Christofer Nelson

Chief Operating Officer, Association of Science-Technology Centers (ASTC)

Chief Operating Officer

Association of Science-Technology Centers (ASTC)

USA

Christofer Nelson is the Chief Operating Officer of the Association of Science-Technology Centers (ASTC). ASTC is an international organization of science centers, museums, and related institutions dedicated to furthering public engagement with science among increasingly diverse audiences. ASTC encourages excellence and innovation in informal science learning for children, youth, and adults. Founded in 1973, ASTC has nearly 700 members in 50 countries, including science centers and museums, and also nature centers, aquariums, planetariums, zoos, botanical gardens, space theatres, and natural history and children’s museums.

Christofer has worked at the intersection of public policy and science, innovation, and  technology, including an ongoing affiliation with Georgetown University’s Program on Science in the Public Interest, where he previously served as Program Director. Most recently, Christofer served as the Assistant Director for Open Innovation at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) where he focused on scaling the use of crowdsourcing, citizen science, and incentive prizes across U.S. Federal Agencies.  Christofer previously served as Director of Content for the USA Science & Engineering Festival in Washington, D.C.  Christofer’s background includes several management and operational roles in the public and private sector designed to foster innovation, enable collaboration, and improve communications within organizations and with diverse constituencies.