The California STEM Learning Network's planning process (January 2009 - June 2010) was led by an Executive Leadership Team and a larger Project Coordination Team. The Executive Leadership Team members were:

Warren Baker, President, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo Warren J. Baker served as President of Cal Poly San Luis Obispo for over 30 years. Under his leadership, Cal Poly has been recognized by U.S. News & World Report as one of the top public, regional universities in the West for over a decade. The College of Engineering has been named among the top public undergraduate programs in the country. The College of Agriculture is the fourth largest undergraduate agriculture program in the nation. Cal Poly's College of Architecture and Environmental Design was ranked as one of the best undergraduate architecture programs in the United States at producing "graduates most prepared for real-world practice" by Design Intelligence journal. The college has produced one of every five architects in the State and one of every 20 in the country. Dr. Baker co-chaired the planning effort, and has worked to ensure that the spirit of innovation and commitment to excellence so abundant at Cal Poly, is reflected in the work of CSLNet.

Susan Hackwood, Executive Director, CCST is currently Executive Director of the California Council on Science and Technology (CCST), and Professor of Electrical Engineering at the University of California, Riverside. CCST is a not-for-profit corporation comprised of 200 plus science and technology leaders of the highest distinction. Sponsored by the key academic and federal research institutions in California, CCST advises the state on all aspects of science and technology including energy, information technologies, biotechnology, nanotechnology, stem cell research, healthcare technologies, climate change, disaster prevention technologies, intellectual property, technical workforce development, and education. Dr. Hackwood co-chaired the CSLNet planning effort. Among other things, her active involvement has ensured that CSLNet's efforts will be informed and closely aligned with emerging research of the National Research Council and other entities that build consensus around state of the art STEM knowledge and practices.

Dennis Bartels, Executive Director, Exploratorium Dr. Dennis M. Bartels is a nationally known science education and policy expert. Dr. Bartels holds a Ph.D. in Education Administration and Policy Analysis from Stanford University. He also has the distinction of being named a Fellow on Education by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) for his leadership in systemic science education reform, information science education, and research and development of innovative mathematics, science, and technology curricula. Before taking on the role of Exploratorium Executive Director, Dr. Bartels served for five years as President of TERC (Technical Education Research Centers), a leading national mathematics, science, and technology education research and development center in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Dr. Bartels consulted with Ms. Couch on all aspects of the CSLNet planning process and helped Ms. Couch develop CSLNet's blueprint for action.

Stephanie Couch, Director, California STEM Learning Network (CSLNet) Stephanie Couch is the Executive Director of the California STEM Learning Network (CSLNet), overseeing, coordinating and facilitating the ongoing development and implementation of CSLNet's blueprint for advancing STEM education and innovation in California. Couch is charged with overseeing efforts to implement the blueprint by working with key leaders in the K12 community, community colleges, industry, colleges and universities, libraries, museums, community-based organizations, government, and foundations to establish a network of STEM public/private partnerships across the state. She was formerly the Director of Statewide Initiatives for the Corporation for Education Network Initiatives in California, where her responsibilities included building support for CENIC's statewide research and educational telecommunications network through joint efforts with college and university faculty, state agency representatives and government officials, and the k12 community. For the past two years, she also worked as the part-time Director of the K20 California Education Technology Collaborative - the innovation and development "arm" of the California Virtual campus. Couch's career has been dedicated to K-12 and higher education policy issues, with an emphasis on issues pertaining to students from disadvantaged backgrounds, school finance, and education technology. She has served as an education advisor for two Speakers of the California State Assembly, the Senate Appropriations Committee, and worked as a legislative advocate in Sacramento, specializing in education issues.

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Project Coordination Team members who also assisted with the planning process included:

• Susan Harvey, Senior Program Officer, S. D. Bechtel, Jr. Foundation
• Dan Howard-Greene, Chief of Staff, Office of the President, Cal Poly
• Jan Morrison, Executive Director, TIES
• Sandra S. Ogren, Vice-President, University Advancement, Cal Poly
• Diane Siri, Executive Director, Alliance for Regional Collaboration to Heighten Educational Success
• Soo Venkatesan, S.D. Bechtel, Jr. Foundation