Inspiring Tomorrow’s Innovators: Education, Entrepreneurship, and Impact
Equipping students with the skills and knowledge needed to design and deliver worldwide solutions to global challenges.
Equipping students with the skills and knowledge needed to design and deliver worldwide solutions to global challenges.
Pete Conrad
To empower youth to apply entrepreneurial skills, critical thinking and a culture of innovation to create deployable solutions to global challenges.
To empower youth to apply entrepreneurial skills, critical thinking and a culture of innovation to create deployable solutions to global challenges.
The Conrad Foundation will be the leader in connecting students and experts to develop world changing solutions.
Established in 2008, the Conrad Foundation honors the legacy of Apollo 12 astronaut, Charles “Pete” Conrad, and his four decade passion for innovation and entrepreneurship.
During his teen years, Pete struggled academically. At that time, dyslexia was not typically recognized or fully understood. But, a perceptive headmaster saw Pete’s spark of genius and gave him the confidence he needed. Pete went on to earn a scholarship to Princeton University and a ride to the Moon as commander of Apollo 12. In November 1969, he became the third man to walk on the Moon.
After many years as an aerospace explorer, Pete’s entrepreneurial spirit took flight. He founded four companies devoted to the commercialization of space travel.
Unfortunately, Pete’s pursuits were cut short with his passing in 1999. However, his legacy, discussed in more detail in his official NASA biography, continues through the Conrad Foundation.
Honoring the legacy of Charles “Pete” Conrad Jr., the Conrad Spirit of Innovation Challenge was formed in 2008. The Challenge brings together a dynamic community of innovators and entrepreneurs driving a collaborative movement to develop extraordinary and viable solutions to benefit our world.
We believe in empowering women to become agents of change in their communities. Your donation can help us provide education, training, and support to women around the world.
Our sustainable farming programs help farmers increase their yields, improve their livelihoods, and protect the environment. Your support can help us make a difference.
Join us in advocating for policy change that can help create a better future for all. From lobbying to public demonstrations, there's always something you can do to make a difference.
Our workshops provide training and support to individuals and organizations working to create positive change. Join us and learn how you can make a difference in your community.
We need volunteers to help us run our programs effectively. Whether it's event planning or administrative tasks, your support can help us achieve our goals.
Become part of our network of organizations and individuals working to create a better future. Join us and connect with like-minded individuals who share your values.
Robert Gehorsam has decades of experience leading and advising organizations at the intersection of digital media, education, and social impact. He is currently co-director of the Highlands Forum, convening global communities to foster international cooperation and peacebuilding. He also advises early-stage companies and investment funds focused on the climate crisis. Robert contributed to the best-selling Carbon Almanac (Penguin|Random House, 2022) and continues to engage students and organizations on climate action. Previously, he was Executive Director of Institute of Play, a pioneer in applying game design to education, and founder and President of Forterra Systems, a virtual world platform acquired by SAIC in 2010. He also advised DARPA during this time. Robert earned a B.A. in Religious Studies and English Literature from Grinnell College, where he served as Alumni Association President, Trustee, and guest lecturer on entrepreneurship and social impact.
Andy is CEO of Dahl-Morrow International with 26+ years of leadership in Human Capital Services. She built a top Executive Search firm serving global clients in technology and professional services, with offices in Washington, DC and London. Andy works closely with repeat clients to strengthen executive teams and brings expertise in diversity consulting, interim management, M&A, and building international teams across EMEA, Asia, and Latin America. She has guest lectured at Harvard and Oxford’s Saïd Business School and served as President of the Society of Satellite Professionals International Mid Atlantic Chapter and Board Member of the British American Business Association. She is currently Board Chair of District Bridges and an Advisor for the Washington Cyber Roundtable. Andy is an alumna of Hampshire College in Amherst, MA.
Laura Peter, named one of the “Most Influential Women in IP” by World IP Review, has over 25 years of leadership experience in intellectual property law within the high technology industry. She served as Deputy Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Deputy Director of the USPTO, overseeing agency operations, 13,000 employees, and a $3.5 billion budget. Laura is an active advocate and speaker on STEM, innovation diversity, and IP issues. She holds a B.S. in Industrial Engineering from Cornell, a master’s in public policy from the University of Chicago, a J.D. from Santa Clara University School of Law, and an LL.M. in International Business Law from King’s College London.
