Great science – and great science engagement – is never done alone. We understand the value of a diversity of perspectives. Meet the individuals who comprise our advisory board here.
Anne Holmes
Anne joined the Exploratorium in 2012 and prior to being named Chief Strategy Officer and Chief of Staff, was the Senior Director of Science, Arts, and Research. As Chief Strategy Officer and Chief of Staff, Anne works closely with the CEO on creating and implementing strategic institutional priorities and initiatives and ensuring organizational and operational advancement. She provides strategic guidance and support to senior leadership to accelerate the progress of opportunities and connections and manages the work of the leadership cabinet. Prior to working at the Exploratorium, Anne spent 15 years in various fundraising and operational leadership positions in a variety of nonprofit organizations. She entered the workforce as a community organizer and spent many years organizing and building community-based political power in South Central Los Angeles. A classically trained opera singer, Anne holds a BA in history and music from Mills College.
Imran Khan
Imran Khan is an irredeemable nerd who’s passionate about science, social change, and psychedelics. Imran has been a CEO, a policy campaigner, a journalist & writer, a funder, a strategy adviser, and a board member. Most recently, Imran was the Executive Director at the UC Berkeley Center for the Science of Psychedelics, where he worked to build an organization focused on accelerating the psychedelic renaissance through scientific research, training for psychedelic facilitators, and by engaging the public.
Marilyn Simons
Dr. Marilyn Simons is a leader and advocate in the not-for profit scientific community. A co-founder of the Simons Foundation, Marilyn currently serves as a co-chair of the foundation’s board of trustees. She actively supports STEM research, education and outreach. Since 2019, Marilyn has served as chair of the board of trustees of the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory — an outstanding U.S. research facility specializing in molecular biology and genetics; she has been a member of the lab’s board since 2008. Marilyn is also a member of the boards of trustees of the National Museum of Mathematics and the Turkana Basin Institute, and she serves as an advisory board member of Sandbox Films, a documentary studio dedicated to illuminating the art and beauty of scientific inquiry. In 2014 Marilyn founded the Stony Brook Women’s Leadership Council, a mentoring program for outstanding undergraduate women at Stony Brook University, where she currently serves as the council’s chair. In addition to her work to advance basic science research, Simons is active in supporting K-12 education for underserved communities. She is a member of the board of trustees of the LearningSpring School, a New York City–based school for children diagnosed on the autism spectrum, as well as the East Harlem Scholars Academies in New York City. With her husband Jim, Marilyn oversees the philanthropic work of the MJS Foundation, a private family foundation in New York. She received a B.A. and Ph.D. in economics from the State University of New York at Stony Brook.
Elizabeth Neeley
Liz Neeley is a founding partner of Liminal. She began her career in ocean conservation, where she learned the hard way that the data don’t speak for themselves. Ever since, she has focused on helping scientists find the courage and language they need to create change within themselves, their institutions, and the world. Liz is also a co-founder of SolvingFor.org and an external advisor to the Institute for Diversity Sciences and the Aspen Institute Science & Society Program, among others. She was previously Executive Director of The Story Collider. Find her on Bluesky @LizNeeley.
Rajul Pandya
Dr. Raj Pandya is a Professor of Practice in the Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College and the Executive Director of the Global Futures Education Lab at Arizona State University. Before that he served as Vice-President of Community Science and founding Director of Thriving Earth Exchange at AGU. Raj invites everyone—especially people from communities who have been historically excluded—to help build shared sustainable futures where people and nature thrive together. His work focuses on making the sciences more participatory, exploring how community participation contributes to scientific innovation and societal relevance, and helping sciences and universities be good community partners.
