WASHINGTON (April 2, 2014) - Officials with Challenger Center for Space Science Education (Challenger Center) today announced three new members to its board of directors. Virginia "Ginger" Barnes of The Boeing Company, Dr. W. Michael Hawes of Lockheed Martin and international best-selling author, Kevin J. Anderson.

"It is my pleasure to welcome Ginger, Mike and Kevin to the team," said Gwen Griffin, chair of the board for Challenger Center. "Their diverse career experiences in STEM-related fields along with a shared passion to continue the mission of Challenger Center, adds terrific outreach capability to the board."

Barnes is vice president and program manager for Boeing's Space Launch System (SLS), NASA's new human-rated, heavy-lift launch vehicle program. Prior to this position, she served as president and chief executive officer of United Space Alliance, LLC, before returning to Boeing where she had worked for 29 years. During her tenure with Boeing, Barnes managed a number of defense and space programs and efforts, including ISS, fighter and support programs, defense modernization and weapons, and simulation and training. She left Boeing as vice president, chief operating officer and deputy program manager, overseeing the programmatic and financial aspects of the U.S. Army's modernization efforts. She holds an advanced degree in Business.

Hawes serves as the director for human space flight programs within Lockheed Martin's Washington office, where he represents the company in dealings with the Administration and Congress. Previously, he spent 33 years with NASA holding numerous senior management roles, including deputy associate administrator for the International Space Station (ISS). He also is an adjunct faculty member of the George Washington University College of Engineering, where he teaches engineering management and systems engineering. He holds advanced degrees in Engineering Management.

The award-winning author of more than 125 books, Anderson has more than 23 million copies of his works in print in 30 languages. His involvement with Challenger Center began with his Star Challengers young-adult fiction series which he created with his wife Rebecca Moesta and Challenger Center Founding Chair June Scobee Rodgers. The books are designed to spark student interest in the space program and careers in STEM fields. He holds degrees in Astronomy and Physics.

About Challenger Center

Using space exploration as a theme and simulation as a vehicle, Challenger Center for Space Science Education and its international network of more than 40 Challenger Learning Centers create positive educational experiences that raise students' expectations of success, foster long-term interest in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), and inspire students to pursue studies and careers in these areas. Challenger Learning Centers across the U.S., Canada, the United Kingdom, and South Korea reach more than 400,000 students each year through simulated space missions and educational programs and engage more than 40,000 educators through missions and teacher workshops. Founded in 1986, Challenger Center was created to honor the seven astronauts of shuttle flight STS-51-L: Commander Dick Scobee, Gregory Jarvis, Christa McAuliffe, Ronald McNair, Ellison Onizuka, Judith Resnik, and Michael J. Smith.

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Challenger Center for Space Science Education Welcomes Three New Board Members