SAN FRANCISCO (January 26, 2021)—Roberta Katz, Chair of the Exploratorium’s Board of Trustees, and Ravin Agrawal, Vice-Chair, have announced three new members of the nonprofit’s Board. The newest members—LaMar Bunts, Remy Fisher, and Gregory Hunter—bring a range of diverse skills, experiences, and perspectives to the leadership of the organization, and will immediately engage with efforts to strengthen the nonprofit’s finances, manage and maintain the museum’s facilities, and plan for the future.
The Board of Trustees is the highest governing body of the Exploratorium, overseeing the strategic direction of the organization and ensuring its financial sustainability. The newest members join the active 40-member Board and bring expertise in fields such as technology, social impact organizations, design, urban planning, and municipal redevelopment to the group.
“I am thrilled to welcome these three outstanding new members to our passionate and evolving Board of Trustees,” said Roberta Katz. “As the Exploratorium looks ahead to reopening and recovering from the extended closure during this pandemic, our new Board members will bring relevant and important new perspectives at what is a critical time for the organization.”
The Exploratorium has been closed to the public since March 12, 2020, and during that time it has continued to offer free online resources and programs to curious learners of all ages, as well as professional development programs and resources for teachers adjusting to remote learning environments. In the coming months, the Exploratorium will focus on reopening to the public in accordance with local guidance from health officials in San Francisco and will continue its efforts to empower educators in classrooms (or virtual classrooms) across the state of California, and fuel a global movement of experiential STEAM learning through partnerships and collaborative consulting work.
“It’s an honor and a pleasure to welcome LaMar Bunts, Remy Fisher, and Gregory Hunter to the Board,” said Ravin Agrawal. “I look forward to working with them and the rest of our dedicated Board to support the Exploratorium in these difficult times. In this past year, we have seen just how crucial the need for science education is in our society, and our new colleagues will help us ensure the Exploratorium remains a trusted place for everyone to learn and appreciate science in the years to come.”
New Exploratorium Trustees, from left to right: LaMar Bunts, Remy Fisher, and Gregory Hunter
LaMar Bunts
LaMar Bunts is the CEO of The Beanstalk Initiative. LaMar spent the earlier part of his career driving growth and global expansion at technology companies like Dell, Silicon Graphics (SGI), and ITM Software (a startup acquired by BMC Software). More recently, LaMar has worked to drive social impact through education technology including remote learning, artificial intelligence, and data analytics at companies like ACT, Calbright (the California Online College), and Viridis Learning. LaMar serves as a Board Member for several social impact organizations focused on empowering millions of people through education including The Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy, BUILD, and Olodum (Brazil). LaMar earned an Honors Degree in Economics from Harvard College and an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business. LaMar speaks Portuguese and Spanish and has longtime business and personal connections to Latin America, especially Brazil. LaMar grew up in Oakland and has fond memories of visits to the Exploratorium. His daughter's favorite school subject is science, and he looks forward to her experiencing the magic of the Exploratorium.
Remy Fisher
Remy Fisher is a design researcher and strategist at Google, where she has worked on both the Google Shopping and Google Cloud teams. Previously, she worked in design research and business development at IDEO. Remy also serves on the Next Council Board for Peer Health Exchange, a non-profit dedicated to empowering young people to make healthy decisions. She is the daughter of former Exploratorium Trustees Sakurako and Bill Fisher and grew up spending weekends at the Exploratorium convincing her parents to let her go through the tactile dome again and again. Remy earned a BA in Anthropology from Princeton. She lives in San Francisco with her husband and beloved poodle, Rainier.
Gregory Hunter
Gregory Hunter is the Vice President of Brokerage Services for Colliers International, overseeing the office, retail, and industrial real estate sectors of Oakland and the East Bay. He previously served as Director of the City of Oakland Redevelopment Agency, leading efforts to attract tenants to Oakland’s commercial corridors, improve grocery presence in the city’s food deserts, and advancing more than 100,000 square feet of new retail construction. Gregory earned a BS in Geography and Urban Planning from Southwest Texas State University, and an MA in Public Administration from Baruch College, CUNY. He lives in Oakland with his wife and daughter.
