Virtual Science Teachers

Our Team

Suzanne Sprague
Founder, CEO

Virtual Science Teachers (VST) is a collaboration of science teachers, science experts, and professionals in education, technology, product development, governance, and outreach. Together, we create interactive lessons and graphing tools that give students opportunities to analyze data, think scientifically, and build lasting science skills.

We partner with school districts and organizations that share our mission to support the critical work of science teachers. By doing so, we help today’s students gain the scientific literacy they need for their lives and communities while also preparing the next generation of scientists and engineers who will tackle the world’s greatest challenges.

Board of Directors

Dr. Williams
Dr. Enyinne Williams
Board Chair
Robin Herod
 Treasurer
Gerardo Zuniga Guerra, Secretary
Gerardo Zuniga Guerra
 Secretary
Dr. Ashoori, Board Member
Dr. Mayram Ashoori
Board Member
Dr. Michael Murtagh, Board Member
Dr. Michael Murtagh
 Board Member
Todd Tribble, board member
Todd Tribble
Board Member

VST Academic Review Board

Liz Lowe
Middle School
Science Teacher
Michael Kendzora, M.S.Ed
Science Education Program Specialst
Colleen Flanagan
Colleen Flanagan
High School
Chemistry Teacher
Kirsten Salonga
Kirsten Salonga
Environmental Science for Multilingual Learners

Team Members

Grace Altamura
Outreach
Specialist
Donna Falk
Donna Falk
Instructional
Design Expert
Jenna Mercury
Jenna Mercury
Director of Professional Learning
Nichole Pallan
Science Content Developer, Weather and Climate SME
Ja'von Steen
Ja'Von Steen
College Intern
Graph Desginer
Suzanne Sprague
Suzanne Sprague
Founder and
Executive Director
Suzanne Sprague, drawing from her experience as a physics teacher, established Virtual Science Teachers.  This non-profit organization focuses on making high-quality online and hands-on STEM experiences freely available and accessible to everyone. Suzanne is deeply passionate about STEM education because of its transformative impact on individuals and communities. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Robin Herod
Robin Herson
Treasurer
 
Robin is a senior accounting and finance management executive with over 18 years of strategic, operating, and technical accounting experience. He is the Managing Member of Herod CPA PLLC, a local public accounting firm he founded in 2020.  His practice focuses on providing audit and assurance, tax and advisory services to technology startups and professional services firms. 
 
Prior to founding his practice, Robin has held several senior finance leadership roles at other technology companies including serving as one of the primary members of the IPO team for an advertising technology company, establishing the finance function at an early-stage cybersecurity startup, and advising senior finance leadership at a public fashion ecommerce company on technical accounting matters and public company reporting obligations.  
He is a Certified Public Accountant in New York and a member of both the AICPA and NY State Society of CPAs.
Gerardo Zuniga Guerra
Gerardo Zuniga Guerra
Secretary
 
Gerardo Zúñiga Guerra is an experienced leader in healthcare technology. As a PMO and Operational Excellence Director in Medtronic, he takes pride in engineering simple and effective program management solutions and increasing business process excellence capabilities for the Quality organization. In addition to his primary job responsibilities, Gerardo is an active member of the Hispanic Latino Network and is managing a collaborative program with Medtronic and the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE) that is aiming to remove barriers for Hispanic students studying STEM through internships and mentoring opportunities.
 
Gerardo lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota with his wife Jessica and their son Marcelo. He holds a BS in Electronics and Communications Engineering from the Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León and an MBA from the University of Minnesota.

Dr. Maryam Ashoori
Board Member
 
Maryam Ashoori is director of product management for IBM Data, AI and Automation. She has more than 15 years’ experience developing data-driven technologies that drive demand and delight customers, building and working with diverse research, design, product and development teams. Before joining IBM, Dr. Ashoori was head of engineering at Lyft Bikes and Scooters Operations, and prior to that she spent six years at IBM Research designing experiences for emerging technologies in AI and Quantum.
Dr. Michael Murtagh
Board Member
 
Dr. Michael Murtagh most recently served as Chief Technology Officer – Industrial at Stanley Black & Decker, with global leadership for the Engineering, Digital Technology, and Innovation functions within the company’s Industrial businesses, including Stanley Engineered Fastening, CAM Aerospace, Stanley Infrastructure, and Digital Services. He was responsible for developing and deploying the strategic roadmap and innovative customer solutions to improve vitality, mitigate enterprise risk, and drive business growth across the platform. Prior to Stanley Black & Decker, Michael was at Carpenter Technology, where he served as President of the $1.8B Specialty Alloy Operations business unit, and was responsible for the manufacturing, commercial, supply chain, engineering, and technology functions.

 

Michael has previously served as Chief Technology Officer for Carpenter Technology, Alkegen, and James Hardie Building Products, and has held a variety of technology/IT, operations, and commercial leadership roles throughout his 20+ year career. He holds 14 patents and contributes an extensive working knowledge of the Automotive/E Mobility, Energy, Aerospace, Specialty Materials, and Telecommunications sectors. Michael also has extensive Board of Directors experience, and currently serves on the Boards for the Edison Welding Institute and Rutgers University (College of Engineering).
 
His academic credentials include a PhD in Material Science and Engineering from Rutgers University, and an MBA in Finance from Syracuse University. He also completed the executive leadership program at the Stanford University Graduate School of Business.

 

Todd Tribble, board member
Todd Tribble
Board Member
 
Todd has been in the Higher Ed/K12 tech space for the last 15 years and has served in various executive roles in operations, sales, implementation, and support.  He currently is the SVP of North America for the student engagement company, Gecko and runs the revenue operations for them in the US.  His passion has always been working in the technology space with products that look to further the education of youth and the adult learner.  He is very excited about working with Virtual Science Teachers and helping them bring their inspirational mission to students and teachers across the country.