Kennamer Elected to BEST Board of Directors

Northeast Alabama BEST Robotics hub co-director, Dr. Mike Kennamer has been elected to represent District 3 on the BEST Robotics, Inc. Board of Directors. District 3 serves the following hubs in Tennessee, Georgia and northern half and eastern half of Alabama:

• Blazer BEST (Birmingham)
• Central Alabama BEST (Talladega)
• Georgia BEST (Marietta)
• Music City BEST (Nashville)
• North Alabama BEST (Hanceville)
• Northeast Alabama BEST (Rainsville)
• Northwest Alabama BEST (Muscle Shoals)
• Tennessee Valley BEST (Decatur)
• War Eagle BEST (Auburn).

The goals of BEST Robotics, Inc. are to:

• Promote the growth of hubs (local competition sites) across the U.S., thus maximizing the “pipeline” of future engineers, scientists, and technical professionals.
• Increase hub growth among two-year technical colleges and four-year colleges and universities.
• Promote the involvement of rural and inner city schools which often have limited access to programs of this nature.
• Increase participation of women and minority students.
• Develop new and foster existing alliances with national organizations that are stakeholders in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) education.
• Recruit national corporate sponsors.
• Develop educational partnerships with organizations, foundations, and corporations that are engaged in K-12 workforce development.

Kennamer's election is for a two-year term. The board of BEST Robotics is comprised of BEST volunteers and industry professionals. The board meets once a month by webinar/conference call and once per year at a face to face meeting.