STEM Partners WA

STEM Partners Washington (SPW) is a Washington non-profit corporation created to serve as a fiscal agent for STEM-education organizations and projects in Washington State, with a current focus on support of the Olympia School District (OSD) competitive STEM Robotics Programs.

The OSD program utilizes FIRST® Robotics teams, both in-classroom and after school, to teach STEM concepts to students who may eventually decide to pursue a career in a STEM field.

Our first OSD client was the Olympia Robotics Federation (ORF), FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) Team 4450, for whom we serve as a full-service fiscal agent.  

In March 2022 Team 4450 was presented with an Engineering Inspiration Award for its plan to raise the level of robotics for students in Cairo Egypt. The team has travelled to Egypt twice (2022 & 2024) to conduct in-person training with Egyptian students. In 2024 the team was awarded the FIRST Impact Award for these efforts.

We are currently helping to manage a fundraising campaign in support of ORF's plan to compete in the 2025 FRC competition season which kicks off January 4, 2025. The team is self-funded and this effort requires substantial fund raising to cover the cost of robot parts and travel to competitions. The team will compete in two qualifying events in Washington and hopefully qualify for the Pacific Northwest District Championship in Cheney. If the team does well enough at districts, it will move on the world championship event at Houston, Texas. You can learn more at the ORF website.

Since taking on ORF as a client SPW has added financial management of funds for FIRST Technology Competition teams at Capital and Olympia High Schools. 

You can learn more about STEM Partners at www.STEMpartnersWA.org.

SPW was awarded 501(c)(3) status by the IRS in February, 2021. 

We currently have a Board of five;

                        o  Richard Corn, President

                        o  Peter Cook, Secretary 

                        o  James Musslewhite, Treasurer

                        o  Ryan Zimmerman, Vice President

                        o  Jacob Lyon

All board members have extensive participation in all levels of FIRST robotics since 2012, have helped create new robotics teams, and served key roles in the development of OSD policies that fostered ORF's existence as a joint effort of the district and the community.  All three have long histories of service as ORF Mentors, helping to guide the team's development over its first ten years. 

Mr. Corn has served as President of the STEM Robotics Advisory Committee for Career and Technical Education in the Olympia School District since its inception.  He is the lead mentor for the ORF build and programming teams. He owns a successful software company and previously managed a racing car team.

Mr. Cook is an engineer-economist who has built teams in many countries around the world. He helps manage three non-profits and is one of the founders of the Faith Alliance for Tiny Houses in Thurston County.

Mr. Musslewhite played a pivotal role in STEM Partners' approval by the IRS as a 501(c)3.  He has a long history of service in various capacities in the nonprofit sector.   He was Executive Director of United Communities AIDS Network (UCAN) for 18 months and served as Board Member and Treasurer of Thurston Community Television (TCTV, now TC Media), having been appointed to that role by the Olympia City Council.