Brings 20 Years of Development Experience Cultivating Impactful Partnerships and Building Stewardship Networks

Position to Support Organization’s Continued Growth Following 1 Millionth Student Milestone

NEW YORK—February 11, 2025 —Engineering Tomorrow, a public charity dedicated to inspiring high school students to pursue a path in engineering, today announced the appointment of Sean MacCready as Director of Development. In this newly created role, Mr. MacCready will be responsible for stewarding and expanding Engineering Tomorrow’s partnership network, which currently includes leading firms in industry, educational institutions, foundations, and individuals. Engineering Tomorrow recently transitioned from a privately owned and operated foundation into a public charity with support from a growing list of partners.

In December, Engineering Tomorrow announced it had engaged more than 1 million students nationwide since beginning to offer its STEM labs led by experienced engineers at no cost to schools. During the 2024-25 school year, the organization has already delivered more than 750,000 labs and remains on track to deliver more than 2 million labs to students by the end of this school year.

As Director of Development, Mr. MacCready’s work will be instrumental in supporting the organization’s continued growth and mission to inspire even greater numbers of high school students across the United States. Founded in 2014, Engineering Tomorrow provides industry-relevant learning and mentorship opportunities to high school students, with the aim of creating a larger, more diverse engineering workforce equipped to tackle the global engineering challenges of the future. 

Megan Barrett, Executive Director of Engineering Tomorrow, said, “The need for capable engineers across a number of sectors is as urgent as ever, and our work with corporate partners, especially those with a vested interest in the pipeline of engineering talent, is vital to ensuring our programming is industry-relevant and targets the most pressing talent gaps. Sean is a proven expert in building and developing meaningful partnerships, and his addition to the team represents Engineering Tomorrow’s commitment to our growth trajectory and to increasing our reach and impact.”

Mr. MacCready said, “Engineering Tomorrow is well known for its significant positive impact on students’ lives and its innovative model for bolstering America’s engineering workforce. I am excited to collaborate closely with Engineering Tomorrow’s entire team and our philanthropic partners to elevate and advance the organization’s strategic goals and catalyze the next phase of growth.”

Prior to joining Engineering Tomorrow, Mr. MacCready served as Executive Director of Scholar and Donor Services at the National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC), launching the organization's individual giving efforts. He brings 20 years of experience in cultivating corporate and institutional partnerships, sponsorships, and relationships with transformational donors, including both personally raising and leading teams that have raised over $40 million. Before NMSC, Mr. MacCready served in leading development and fundraising roles at the University of Illinois Chicago, Horizons for Youth, the University of Notre Dame, and St. Ignatius College Prep, among other institutions. He holds a BA in Anthropology from the University of Notre Dame, a Master of Education in Curriculum, Instruction, and Educational Planning from Loyola University of Chicago, and a Master of Arts in Educational Administration from the University of Notre Dame.

Since Engineering Tomorrow’s founding, high school students across the country have completed more than 2.5 million individual labs free of cost. The organization has transformed into a national, digital-first organization capable of delivering life-changing educational experiences to hundreds of thousands of students per year. In the 2023-2024 school year alone, Engineering Tomorrow delivered four times as many labs to students as in any previous year, engaging over 572,000 students at more than 3,600 schools. Recent labs have included speakers from organizations like CRISPR Therapeutics, Engineers Without Borders USA, General Motors, NASA, and Texas Instruments.

About Engineering Tomorrow
Engineering Tomorrow is a public charity inspiring high school students across the nation to pursue a path in engineering through labs developed by engineers, mentorship, and hands-on instruction. The organization’s mission is to create a robust and more diverse engineering workforce to solve the engineering challenges of the future and build a more innovative world. All programming is provided to schools at no cost.

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