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michael_headshotThe James Randi Educational Foundation is pleased to announce the appointment of Michael Blanford as its new Director of Educational Programs.

"Michael is the ideal mix of science educator and grassroots skeptics organizer.  We are all excited to have him join the JREF team, and to get to work developing our new JREF in the Classroom initiative, as well as free educational resources for the grassroots and online skeptical movement," says D.J. Grothe, President of the JREF.

With an academic background in zoology, Blanford began his career as a field biologist, studying amphibians and reptiles in the United States and Costa Rica.  While he enjoys doing research, he has spent much of the last 15 years promoting science literacy and appreciation.  He has developed science curricula, programs, and informal content for a number of institutions, including schools, community centers, and museums.  Most recently, he was coordinator for the Saint Louis Science Center’s Life Science Lab, an innovative space with the mission of exposing the public to the tools and methods of scientific research.

Michael lives with his family in Saint Louis, Missouri , where he spends much of his spare-time promoting grassroots skepticism through a number of organizations.  Michael is founder of the Saint Louis Skeptics Meetup, founder and President of the Skeptical Society of Saint Louis, co-founder of Saint Louis Skeptics in the Pub, and has served as Vice President of the Rationalist Society of Saint Louis, America’s oldest continuously meeting free thought organization.

Says James Randi:  "We're a rapidly growing educational foundation, and as such, it's fitting that we devote even more of our attention to original educational initiatives. With Michael Blanford joining the JREF, we'll be able to do just that. This is a new direction for the JREF, and I am excited to see where the next few years will take us.  Welcome aboard, Michael!"

To contact Michael about the JREF's educational initiatives, email him at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.