Homer Alaska - Business

Earlier this month, the center's board of directors voted unanimously to promote its former chief operating officer, Marnie Olcott, into the CEO role. The move took effect immediately.

Larry Porter, the Challenger's former CEO who worked pro bono for more than four years, will continue volunteering at the educational center in a special projects, fund raising and advisory capacity.

Porter said when he hired Olcott as the COO in 2007 it was his intent to groom her for the CEO job.

Olcott started as a part-time educator at the Challenger in 2005.

Porter said Olcott has several attributes that make her right for the top spot at the facility.

"Her enthusiasm, dedication, her willingness to do what needs to be done to make things work," Porter said, listing some of Olcott's skills.

The learning center was built in Kenai in 2000. It was created to provide hands-on educational experiences to all Alaskans in science, technology, engineering and math using simulated space and earth sciences missions as well as other activities.

Challenger is a private 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation raising nearly half of its operating funds through the programs it offers and facility rentals. The center also relies on grants and donations from local organizations.

The Kenai center is the 39th of 52 centers in the Challenger Learning Center for Space Science Education international network created in 1986 by the families of astronauts who died in the Challenger 51-L mission.

"This is the first non-crisis transition we've ever had," said Jamie Kenworthy, chairman of the Challenger's board of directors.

The Kenai center was on the verge of shutting down when Porter took the reins.

"When I took over in 2006, funding was non-existent," he said. "I had less than two weeks of cash to operate with and somehow we've made those two weeks last 4.5 years."

Porter said his strategy was to start running the learning center like it was a business. That meant focusing on generating funds rather than relying solely on grants. The center started to make more money as it improved the quality of the educational product by keeping a dedicated, energetic and consistent staff, according to Porter.

Since 2005, Challenger has increased profitability by nearly 55 percent and its expenses climbed from around $600,000 in 2005 to about $750,000 in 2009, according to budget records.

"The center is doing well and Marnie (Olcott) has been a wonderful high-energy COO," Kenworthy said. "Larry brought stability to the place. This is a planned transition that the board unanimously agreed to because we think she's got the energy and vision to be our CEO."

Part of Olcott's vision includes focusing on curriculum and professional development, home school programs, distance video conference education and linking informal and formal science, technology, math and engineering education. But her biggest goal is continuing to involve more and more students and teachers with the center.

"It's pulling Alaska together and having all of our resources together for the benefit of Alaska," Olcott said. "I want to increase our ability to reach kids in remote areas of Alaska."

Andrew Waite is a reporter for the Peninsula Clarion.