2025 Recipient

Emily Calandrelli is the 100th woman to fly to space, and an MIT-engineer turned Emmy-nominated science TV host. She’s the Host and Co-Executive Producer of Emily’s Wonder Lab on Netflix, she's featured as a correspondent on Netflix’s Bill Nye Saves the World and an Executive Producer and host of FOX's Xploration Outer Space. Emily is the author of the picture book Reach for the Stars, the science experiment book Stay Curious and Keep Exploring, and the science chapter book series, the Ada Lace Adventures. The third book in the series was launched to the International Space Station through the Story Time from Space program.

Emily's educational background is in engineering and policy. At West Virginia University she received bachelors in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering. While at WVU she was awarded the Goldwater scholarship for research and Truman scholarship for policy work.

She received her Masters from MIT in Aeronautics and Astronautics as well as Technology and Policy.

2024 Recipient

Garner Holt is the founder and president of Garner Holt Productions, Inc. (GHP). Garner started GHP aged 16 in his parents’ garage. GHP is now the largest creator of animatronics and other elements for theme parks, attractions, museums, and more—all from its 120,000 sq-ft California headquarters. Around the globe, GHP’s work includes nearly 5,000 animatronic figures created for Disney, Universal, Warner Bros., Lockheed-Martin, Salesforce, Nike, Mattel, Hershey, and dozens more.

Garner is the world’s leading authority on animatronics and recipient of the 2015 Thea Lifetime Achievement Award from the Themed Entertainment Association, among more than two dozen other Theas. In 2018, he founded Garner Holt Education through Imagination, LLC (ETI), a new company dedicated to providing meaningful STEM/STEAM learning tools, products, services, and immersive experiences for students to pursue careers in themed entertainment and related fields. Garner is also founder of the Garner Holt Foundation, a 501(C)(3) charitable organization.

2023 Recipient

Assemblywoman Luz Rivas was born in Los Angeles to an immigrant family and grew up in the Northeast San Fernando Valley. She attended L.A. Unified schools before earning a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from MIT and a master’s of education from Harvard. Prior to being elected in the State Legislature, she founded DIY Girls, a nonprofit that provides enrichment programs focused on encouraging young girls to pursue careers in science, engineering, and technology.

During her time in the Assembly, she has made it her priority to uplift and empower underrepresented communities. Assemblywoman Luz Rivas serves on the Assembly Committees on Budget; Budget Subcommittee No. 3 on Resources and Transportation; Communications and Conveyance; Revenue and Taxation; and the Joint Legislative Committee on Emergency Management and serves as the Chair of the Assembly Committee on Natural Resources. Luz believes it is her highest honor to represent the community she grew up in.

2022 Recipient

Nichol is the Chief Executive Officer of the award-winning Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation. Under her leadership, LADF tackles the most pressing problems facing Los Angeles with a mission to improve education, health care, homelessness, and social justice.

During Nichol’s tenure, the Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation and 76 teamed up to open access to STEM education in Los Angeles. This collaboration helps LADF, in partnership with Science of Sport, to provide a hands-on STEM curriculum and programming to elementary and middle-school teachers and students.

As a woman in MLB, Nichol understands the importance of access and uses her resources to open doors for youth from all backgrounds. The New York native has been recognized throughout the industry for her exceptional contributions, including the Climate Resolve 2021 Coolest in LA Award and the 2021 Visionary Award from the Girls Academic Leadership Academy, among many others.

2022 Recipient

Miguel Ordeñana is an environmental educator and wildlife biologist. He works at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County (NHMLAC) as a Senior Manager in the Community Science office. As a Community Science Senior Manager, Miguel promotes and creates community science projects, and recruits and trains participants. Miguel utilizes his mammal research background by conducting urban mammal research in L.A. and leads NHMLAC’s Southern California Squirrel Survey and Backyard Bat Survey.

Miguel serves as an advisor on a jaguar project in southwestern Nicaragua that he initiated in 2012 as well as a Board Member for the Friends of Griffith Park and National Wildlife Federation. Miguel is dedicated towards making science and access to nature more equitable with a goal of increasing the representation and retention of underrepresented communities within the environmental field.

2021 Recipient

Jenny is the Founding Executive Director of AltaSea at the Port of Los Angeles, an innovative ocean sustainability and marine science campus. She has led efforts to accelerate scientific collaboration, advance the emerging blue economy, and inspire the next generation—all for a more sustainable and equitable world. 


Jenny is also a former motion picture executive and a longtime leader in the Los Angeles arts community. Over the course of her career, Jenny Krusoe has raised hundreds of millions of dollars in foundation, corporate, and government grants. Krusoe is the recipient of the Spirit of Los Angeles Award, one of the city’s highest mayoral honors.

2020 Recipient

Alie Ward is a Daytime Emmy Award-winning science correspondent for CBS’s "The Henry Ford's Innovation Nation with Mo Rocca,” and host of “Did I Mention Invention?” on the CW. 


Alie studied both science & film in college and was a staff writer/editor for the Los Angeles Times and on-air contributor to KTLA. She volunteers at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County and is a co-founder of the science communication collective Nerd Brigade.

2019 Recipient

Diana Trujillo, an aerospace engineer, is currently Technical Group Supervisor for Sequence Planning and Execution and a Tactical Mission Lead for the Mars Perseverance rover. She has held several roles for NASA and JPL, including Mars Curiosity rover mission lead, deputy project system engineer, and Deputy Team Chief of Engineering Operations on Curiosity. 



Trujillo has also been active in sharing the excitement and opportunities of STEM with the public. She co-created and hosted #JuntosPerseveramos, NASA’s first-ever Spanish-language live broadcast of a planetary landing, for Perseverance’s arrival on Mars, which attracted millions of viewers worldwide.

2018 Recipient

Brent Bushnell is an entrepreneur, engineer and Chairman/co-founder of Two Bit Circus, a Los Angeles-based experiential entertainment company. The interdisciplinary team strives to create immersive, social fun and is currently building a network of micro-amusement parks featuring free-roaming VR, robot bartenders, an interactive supper club and more. Previously they created STEAM Carnival, a traveling event to inspire kids about science, technology, engineering, art and math.