At WQED, we know you rely on us to provide high-quality, educational, and engaging multimedia content. We take that responsibility seriously, and commit more than 11 hours each day to trusted PBS Kids programs. From cherished favorites like Sesame Street to new shows like The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About That!, our shows capture the viewers' imagination; build their skills in literacy, math and science, and social well-being; and inspire them to reach their potential.
In 2010, the Education Department is excited to launch a six-year strategic plan that focuses on what we're calling iQ: smartmedia - a new concept of the way public media influences children's intellectual development.
We hope you'll join us on this exciting journey.
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Changing lives together,
Jennifer Stancil, Executive Director of Educational Partnerships
Jennifer Stancil is Executive Director of Education Partnerships at WQED Multimedia and oversees the department's efforts in educating children and adults alike. She is responsible for furthering WQED's strategies for outreach and developing cutting-edge content while ensuring WQED is a thought-leader in the use of media by educators, parents, and the community.
Prior to coming to WQED, Jen served as the Executive Director of the Girls, Math & Science Partnership at Pittsburgh's Carnegie Science Center. She is a scientist, trained in human biology, animal behavior, and mathematical modeling. Her career started in Alabama and then North Carolina, where she worked to engineer the programming for two new museums – the McWane Science Center and the Marbles Children's Museum (previously Exploris). Her start-up savvy helped build and solidify the reputation of both institutions and their educational program excellence in those communities. Jen's consulting work has taken her across the country to speak, train, and motivate individuals in the museum, educational, and corporate worlds, as well as to help design and build the capacity of non-profits. Successful online and offline curriculum – notably BrainCake.org, which had 377,000 visitor experiences in 2009 and won the Roy L. Shafer Leading Edge Award from the Association of Science-Technology Centers – are a hallmark of her educational leadership. GMSP became a national and international organization with members in 66 countries while she was at the helm. Under her leadership, GMSP also won the prestigious MacArthur Foundation's Digital Media and Learning Competition.
Jen was named an Emerging Leader in Pittsburgh in 2007 by the Junior League for building better communities for women and girls, and was in the 2008 class of Pittsburgh Magazine's "Top 40 Under 40," which recognizes young professionals who have positively impacted the region. She is national advisor to SciGirlsTV, the National Girls Collaborative Project in Pennsylvania, and the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry. She's a national and international speaker and advocate for gender equity in science, technology, engineering, and math, and has addressed the European Parliament and the White House Council on Women and Girls.
