Last night was the first night of travel soccer tryouts for my daughter's youth soccer league. Youth sports are big business in our neck of the woods, and the 84 girls who showed up for last night's tryouts attest to the program's strength.

Just last week, the Science Coalition honored U.S. Senator Richard Shelby from Alabama as a "Champion of Science" for his work to support funding for science research. Many people might not be aware of the many STEM industries operating in his state. From the aerospace industry in Huntsville, to the ever-expanding health care sector in Birmingham, to the new Air Bus production facility in Mobile, Alabama has a lot of STEM investment!

As the eyes of the nation have been focused on Baltimore these past weeks, I knew there was much more to the story than what we were seeing on our televisions and through social media. For a deeper perspective, I turned to Ellie Mitchell, director of the Maryland Out of School Time Network, and a long-time advocate for greater investments in young people throughout Maryland—and especially in Baltimore.

Kirk A. Astroth, director of the Arizona 4-H Youth Development program, and Dr. Dale Blyth, Professor and Howland Endowed Chair for Youth Development Leadership at the University of Minnesota, have joined the National AfterSchool Association's Board of Directors.