratory science careers and building a pipeline of talent for health care organizations.
Ben is Senior Vice President of Strategy and Operations at BioSTL, where he leads its initiatives related to public policy, diversity/inclusion/equity, talent & workforce development, and fundraising. Since 2001, BioSTL has laid the foundation for St. Louis' innovation economy with a comprehensive set of transformational programs leveraging the region’s medical and plant science strengths.
Ben Johnson currently serves as Chairman of the national Innovation Advocacy Council (IAC). The IAC informs and educates policymakers and elected officials to grow our innovation economy through federal legislation, programs, and funding that support practitioners on the ground. IAC is SSTI’s voice in Washington, DC. SSTI strengthens initiatives to create a better future through science, technology, innovation and entrepreneurship.
He also is a Board member of the Missouri Biotechnology Association, Missouri’s statewide biotechnology trade association.
Prior to BioSTL, Ben moved to St. Louis to complete the Coro Fellows Program in Public Affairs.
Ben received his M.B.A. from Washington University in St. Louis and his B.A. from Northwestern University, majoring in Economics and Political Science with a minor in Business German.
Dr. Lazenby is currently the Chief Revenue Officer for Comprose, an Enterprise B2B SaaS business. He is a licensed and board certified psychologist with a PhD in performance psychology. His internship and residency programs allowed him to be the first U.S. psychologist in training to focus on positive performance in athletic, military and business environments. His doctoral dissertation focused on generational issues with wealth through family decision styles. He has guided Fortune 500 executives, professional athletes/teams/leagues, leaders of family business, startup ventures, Software as a Service businesses and U.S. special operations units for over 35 years.
Dr. Lazenby is an expert in simulation, systems thinking, scenario planning, Six Sigma/Lean, rapid prototyping, and getting things done (except on home projects) . He works to take psychology from academic theory to the real world. A Pracademic by Training - Implementing Science Thinking to real world challenges by being an applied practitioner in the wild.
From 1999 to 2003, Jake was a Science Fair contestant in the Mastodon Fair and an International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) finalist from 2002 to 2003 with projects based on cryptography. He received the B.Sc. in Computer Engineering and M.Sc. in Systems Engineering degrees from the Missouri University of Science and Technology in 2008 and 2010 respectively. Jake is now living his dreams as a Product Security Engineer at Boeing, addressing Supply Chain Provenance through cryptographic countermeasures.
Josae used her biochemistry experience to inspire Title-1 students in both urban and rural environments. She noticed every student has an innate curiosity no matter the age and background. Josae shared her teaching techniques with beginning teachers to reinvigorate their students’ imagination. During the initial COVID phase, she helped teachers fuse virtual and traditional teaching techniques with technology to keep students engaged no matter their location.
Josae joined Science Coach to assist in expanding its resources to the east coast. As a teacher, she would have loved to have had access to the Science Coach resources to further push her students’ curiosity. Moreover, it renews teacher’s passion for teaching as they see students experiment and question their learning.
Dr. Colbert has been involved in academic research and teaching, and he started two small companies over his 30 year career. He brings an eclectic background to Science Coach from curriculum development to business management to fund raising. He began his career in biochemical analysis of basal transcription, but also worked in bioinformatics, bone biology, agricultural genetics, combustion engine programming, teaching, and business analysis.
Dr. Colbert is currently working to establish bio-manufacturing in the St. Louis area with BioSTL, a leader in St. Louis bio-business development. By starting a pilot-scale microbial fermentation facility it will enable proof of concept testing and validate commercial viability of products, and the derisking of companies for further investment.
