Governor Brown Appoints Chabot Space & Science Center CEO Zwissler to Bay Conservation and Development Commission

OAKLAND, Calif., May 9, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- On May 7, the Office of Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. announced the appointment of Chabot Space & Science Center CEO and Executive Director, Alexander Zwissler, 56, to the San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission (BCDC). The appointment requires Senate confirmation and there is no compensation.

BCDC is a state agency dedicated to the protection and development of the San Francisco Bay and the encouragement of its responsible use. BCDC's 27-member Commission works with regional partners and other municipalities to ensure healthy, sustainable use of open water, marshes, salt ponds, mudflats and other wetlands. The Commission oversees permitting development near the Bay and addresses regulatory and adaptation strategies regarding rising sea levels. When BCDC was established, only four miles of the Bay shoreline were open to public access. By drawing attention to the Bay, the Commission has played a major role in making the Bay and its shoreline a national recreational treasure.

Chabot Space & Science Center is a major regional center for STEM education and public programming. In addition to astronomy and space sciences, Chabot in recent years has been an educational resource for K-12 Earth and climate science education, including originating the national award winning Bill Nye's Climate Lab and a regional leader in teacher professional development with the Energy & Climate Science Teacher Institute. 

Zwissler, a graduate of U.C. Berkeley, has held his position at Chabot since 2007, leading expansion and development of new programs and initiatives. Previously he was executive director of the Fort Mason Foundation in San Francisco, and prior to working in nonprofit organizations, spent over 15 years in in the cable television and telecommunications industry in both the US and the UK.

Zwissler currently serves as the co-Chair of the Gateways East Bay STEM Network, and on the board of directors of the Association of Science and Technology Centers, Techbridge, and the San Francisco Market Street Railway. In 2012, he was appointed to the statewide Education and Technology Task Force by California Superintendent of Education, Tom Torlakson.

Chabot Space & Science Center, a Smithsonian affiliate, and Bay Area Certified Green Business, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit interactive science center whose mission is to inspire and educate students of all ages about Planet Earth and the Universe. Founded in 1883, the Center is located at 10000 Skyline Blvd. just off Highway 13 in the Oakland hills. For more information, visit www.chabotspace.org.

SOURCE Chabot Space & Science Center