Engineering Tomorrow welcomes new leadership as Megan Barrett takes over as Executive Director

Engineering Tomorrow, a U.S. charity committed to promoting engineering careers among high school students, has announced a leadership change. 

Megan Barrett, the former Director of Operations, will succeed Timothy McNiff as the organisation’s Executive Director. McNiff, who led the organisation through a period of rapid growth and digital transformation, will step down from his position but remain involved as an advisor on special projects.

McNiff, who joined Engineering Tomorrow in 2019, played a pivotal role in expanding the organisation’s reach and impact. Under his leadership, the charity transformed into a digital-first organisation delivering free, hands-on lab experiences to students across the U.S. During the 2023-2024 school year, the organisation provided over 572,000 students from more than 3,600 schools with lab kits, quadrupling its reach from previous years.

Reflecting on McNiff’s contributions, Bill Woodburn, Founder and Chairman of the Board, said:

“Tim’s direction has been critical in our journey from holding events for individual schools to now averaging nearly 30,000 students attending Lab Day events, which feature inspiring engineers from leading public and private organizations like General Electric, CRISPR Therapeutics, General Motors, NASA, Texas Instruments and many more.

“I’d like to thank Tim for his years of excellent service to our mission and the growth of our organisation as Executive Director. I look forward to our continued growth under Megan’s capable leadership as we work toward building a larger, more diverse engineering workforce equipped to tackle the many engineering challenges of the future.”

Megan Barrett, who has been with Engineering Tomorrow since 2016, steps into her new role with extensive experience in both education and nonprofit management. Before joining Engineering Tomorrow, she served as Chief of Staff to the Superintendent of Schools for the Archdiocese of New York, one of the largest Catholic school systems in the U.S.

Barrett expressed her enthusiasm for the future of the organisation, stating: 

“One of Engineering Tomorrow’s greatest strengths is our team’s ability to adapt our format and labs as demand from teachers for accessible, industry-relevant programming continues to increase. I am excited to build on the strong foundation that Tim has established and lead this incredible team through the next chapter of our growth.

“Plans for the 2024-2025 school year, which feature 24 unique Lab Day events, are already well underway, and we’re looking forward to our most successful year yet.”

Engineering Tomorrow has been providing free educational labs to students since its founding in 2014. The charity has partnered with organisations such as General Motors, NASA, and Texas Instruments to connect students with real-world engineering problems and mentorship opportunities.