WEST
PALM BEACH, Fla., June 27,
2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The Cox Science Center and
Aquarium (CSCA) proudly announced the appointment of Palm Beach resident, Eric Stonestrom, as its new board chair. His
position begins immediately following the retirement of his
predecessor, Lew Crampton.
Stonestrom, comes from a family of engineers and scientists and he
is a technology executive with 40 years of experience in the
telecommunications field.
"It is a bittersweet moment as we are forever indebted to Lew
for his years of service," said Kate
Arrizza, President and CEO of CSCA. "However, we very much
look forward to this new wave of leadership with Eric, given his
distinguished career and passion for sciences. He has managed many
complex projects throughout his career, and we have full confidence
that he will carry our multimillion-dollar expansion to successful
completion with his expertise and foresight."
After earning undergraduate and graduate degrees at the College
of Engineering at UC Berkeley, Stonestrom joined AT&T Bell
Laboratories in 1984. After a decade long stint in the US and
Italy, he joined DSC
Communications, a telecom infrastructure company, moving to
Copenhagen to run various fiber,
software and wireless businesses. In 1998, through the creation of
Airspan Networks Inc., he led a London based spin out of the fledgling
wireless part of DSC by a consortium of Venture Capital stalwarts.
He ran the company for 26 years as CEO, and lastly Executive
Chairman, delivering billions of dollars of network equipment to a
collection of innovative telecom operators in 35 countries. Airspan
holds over 200 critical patents and Stonestrom recently had a
patent issued for a network device known as "the Magic Box,"
co-authored with Softbank founder Masayoshi
Son.
He and his family moved to Palm
Beach in 2000. His son, Atticus, was a frequent visitor to
the Science Museum as a child and also worked briefly as an intern
explaining aspects of the Raspberry Pi to visitors. Stonestrom
served on the board of the Academy of the Palm Beaches prior to the
merger with the Palm Beach Day School before joining the Science
Museum board in 2015 and has served as both Treasurer and the
Finance Committee chair.
He says he holds the strong belief that science education and
early exposure to the "hows and whys" of the natural world can
instill youth with problem solving skills and valuable tools
throughout adult life.
"This is an exciting and pivotal time for the Cox Science
Center," said Stonestrom. "In this new leadership role, I look
forward to working with the incredible staff and trustee base to
continue our mission of opening every mind to science. Our exciting
expansion provides a platform to increase the number of young and
older people that we can engage. I have seen how childhood exposure
to math and science can massively impact lifelong career
paths."
The planned expansion will now allow CSCA to exponentially grow
its attendance to serve nearly 1 million guests annually in new and
renovated spaces, including a new science building visible from
I-95, new outdoor spaces and one of Florida's largest indoor aquariums. The
current indoor/ outdoor campus is expected to double in size from
50,000-square-feet to more than 100,000-square-feet, with the
aquarium growing from 10,000 gallons to 130,000 gallons.
In addition to floor-to-ceiling aquariums, CSCA will present an
interactive extended reality experience, displaying signature
programs from rocket launches to deep sea exploration; a digital
arts studio to promote skills that align with high-demand jobs and
an expanded biology lab that consolidates the Center's preferred
provider status to all schools in Palm
Beach County.
The current traveling exhibit on display is Dinosaur
Revolution now through late September 2024.For more information
about CSCA's leadership please
visit coxsciencecenter.org/board-trustees.
Media Contact:
Lauren Eissey
5617971413
379730@email4pr.com
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SOURCE Cox Science Center and Aquarium