Joel Gordon
The Arkansas Regional Innovation Hub on Wednesday announced that Joel Gordon has been named as its new executive director, effective June 1.
He has been director of making at the Hub in North Little Rock since its launch in 2013, and co-founded the state’s first makerspace. Gordon also founded the North Little Rock Mini Maker Faire.
He replaces Warwick Sabin, who is now senior director for U.S. Programs at Winrock International. The Hub merged with that nonprofit last year.
Gordon has been a fabricator, artist and designer for theater, film and television and has created exhibits for world-class art and science museums around the globe, the Hub said. He has also worked in industrial design and product development.
Before joining the Hub, Gordon was director of visitor experience at the Museum of Discovery. He is also a science correspondent on KATV’s “Good Morning Arkansas” show.
Gordon was invited to the White House in 2015 to serve on a panel about the maker movement’s impact on workforce and economic development. In 2016, he returned to the White House twice to serve as a panelist for the Convening of Makerspace Organizers.
The Hub said Gordon was also integral to the formation of the Nation of Makers and serves as the the state’s ambassador for the maker movement.
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