Greensboro Science Center: Meet The Board Of Directors: The Vice Chair

Press release from the Greensboro Science Center:

May 10, 2021

This week, we’d like to introduce you to yet another one of the amazing people who help to guide the GSC in carrying out its mission of excellence in science education.

Tara Burgio-Wheelihan, Vice Chair

Board member since: 2016

What is your educational background? BA in Business Management from North Carolina State University

What is your professional background? President of ATI Decorative Laminates, a second generation family manufacturing company in Greensboro, NC. I have been involved with the family business for 25 years and have been at the helm as President for the past 12 years. I spearheaded the initiative for the company to receive its ISO 9001 and 14001 (environmental certification) along with a project to add solar panels to the facility powering over 50% of the manufacturing needs.

How did you become involved with the Greensboro Science Center? I was familiar with the GSC from a visitor perspective.  I was approached by a friend about becoming more involved with the organization by joining the board, and the timing was good for me because I had just finished up some other non profit commitments and had the time to dedicate to something new.

Why is the GSC important to you personally? The Greensboro Science Center is important for me personally because my family and my co-workers (we have a business membership, as well) enjoy being able to come out and enjoy the many aspects of the facility both inside and out.  It is amazing that such a wonderful and diverse place exists in the middle of our community with such a short drive for many of us.

Why is the GSC important to the community? GSC has always been important to the community from the school field trips, to birthday parties, family time and having an extraordinary venue for events, but never more has it been impactful in my opinion then when Covid hit our community.  While we were shut down for a few months, I think that the emotional joy and relief from the pandemic that it gave visitors when we were allowed to open our doors was priceless.  The Winter Wonderlights experience gave the community something to do and look forward to for the holidays and I am excited about this event becoming a yearly tradition for our family.  The leadership team is strong and figures out a way to provide impact and value to the community regardless of the challenges that they face.

What plans for the GSC’s future are you most excited about and why? This will be a moving target, as the GSC never stands still and is always working on ways to grow and give the best experiences.  Currently, I am most excited about the opening of Revolution Ridge to the campus.  It is going to be an amazing addition with the animals and the technology, but most importantly, the education piece and breeding programs for these endangered species.

This press release was produced by the Greensboro Science Center. The views expressed here are the author’s own.