NASA WV Space Grant Consortium and the NASA WV Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research program announced that its board of directors appointed Melanie Page as the new director, effective Aug. 1. She succeeded Majid Jaridi, who has retired from his 30 years of service leading the organization.
Page is a positive and energetic leader and her collegial style, practical approach to problem solving and deep passion for STEM and diversity will help further advance the mission of the NASA WV Space Grant Consortium and the NASA WV EPSCoR program.
For more than eight years, she has been working with the NASA WVSGC program and the NASA WV EPSCoR as the WVU Board representative. In 2017, she attended the RockOn program at NASA Wallops, where she developed an intensified passion for bringing that experience to every student in WV. “If you could see a rocket launch, there is nothing you wouldn't do for STEM,” Page said.
As director, she will work closely with staff and the board to ensure that program goals are met in an inclusive way while engaging students, teachers, faculty and other key stakeholders in promoting collaborative research that contributes to NASA’s goals and objectives. Meanwhile, she will oversee the continued expansion of the NASA WV Space Grant Consortium, the NASA WV EPSCoR and other NASA-funded projects.
“I am excited to step into this role for our state and to continue to build on Dr. Jaridi’s work; it is certainly true in this case that he is a hard act to follow, but I look forward to working with everyone to achieve even greater success,” Page said.
“Dr. Page is a skilled and passionate leader who has demonstrated expertise in promoting STEM education and building out research infrastructure—both of which are key to innovation that leads to economic development. She is well- positioned to lead these efforts in West Virginia, especially now as we are seeing steady growth in the tech sector,” said TechConnect Executive Director Anne Barth.
West Virginia Space Grant Consortium and the NASA EPSCoR program is located on the Evansdale Campus in the Benjamin M. Statler College of Engineering. The Board is composed of a dedicated and highly competent group of individuals with a broad range of expertise from 12 affiliates from all over the state, representing academic affiliate partners as well as for profit and non-profit industry, who are committed to bringing the fruits of NASA’s research and outreach to all the citizens of West Virginia.
For more information, contact Candy Cordwell, assistant director, at Candy.Cordwell@mail.wvu.edu or 304-293-3927 and the https://www.nasawvepscor.org/