Kidstream new board members kidstream new board, Holy Cole, David Haas and David Barker. Courtesy photo.
VENTURA — KidSTREAM, an emerging children’s museum committed to providing hands-on exhibits and programs based on science, technology, reading, engineering, arts and math (STREAM), announced the addition of three new members to its board of directors, Holly Cole, David Haas and David Barker.
“The diverse professional and personal experience of these insightful people will fortify the kidSTREAM board and add meaningful ideas that support kidSTREAM’s mission to create a place where children and families can engage in fun, interactive learning,” said Kristie Akl, kidSTREAM president and founder.
Cole has more than 30 years in the telecommunications industry, having worked for GTE, Verizon and Frontier Communications in a variety of leadership positions in customer service, sales, human resources, public affairs and philanthropy. While serving as the director of government and external affairs, she administered the Verizon Foundation’s philanthropic giving programs supporting California nonprofit organizations that focused on domestic violence prevention, STEM education, and healthcare technology. Cole is a member of the board of directors of TOLD Foundation and participates on the scholarship committee for TEACh Fund which supports advanced education for foster youth. She has been active in many nonprofit organizations and chambers of commerce throughout Ventura and Santa Barbara counties. She holds a master’s degree in public policy administration and a bachelor’s degree in business management, both from California Lutheran University.
Haas currently serves as director of heliostat development at SolarReserve LLC in Santa Monica, where he is responsible for all aspects in the design and development of the Heliostats, from concept exploration to final fabrication, delivery, assembly, installation and commissioning. Haas has over 30 years of experience managing large programs for the space industry including 28 years as deputy program director, extreme engineering at Aerojet Rocketdyne, and senior manager at Deloitte & Touche LLP servicing the Energy sector. He holds a bachelor’s degree in computer science from California State University, Northridge and is the former president of Ventura County Search and Rescue, Inc. with 17 years of volunteer service.
Currently retired, Barker brings over 43 years’ experience as a senior software configuration management engineer with an electrical engineering background, specializing in automation for hardware design, information technology, infrastructure support, system administration, web support and multi-site design support. Barker has expertise in virtualization, Unix, Windows, CAD tools, hardware design and verification, design infrastructure, programming and scripting in all modern languages and database design. For more than 20 years, Barker has volunteered with many community nonprofits, serving in a variety of board positions. He holds a master’s degree in electrical engineering from Purdue University.
Founded in 2016, kidSTREAM is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization whose mission is to create an engaging environment for children and families to explore, play and discover; inspiring them to become critical thinkers, innovators, and life-long learners. For more information, visit www.kidstream.org