Leading from Every Angle: Spotlight on Perrin Chick
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This post is one in a series on the MMSA blog running this summer, recognizing the decade-long project known as ACRES, Afterschool Coaching for Reflective Educators in STEM.
Since 2016, ACRES has been empowering high-quality, meaningful STEM learning in afterschool spaces in every state through virtual educator coaching. And since then, Perrin Chick has been a driving force for ACRES.
Perrin has worked on all aspects of ACRES, from brainstorming research activities to coaching out-of-school educators to orchestrating the administrative and networking components that come with running a scale-up project. Perrin has represented ACRES on the national scene as a trusted thought leader, a sought-after keynote speaker, and a highly skilled presenter, including being recognized as a top speaker at the 2023 National Afterschool Association conference. Perrin has also contributed to the Afterschool field by working on the Collaborative Decision-Making Tool for Equitably Scaling Informal STEM Programs(opens in a new tab) with the National Girls Collaborative Project. During May of 2025, ACRES and MMSA were chosen as hosts during a national celebration of the National Science Foundation’s 75th anniversary. This past June, Perrin was asked to speak at the National Academies during a panel discussion titled, “Who is the workforce that supports learning in informal settings and what supports do they need?”(opens in a new tab) Perrin’s impact on empowering educators, teaching STEM skills, and supporting them to confidently facilitate STEM activities is perhaps best described by the coaches she worked most closely with and who have been at the heart of all ACRES has accomplished.
Brad Lademan, a coach from Missouri, recently described his early experience with ACRES and Perrin:
“Perrin came to Missouri and met with some of our afterschool coaches, and she said to me, ‘Brad, why are these people on the road? Why are they visiting, driving to programs? You can do all of this virtually.’ This was in late 2019, and I said, ‘Well, it’s Missouri, Perrin, you’re from the Northeast. It’s just different here. We want people in front of us.’ And she said, ‘Okay, we’ll support you where you are and with what you need.
And then 2020 came, and COVID sent us all home. I was set to present at an NAA (National Afterschool Association) conference, and they asked me to pivot do it virtually. I said, ‘I don’t know how to do that nor how to make it feel personal,’ so I called Perrin. She was so helpful to get me to a new level of virtual engagement. I mean, that was a huge learning experience for us to be able to do that. So thank you, Perrin, and thank you to the rest of the ACRES team. To this day, we still incorporate virtual engagement into our toolbox.”
“Perrin shaped the ‘secret sauce’ that defines ACRES cohorts and communities: a space that strives to be a supportive and brave space for educator growth. Her legacy is a thriving, connected network that continues to lift up and center equity and youth voice,” Hannah Lakin, Perrin’s longtime colleague and fellow ACRES staff member, said.
“Perrin has a unique ability to make people feel seen and appreciated. She brought that personal approach to ACRES, making it more than a virtual STEM facilitation coaching program. It’s also a growing network that connects and elevates afterschool educators,” said Becky Tapley, ACRES coach and Perrin’s colleague at MMSA.
Whether leading from the front or supporting from behind the scenes, whether online or in person, Perrin has worked tirelessly to bring the ACRES model to communities in all 50 states. This legacy will continue through the freely available resources and network that stretches across the country.
Just as ACRES has entered a new chapter and has put their coaching resources directly in the hands of educators, Perrin, too, has a new chapter ahead of her. Perrin will still be supporting educators and partners by leaning into opportunities to connect and collaborate, to showcase, and to sustain the powerful work that is happening in Maine, throughout New England, and across the country. Starting the summer of 2025, Perrin is stepping into a new leadership role at MMSA as the Community Engagement Director. Stay tuned to learn more about educator meet-ups, professional development retreats, the bridges MMSA is working to build between in-school and out-of-school educators and community partners, and the innovative STEM projects we are doing with some incredible partners.
“It is the honor of my lifetime to be deeply connected to professionals who work so hard in afterschool programs, out in the field as environmental educators, through libraries and museums across the country, and to showcase all that is special about STEM education in Maine and across the country. I feel so lucky to work at MMSA, and I am looking forward to the next decade of work.”
Perrin Chick
Community Engagement Director