ARLINGTON, Va.—February 6, 2013—The National Science Teachers Association (NSTA), the largest professional organization in the world promoting excellence and innovation in science teaching and learning for all, today announced that Dr. David L. Evans, former Director of the Center for Sustainability: Earth, Energy, and Climate at Noblis, Inc., will serve as the association's new Executive Director. He succeeds NSTA Interim Executive Director Dr. Gerry Wheeler.
Evans was selected by the NSTA board of directors after an exhaustive nationwide search. He will take the lead starting tomorrow, February 7.
"We are thrilled to have Dr. Evans as a part of the NSTA team," said NSTA President Dr. Karen L. Ostlund. "He is a prominent scientist and a distinguished and visionary leader who will guide the association’s future course and continue to establish NSTA as a leader in STEM education."
Throughout his career, Evans has served the science profession in many different capacities. Prior to joining Noblis in 2007, Evans served as the Under Secretary for Science at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. His responsibilities included directing research and education activities, strategic planning, outreach, fundraising, and hiring for the national museum and research institutions, including the Natural History Museum, the Air and Space Museum, the National Zoo, the National Science Resources Center, the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, the Tropical Research Institute (Panama), and the Environment Research Center. During his tenure at the Smithsonian, Evans oversaw both government and private sector employees and was responsible for federal and endowment budgets.
Evans also served as Assistant Administrator for Oceanic and Atmospheric Research at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), where he was active in climate change research; Deputy Assistant Administrator for the National Marine Fisheries Service; Senior Scientist and Deputy Administrator at the National Ocean Service; and as Program Manager at the Office of Naval Research.
Before coming to Washington, D.C. in the mid-1980s, Evans was a tenured professor of oceanography at the University of Rhode Island and was a classroom teacher in Media, Pa.
Evans is a former member of the Governing Board of the Indo-U.S. Science & Technology Forum and Chairman of the Board for the Research Channel. He served as a science advisor on climate change to the White House in 2001 and has testified many times before Congress on ocean and climate issues. He is a reviewer for Science and other journals, and has served on a number of panels for the National Science Foundation (NSF), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and NOAA.
Evans holds a Ph.D. in oceanography from the University of Rhode Island and a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from the University of Pennsylvania. He studied for his teaching certification at Villanova University.
About NSTA
The Arlington, VA-based National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) is the largest professional organization in the world promoting excellence and innovation in science teaching and learning for all. NSTA’s current membership includes approximately 60,000 science teachers, science supervisors, administrators, scientists, business and industry representatives, and others involved in science education.
Contact
Kate Falk, NSTA
(703) 312-9211
kfalk@nsta.org