To Infinity and Beyond: STEAM and Space in Northern Alabama

The second 2026 Policy Masterclass, To Infinity and Beyond: STEAM and Space in Northern Alabama, brought Southern state policymakers together Sept. 15-17 in Huntsville, Alabama, to examine the connections among aerospace, Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics (STEAM) education, research and workforce development. Northern Alabama has long been home to a significant aerospace and space exploration presence, and Huntsville continues to bring together federal institutions, educational organizations, research institutions and private-sector partners. The three-day program gave participants an opportunity to examine how these sectors intersect and how states are preparing students and workers for rapidly evolving industries.

The Masterclass explored the roles that different institutions and partnerships play in developing a strong STEAM and workforce pipeline. Participants heard from leaders on public-private partnerships, federal support for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) and the role of two-year institutions in preparing students for technical careers. Discussions examined how government, education, research and industry can contribute to workforce development, with perspectives from state and local leaders, higher education representatives, federal officials and organizations working across the aerospace sector.

Site visits provided a firsthand look at several components of Huntsville’s education, research and aerospace landscape. Participants visited Huntsville City Schools’ Center for Technology to learn about career and technical education, then toured research facilities at the University of Alabama in Huntsville, including the Propulsion Research Center and UAH Research Institute. The program also included a visit to NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center, connecting earlier discussions about STEM education and workforce development with one of the federal institutions at the center of the region’s aerospace activity.

By bringing together policy discussions, expert perspectives and firsthand experiences, the Huntsville Masterclass gave participants a broader view of the systems and partnerships that support STEAM education, research and workforce development. Participants had opportunities to consider the approaches they encountered in Huntsville alongside the workforce and education challenges facing their own states. The Huntsville program was the second of three Policy Masterclasses in the 2026 series, which provides Southern state policymakers and staff with opportunities to examine complex policy topics through expert presentations, state and regional examples, site visits and peer exchange.

Participants

Terry Alexander, representative, South Carolina
Ryan Browning, delegate, West Virginia
Beverly Chester-Burton, representative, Kentucky
Kathie Hess Crouse, delegate, West Virginia
Lydia Glaize, representative, Georgia
Vanessa Grossl, representative, Kentucky
Elizabeth Guzman, delegate, Virginia
Brian Hill, representative, Oklahoma
Mike Hornby, delegate, West Virginia
Evonne Jackson, legislative project manager, Alabama House of Representatives, Alabama
Connor Johnston, legislative liaison, Alabama State Department of Education, Alabama
Sujit Koppula, senior advisor and regional director, Virginia State Senate, Virginia
Michael McLendon, senator, Mississippi
Carl Mickens, representative, Mississippi
Kevin Norwood, representative, Oklahoma
Bill Partington, representative, Florida
Sheikh Rahman, senator, Georgia
Renee Reuter, representative, Missouri
Scott Sloan, chief operating officer and general counsel, Tennessee Higher Education Commission, Tennessee
Danny Sterling, representative, Oklahoma
Robin Webb, senator, Kentucky
David Whitaker, representative, Arkansas
Stamatia Xixis, chief of staff and legislative director, Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development, Tennessee