Alice Gilchrist is the Director of Client Services for the South Carolina Coalition of Mathematics and Science which is the parent organization for S²TEM Centers SC. She joined S²TEM Centers SC in June 1996 as a Science Specialist. Her work currently focuses on meeting client needs across the state of South Carolina as the Director of Client Services.

With a Masters Plus 30, Alice has had many opportunities to learn from others and counts her time spent with NASA scientists as one of her greatest learning experiences. As former president of the South Carolina Science Council, SC², and a member of many local and national educational organizations, being an advocate of high-quality education for our students is her greatest passion.

As a life-long learner, Alice likes to continually increase her content knowledge. She is in the process of learning more about STEAM: integrating the Arts and the content areas. It was through the arts that school became alive for her, and she realizes that many students can be reached just as she was.

As a certified art teacher, Sylvia Martin has been engaging students in art education for over a decade. At the Arts Center of Greenwood she began as a volunteer 6 years ago, teaching afterschool and summer art camps and workshops. After seeing Sylvia’s enthusiasm and the impact her programs were having on area youth, the Arts Center created an Education Coordinator position to keep her involved throughout the year.

Recognizing the importance of emphasizing STEAM oriented education to our youth, one of Sylvia’s first initiatives once on board with the Arts Center was organizing a STEAM Family Fun Day. The inaugural event took place in March of 2017 and included several community partners and attracted over 300 youth and parents. It continued to grow in 2018 and took another large leap forward by teaming up with iMAGINE on the 2019 event.

The festival now serves the entire Lakelands region, bringing on many more exhibitors and attendees. It is now billed as the iMAGINE Lakelands STEAM Festival; fueled by the Arts Center of Greenwood, and we are excited that Sylvia will continue to lead the charge as the Festival Director. Sylvia is a Greenwood native, earned a master’s degree in arts teaching from Lander University, and still proudly resides in Greenwood with her husband and two children.