Beth Tuck (she/her) is the chief of the Education and Community Involvement Branch at NHGRI. Previously she was executive director and director of science education at Genspace, the world’s first community biology lab in Brooklyn, New York. As executive director, she oversaw the organization’s staff, programs, strategy, fundraising and finance, and she served as a key liaison and spokesperson for Genspace. She managed Genspace through the COVID-19 pandemic, pivoting to virtual formats and then back to in-person across all programs. Additionally, Tuck doubled Genspace’s annual budget, grew the team from three to seven staff, secured a major donation from the Illumina Corporate Foundation and increased Genspace’s membership base to a record-breaking high. She has also been invited to speak about Genspace and community biology at events like the Biofabricate Summit, the Unfinished Conference, NewYorkBio, the Global Community Bio Summit and more.
She is returning to NHGRI, where her previous role was as a genomics education specialist. In this role, she worked on enhancing K-16 genomic literacy, education and community engagement. Her achievements included designing curricular resources, engaging students and teachers in hands-on genomics activities, supporting teacher professional development and training scientists in public engagement skills. Her graduate research at Washington University in St. Louis was focused on the genetics and molecular mechanisms of neurological and neuromuscular disorders.
