Team Member / Rodney Campbell

He was a co-founder and the Chief Operations Officer for Creative Science Education (CSE) for 10 years. CSE is a traveling science education company serving elementary school (K – 5) STEM needs for schools and school districts throughout Los Angeles and San Bernardino Counties, in California. CSE programming includes: teaching hands-on lessons for students during school hours, leading afterschool professional development for teachers and hosting science nights for students, parents and the whole family to enjoy.

With Rodney leading the organizational development of the company, CSE grew from operating in three schools within one school district in the first year, to operating across seven school districts within three years. Rodney and his business partner and brother Andre have been featured in several local newspapers for their creative and innovative approach to stimulating students’ interest and curiosity in science.

Before that Rodney was an entrepreneurship coach for SAGE (Students for the Advancement of Global Entrepreneurship), an international nonprofit corporation providing support and competitive platforms for teenaged entrepreneurs focused on global challenges such as environmental sustainability, alternative energy, healthcare and climate change. Working with SAGE he founded and coached Team CHANGE (Concerned Humans Acting Now for a Global Environment), an award-winning student-led high school entrepreneurship team focusing on environmental sustainability and the effects of mass recycling. All of the students on the team have since graduated from college and gone on to hold successful careers as creatives and managers at major companies including Amazon, Booz Allen Hamilton, SAG-AFTRA, and they bring their ideas for environmental sustainability into their workplaces.

Rodney is a “big picture” guy – a result of spending the past 18 years as an active member of the Global Leadership Institute (GLI). The GLI is a think tank with members studying the wide impact and far-reaching implications that advancements in science and technology are having on society as a whole, including a focus on the changes educational institutions must make to align with 21st century workforce needs. The GLI is comprised of community members, college students, teachers, professors, political leaders and leaders in industry.

Rodney attributes much of his brother’s and his success to their parents’ mentorship. Their late father, Trevor, was a professor of Science, Technology and Society at Harvey Mudd College in Claremont, CA, and it was his idea in 2008 for the brothers to unite their passions for science and entrepreneurship, and begin working together. Also their mother, Stephanie, the founding executive director of a college access program providing first-generatoin-to-college students with comprehensive mentorship and support throughout their high school and college years, inspired the brothers to provide to as many students as possible, from all socio-economic and cultural backgrounds, a positive and engaging introduction to the fascinating fields of science.

Fun Facts:
Rodney, or “Hulk” as the team calls him, studied acting in high school and then at the University of Cambridge, England. He was also a member of his high school comedy sportz team and now hosts comedy sportz events. He’s been a salsa dancer for close to two decades and doesn’t plan on stopping anytime soon. In 2011, Rodney and Andre traveled to Jamaica to provide free science lessons to kids throughout the island. He and Andre are of Jamaican and Russian descent.