Rob Blevins
About Rob Blevins
Rob Blevins is the executive director of the Discovery Center of Springfield, a nonprofit,
community funded science center located in Downtown Springfield, Missouri, which was
one of only two science centers in North America to remain open during the COVID-19
pandemic by offering free childcare to healthcare workers and first-responders; launching
Learning Support Care for students in Springfield Public School’s blended learning model; creating
a tutoring program to help struggling students and families get current on school
assignments; and opening a new private STEM school, the Discovery School, which focuses
on project based, strengths based, and adaptive in-person learning through full COVID
safety models. In December of 2021, the Discovery Center was awarded the Grand Prize
for the Center for Education Reform and media partner Forbes Stop Award in New York
City, New York.
Rob has always had a passion for science and embraced his inner geek. He worked for NASA predicting dust storms on Mars while in high school and is a NASA certified moon rock and astromaterial handler. In 2019, NASA invited him to take part in the International Astronautical Congress in Washington DC and to Kennedy Space Center where he participated in the Orion Ascent Abort Test. Rob is a graduate of Missouri State University (2008), a 2020 and 2021 Biz 100 honoree, the 2019 Southwest Missouri Nonprofit Excellence Award winner for Emerging Leader of the Year, a SBJ 2019 Men of the Year Award winner, a Biz 417 10 for the Next 10 honoree, a Springfield Business Journal 40 Under 40 honoree, a City of Springfield Gift of Time Nominee, a Leadership Springfield Class 36 graduate, and an active member of Downtown Rotary and Springfield Sertoma where he created the fundraising event, Springfield Prom.
Blevins will be speaking during the Workplace Writing Student Conference and the MSU English Alumni Panel.
Workplace Writing Student Conference Presentation
Every nonprofit is powered by a mission and people that believe in that mission, but why do some vital missions struggle while others thrive? Learn how a background in writing from Missouri State’s English Department powered one Springfield nonprofit’s mission all the way to New York City, Forbes Magazine, the Wall Street Journal, and a $1 million dollar award.