If you’ve heard of RAFT before, odds are it’s been in connection with our STEAM Dream Camp or Maker Mobile programming, both of which have been favorites among the SF Bay Area’s student and educator community alike. 

This year, we’ve seen enormous success in both areas of RAFT’s organization. Thanks to an incredible $100,000 grant from KLA Foundation, RAFT’s Education team added a brand new, fully electric vehicle to RAFT’s Maker Mobile fleet, allowing us to bring hands-on STEAM activities to thousands more students in months to come and deepening our commitment to a more sustainable tomorrow. In 2023 alone, our STEAM Dream Camp programming served over 500 innovators, problem solvers and creators across 5 elementary schools. Even more exciting, in the fall of 2023, RAFT launched STEAM DreamBox, a turnkey, hands-on solution that takes RAFT’s popular STEAM program and delivers it in a flexible package that’s easy to implement and fun for kids. 

To help fuel this incredible momentum as we head in 2024, RAFT is excited to announce the expansion of our Education Leadership Team. We’d like to welcome Suzanne Carrig, Director, Partnerships Development, and Nimisha Khanduja, Director, STEAM Learning Programs, aboard.

Suzanne Carrig, Director of Partnership Development, brings a long history of working with South Bay school districts, community organizations, government entities and the public. Suzanne is excited to build upon current district and school partnerships, as well as grow partnerships with parents through PTA and Home and School Club outreach. We are thrilled to have her leading the expansion of RAFT‘s Partner Services.

Dr. Nimisha Khanduja, Director of STEAM Learning Programs, is an experienced leader in expanded learning programs. With her passion for STEAM and hands-on learning, RAFT anticipates exciting growth in our STEAM Programs.

Both Suzanne and Nimisha come to RAFT deeply entrenched in the SF Bay Area education ecosystem. With the decades of nuanced experience with Santa Clara County Office of Education (SCCOE) that Suzanne brings and the profound expertise Nimisha gained while playing a key role at Silicon Valley Education Foundation (SVEF), we are excited to charge full steam ahead into 2024. 

Suzanne and Nimisha, welcome to RAFT! Keep an eye out for more on both as we head into the new year. We’ve got some exciting STEAM initiatives on the horizon!