A Reston nonprofit founder who spent years building aerospace education programs along the Dulles Corridor now has a seat governing one of Virginia's flagship aerospace education institutions.

Gov. Abigail Spanberger appointed Robin McDougal, founder and board chair of The Pearl Project Institute for Innovation in STEM Literacy, to the Board of Directors of the Virginia Air & Space Science Center at NASA Langley. The governor's office announced the appointment on July 2 as part of a slate of state board and commission appointments. McDougal has served on the center's board since April 2024, according to her professional profile; the July 2 announcement formalized the gubernatorial appointment.

The 12-member board sets policy and governs the center, which is one of only 12 official NASA Visitor Centers in the country. Located in Hampton, it houses more than 30 historic aircraft, the Apollo 12 Command Module and education programs aligned to Virginia's Standards of Learning for pre-K through eighth grade. Board members serve four-year terms with a three-term limit and meet every other month.

What it means for Reston families

McDougal, a former Fairfax County Public Schools educator, has spent more than 20 years developing STEM curriculum and workforce-readiness programs for middle school, high school and college students, according to the Pearl Project Institute. She holds a master's in education and an MBA from George Mason University.

The Pearl Project Institute is headquartered on Jonathan Way in Reston and runs the Interstellar Dreams Space Center, a simulation-based learning program focused on expanding the aerospace workforce by creating STEM-literate youth, with particular emphasis on girls. The program launched a prototype location at George Mason University's Research Hall in August 2022, and the organization has been raising $5 million to build a planned 40,000-square-foot permanent facility in Reston.

"Virginia's future competitiveness in the space economy depends on how deliberately we prepare the next generation, not just for the jobs that exist, but for the ones we haven't named yet," McDougal said in a statement on Wednesday. "I'm honored to bring that lens and the voice of Northern Virginia's students, educators, and workforce partners to the Virginia Air & Space Science Center's board."

The Pearl Project Institute's board includes Carlton Carter of Fairfax County Public Schools and Latisha Durham of Naval Air Systems Command, tying the nonprofit directly to the local school system and defense sector.

McDougal also publishes Interstellar Magazine, serves as vice chair of Women Business Owners for Women in Technology and has worked on workforce development through the Virginia GENEDGE Alliance. In 2023, she launched Interstellar Dreams Space Week, a national initiative the institute says was designed to reach more than one million students.