staff & Board
Our Staff
Jill Ott
Chief Executive Officer
Dr. Kristine Callis
Executive Director
Dr. Kristine Callis joined Science Coach in May 2026 as Executive Director. Kris has extensive experience in advancing equity-focused STEM education and research. She was formerly the Executive Director of Education at the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center. While at Danforth, she co-founded the Jackie Joyner-Kersee Food, Agriculture and Nutrition Innovation Center, whose mission is to provide quality youth and community programs in STEAM+Ag®, food production, nutrition, and physical activity in East St. Louis and beyond.
Throughout her career, Kris has been recognized with numerous awards, including the Impact Award from the Botanical Society of America for her work promoting DEIA in education, the Outstanding Performance in Science Award from the University of Florida Women’s League, the Outstanding Teaching Award from the University of Florida Department of Botany, and the Outstanding Teaching Award from North Carolina State University.
Kris is an active member of the St. Louis business and education communities, currently serving on the boards of the St. Louis Economic Development Partnership, the St. Louis Academy of Sciences, the Higher Education Consortium, and the Collegiate School of Medicine and Biosciences in the St. Louis Public School system. She’s also a graduate of the St. Louis Focus Executive Leadership Program
Mary Beth Factor
Administrative Assistant
Mary Beth Factor brings more than 15 years of experience in elementary and environmental education, curriculum development, and teacher support to Science Coach. After earning her Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education from the University of Missouri–Kansas City, she taught elementary school in Missouri and Taiwan before earning a Master of Science in Environmental Education from the University of Minnesota Duluth. She then served as an Environmental Science Educator with several non-profit environmental education centers in the upper midwest before returning to her home state of Missouri.
Prior to joining Science Coach, Mary Beth served as a Conservation Educator in West Plains, Missouri and then as Curriculum Coordinator for the Missouri Department of Conservation’s Discover Nature Schools program, where she expanded NGSS-aligned curriculum reaching more than 50,000 students and 1,000 educators annually. Her work earned the Champion of Science Award from the Science Teachers of Missouri, and the kindergarten science curriculum she co-created received First Place from the Association for Conservation Information. She also co-created the first- and second-grade science curriculum units and digitized the aquatic science middle school curriculum, Nature Unhooked. She looks forward to combining her passion for environmental science and research to support Science Coach’s growing impact across the nation.
Jennifer Hess
Coaching & Learning Supervisor
Lisa Humphreys
Marketing & Communications Director
Lisa Humphreys joined Science Coach in July 2026 as Marketing & Communications Director. Lisa has more than 20 years of experience translating complex science into clear, credible communication for mission-driven organizations, spanning sustainability, agriculture, and public health. She began her career in environmental communications with Waste Management and American Water before becoming Senior Director, Content Management & Brand Stewardship at the United Soybean Board / U.S. Soy, where she built the sector’s first ESG and sustainability reporting frameworks and led a national reputation strategy that grew public trust by 28%. She also served as Executive Producer of the Emmy-nominated A&E documentary GroundBreaking, connecting scientific innovation to everyday public audiences nationally.
Throughout her career, Lisa has been recognized with numerous awards, including 10 Telly Awards, including Gold in Science & Technology, Explainer (2024), a PRovoke SABRE Award for Corporate Identity and Honorable Mention from the PRWeek U.S. Awards (2024).
Lisa is an active member of her community, currently serving on the board of CHADS Coalition for Mental Health, where she advises on communications strategy and supports fundraising and donor engagement. She’s a graduate of Miami oh Ohio, with a Bachelor of Science in Communications Management.
Emily Meyer
Co-Director of Show-Me SCIENCE
Shawn Morris
Administrative Manager
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.
Dr. Jasmin Patel
Chief Growth & Innovation Officer
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.
Jake Schmidt
Salesforce Product Owner
Jacob Schmidt joined Science Coach in June 2026 and is responsible for managing Salesforce systems, optimizing workflows, and managing data for Science Coach. He recently graduated from DePaul University with a degree in art, media, and design and a minor in business, combining creative problem-solving with technical and operational strategy. Jake is experienced in collaborating with developers and teams to improve scalable workflows and business operations.
Carolyn Walling
Coordinator for Curriculum and NSTEM
Carolyn Walling is a veteran science educator with over 25 years of experience as a public school teacher and district curriculum coordinator. She has also coached science fair students to succeed in various science competitions, including the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair, Invention Convention Worldwide, Junior Science and Humanities Symposium, and Regeneron Science Talent Search.
Caylie Yessa
Education and Outreach Coordinator
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.
Board of Directors
Fred Schmidt
Board President and Co-Founder
Dr. David Lazenby
Board Member
Jake Hertenstein
Board Member
Dr. Trent Colbert
Board Member
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.