Mack Stallcup, Encore Fellow for Portland Children’s Museum

In June of 2016, Mack Stallcup began his Encore Fellowship at the Portland Children’s Museum as a Scientist in Residence. He heard about the Encore Fellows program two years before his retirement from Intel. When asked why he sought out a Fellowship, he said “I didn’t really know much about nonprofits to start with, but I always wanted to look into it when I retired. It’s something I was looking forward to and thinking about.”

The Portland Children’s Museum prides itself on crafting priceless opportunities for children to learn through play. Their approach is inspired by the early childhood schools in Reggio Emilia, Italy, which is structured around inquiry-based learning strategies, and influenced by a strong image of children as intelligent, creative and resourceful. At the Children’s Museum, Mack improved and streamlined documentation processes which allowed them to effectively evaluate, share and reproduce programs put on by the museum. He also supported staff in transitioning data from one organization system to another and helped to make reporting more efficient. The Children’s Museum appreciated Mack’s work so much that they offered him a part-time position after his Fellowship ended.

Mack found his niche at the Children’s Museum combining IT and working with children. He interviewed with four other nonprofits for his Fellowship but knew the Children’s Museum was the right fit as soon as he walked in the door. The museum was full of children during spring break, and the lively environment inspired him. “About six weeks into my Fellowship, I started feeling comfortable here.” When asked about his transition from corporate work to nonprofit, “I’m over the initial figuring out about what I want to do. I made the right decision coming here and this is where I want to be.”