Craig is a partner and head of Arent Fox's Intellectual Property Group in Los Angeles, where he leads more than 30 intellectual property attorneys and legal professionals. Under Craig's leadership, the Intellectual Property Group was ranked nationally by Chambers USA in 2013 and recognized as the best in the country for client service. Additionally, Craig has been recognized by the Daily Journal as one of the Top 25 Intellectual Property attorneys in California. Craig has also been recognized as an Intellectual Property "Super Lawyer" by California Super Lawyer Magazine and selected to appear in the second edition of IP Stars from Managing IP (MIP) Magazine
Simon founded The Glinsky Group in 1990 to transform business performance through leadership development and business strategy management consulting. As an Internet entrepreneur, he co-founded several companies and programs including Match.com, distance-learning services, a healthcare institute, Embark/Princeton Review and Clean Power Finance and was previously with McKinsey & Co., IBM and Wharton. Simon hails from a Cuban-American family and has been an active educator, training the world’s leading MBAs in the Interpersonal Dynamics Program at Stanford Business School as a Senior Facilitator. His avocations include playing the violin and serving as a classical radio program guest host. Glinsky graduated Magna cum Laude from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School as a Benjamin Franklin Scholar, attended The University of Edinburgh and earned a Stanford University MBA.
Akhil is a veteran product leader in climate software and data management. Previously, he was a product manager at Persefoni, where he led efforts to help enterprises automate data collection for the calculation of their carbon footprints. As a former Google Cloud product manager, he specialized in designing enterprise software products for scale. In the first part of his career, Akhil developed electric vehicle charging products at ChargePoint and PlugShare, including roaming in the North American electric vehicle charging ecosystem. Akhil is on the Board of the Conrad Challenge and mentors aspiring high school entrepreneurs. Akhil received his MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business and he’s an alumnus of the UNC Morehead-Cain Class of 2014. Akhil is a proud alumnus of the Conrad Challenge in 2010.
Andrea is a writer, activist, impact investor and the Washington, D.C. City Ambassador of NEXUS, a movement uniting young philanthropists and social entrepreneurs to scale positive solutions to global challenges. A native of Charleston, South Carolina, she was shaped by early experiences in community activism through her parents' leadership, as well as her involvement in Youth Service Charleston, Operation Understanding and The Coastal Community Foundation. Andrea is a member of the leadership council of South Carolina’s Women's Rights & Empowerment Network (WREN) and serves as an advisor of Securing America’s Future Energy (SAFE). She also works with her family’s company, The InterTech Group, Inc., which invests in a diverse, global group of businesses while retaining its core values of innovating, finding synergies and being global citizens making a positive difference in this world. Andrea is the proud mother of three children and the wife of a tech entrepreneur who is helping her discover the potential of our exponential future.
Regina’s professional career has included key roles in the public, private and not-for-profit sectors. She is currently the Director of Corporate Engagement and Education Outreach for Battelle, where she advances innovative efforts to create tomorrow’s workforce by leading STEM education outreach and directing all regional philanthropy engagements. She was previously nominated by the President and confirmed by the U.S. Senate to serve as Assistant Attorney General (AAG) for the Office of Justice Programs at the U.S. Department of Justice, where she served as the nation’s AMBER Alert Coordinator and oversaw a range of federal programs. Regina is also a recent recipient of the Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award and currently serves on the boards of the Cal Ripken Sr. Foundation, Children’s Science Center, the National Law Enforcement Museum Leadership Council, the National Center for the Prevention of Community Violence (aka Solve Violence) and is a corporate officer of the Battelle Education board. She received her M.B.A. from Jackson State University and her bachelor’s degree in business administration from Mississippi College. In 2014, she was honored to receive the Alumni of the Year award from Mississippi College’s School of Business.
Dave is a senior manager in the Human Capital practice of one of the “Big-4” professional services consulting companies. He advises public sector clients on ways to transform and optimize their Human Resources organizations. Prior to this, he served 29 years in the Navy, retiring as a Captain. A decorated helicopter pilot, he has over 2,400 hours flying SH-60B and MH-60R “Seahawk” helicopters off of ships deployed around the world. Qualified as an instructor pilot and training specialist, Dave had the privilege of leading some of our Nation’s finest men and women as commanding officer of a helicopter squadron based in Atsugi, Japan and later as Commodore of 11 squadrons of helicopters in the Pacific theater. He also served as an officer recruiter and Chief Marketing Officer for Navy Recruiting Command. Pete Conrad was one of his personal heroes and he has been involved with the Conrad Foundation in various capacities and as a judge since 2015. He has a passion for youth education, and is inspired by all things space. He was an Eagle scout and youth leader; he lives in Memphis and loves to spend time cooking, tutoring middle and high school math, and travelling with his family.
We are a charitable organization dedicated to transforming the lives of individuals and families facing difficult circumstances. Our programs focus on providing support and resources to those affected by poverty, domestic violence, and homelessness. By working together with our community partners, we aim to create a brighter future for those in need.
Develop deployable and scalable technologies focused on water security, efficiency and purity. More information coming soon.
The Conrad Foundation relies primarily on contributions from the public and selected corporate sponsors and private foundations to underwrite the cost of providing its programs. The fees we charge do not cover the actual cost of the work behind the scenes necessary to provide all the benefits of the Conrad Challenge to the public.
We invite you to make a direct donation to the Conrad Foundation, so that we can expand our outreach and invite more great students in underserved schools and areas to participate in the Conrad Challenge.
To donate, please contact: nconrad@conradfoundation.org
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