STEM to Stern Highlight Kick Off

Will Bott is the Executive Director of STEM to Stern, a national rowing program that addresses major barriers to participation faced by many students from underserved communities. Bott started the program as a way to increase diversity, inclusion and access at the Milwaukee Rowing Club. Since then, he has built a team to help rowing clubs around the country create their own STEM to Stern programs. He works with the team to support partner clubs, manage the growth of the non-profit and build relationships with corporate sponsors and donors.

In addition to running STEM to Stern at the national level, Bott is the Head Boys Coach and Middle School Coach at the Milwaukee Rowing Club. He runs the flagship STEM to Stern program which now consists of over 30 athletes, eight of whom have moved up to the club's competitive high school team.

The Beginning:

In 2016, Bott started reaching out to local high schools in underserved communities of Milwaukee to get rowing into the schools. He also began working at 53rd Street School, a K-8 school onstem stern Milwaukee's north side. STEM to Stern started with just a couple middle school kids who would wait after school, get a ride to the boathouse, sit on his launch during high school practice, participate with the middle school team and get rides home from him afterwards.

The program quickly grew when Sharlen Moore, Executive Director at Urban Underground, provided a van for the club to use. This allowed 10 kids to participate. Bott connected with the local YMCA for swimming lessons and after the Milwaukee School of Engineering got involved with transportation and STEM education, the framework was set and the model became scalable. Kids get picked up from school and taken to swimming lessons or the university, depending on the day. After swimming or robotics, the kids head to the boathouse for middle school practice with the Milwaukee Rowing Club before getting a ride home. The program is thriving and kids invite their friends and younger siblings to join.

stem sternSTEM to Stern has expanded to over 10 clubs who are putting the program together. Their board is led by Greg Hughes, Head Men's Coach at Princeton University along with Sharlen Moore, David Banks, Chris Ahrens and others. The organization has partnerships with Concept2, JL and 88Acres and is working to expand the network to support clubs in as many ways as possible.

Bott has degrees in Sociology and Broadcast Journalism, has worked in public policy and has a passion for equity, inclusion and excellence. He is the Founder & CEO of bLinkup, a social app that brings people together in person. He and his wife live with their two cats in Milwaukee, WI.