The KC STEM Alliance has named Martha McCabe as its new executive director. McCabe succeeds Laura Loyacono.

The KC STEM Alliance is a network of educators, businesses and related organizations working together to inspire interest in science, technology, engineering and math among kids. It is an independently operated program of the University of Missouri-Kansas City’s School of Computing and Engineering.

The KC STEM Alliance got its start in 2011 thanks to funding from the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation. Since then, its model has been replicated in many other regions of the United States.

McCabe has been with the KC STEM Alliance since 2013, and has been an instrumental part in many KC STEM initiatives. She has served as project lead for ecosySTEM KC, been a chair on the board of the regional Girls in STEM Committee, served as co-state leader for the Missouri-Kansas Million Women Mentor initiative and coordinated outreach and advocacy as a liaison to the national Project Lead the Way organization. 

McCabe also led the effort to secure a $2.5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services – Office of Minority Health’s National Workforce Pipeline Program, which is bringing new opportunities in biomedical sciences to students in seven area school districts.