Nina Leonhardt, former Associate Dean for Continuing Education at Suffolk County Community College, is a Senior Assessment Fellow here at the National Center for Science and Civic Engagement. Nina works with other experts in the NCSCE community to develop assessment and evaluation strategies, resources, and programs to support civically engaged STEM curricula, particularly in two year colleges. Nina has made numerous contributions to SENCER over the last several years, and has lead efforts for the improvement of STEM education for all students.
Nina has three decades of experience leading projects that inspire students, expand their interest in STEM, and support professional development for STEM educators, including National Science Foundation and New York State Education Department efforts. In addition, she has twenty years of experience in the assessment and evaluation of educational programs. She has served as an Associate Dean at Suffolk County Community College (SCCC); an Implementation Strategist and Community College Research Associate to Battelle’s STEMx network; the external project evaluator for the National History Learning Lab at Old Sturbridge Village (MA); the science workshop and assessment leader at the Brooklyn Children’s Museum as part of a Howard Hughes Medical a Institute-funded project; and an Educational Programs Associate at Brookhaven National Laboratory. Nina has also served as an instructor at Stony Brook University, New York University and Suffolk County Community College. In 2015, she was named as one of the 100 Inspiring Women in STEM by INSIGHT into Diversity and was awarded the first Margaret Ashida STEM Leadership Award-Higher Education by the New York State STEM Education Collaborative. An active member of the SENCER community since 2013, Nina currently a charter member of the Empire State STEM Learning Network Leadership Team and the Long Island STEM Hub Ms. Leonhardt holds an MS in Electrical Sciences from Stony Brook University and an MBA from Dowling College.