Holly Sullivan

Lugoff, SC | 7-12, Science, 2011

What motivates you to contribute to excellence in STEM teaching?

I am motivated to contribute to excellence in STEM teaching so that more students, especially underrepresented populations, receive high quality science teaching. Every child deserves to participate in science! Their backgrounds and experiences should be incorporated and celebrated as they grow as young scientists.

What has been the most transformative moment that affirmed your impact on STEM education?

Over a three year period, I facilitated adoption of OpenSciEd in 8 middle schools. It started small, with only 10 teachers, but by the third year, that number had multiplied many times. Students and teachers renewed their joy of learning science!

Using your platform as a Presidential Awardee, how do you hope to advance our nation in STEM?

I share about OpenSciEd whenever I can! It is one of a limited number of high quality science curricula that is open source. I am a trained OpenSciEd facilitator so I have the privilege of supporting teachers as they make the shift to storylines. It makes such a difference in the lives of teachers and students!

Biography

I serve as the Secondary Science Content Specialist for Richland School District 2 in Columbia, SC. It is a privilege to serve educators and support science education in this district. My focus this year is to build relationships with teachers. I hope to collaborate with teachers to develop a culture of trust and a willingness to take chances with new curriculum, instructional approaches, and collaboration. The Richland 2 science teachers are amazing! In January 2023, I became an OpenSciEd Facilitator. I'm honored to serve with amazing professional development leaders and to be an ambassador for OpenSciEd. I enjoy providing professional learning for teachers who are implementing OpenSciEd. For 10 years, I served more than 30 schools in Lexington Co. School District One. My responsibilities included science, health, physical education, and textbooks. I work with an amazing team of educators! I am also the past president of the South Carolina Science Education Leadership Association. I served as president of the South Carolina Science Education Leadership Association from 2018 to 2022. I now serve as secretary. This organization supports science leaders across the state, and creates connections with businesses and non-profits that support science education. In 1989, I received my BS in Chemistry from North Carolina State University. In 1992, I earned an MBA from East Carolina University. My teacher certification initiated in 1994 through the University of Houston - Clear Lake. My most recent degree, earned in 2011, is an EdD in Educational Leadership from from Nova Southeastern University.

High-resolution version of the official portrait photograph
Awardee holding Presidential certificate between Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and NSF Deputy Director Cora Marrett.
High-resolution version of the teacher profile photograph

The views expressed in awardee profiles are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of NSF or the PAEMST program.