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Carleen Beste

About
STEM Hall of Fame profile picture for Carleen Beste inducted in 2023.

As the Director of Corporate Citizenship at Northrop Grumman, Carleen Beste leads the development and execution of the company’s Corporate Citizenship strategic plan and programs. Her responsibilities encompass K-12 education, support for military personnel and veterans, environmental stewardship, employee volunteer initiatives, community engagement, and corporate philanthropy.

In her role as manager of the Northrop Grumman Foundation, Beste oversees all Foundation programs, with a primary focus on science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education. She has extensive experience in public affairs and communications and has held multiple leadership roles within the community, both as a company representative and in a personal capacity. Currently, she serves on the Board of Education for the Hermosa Beach City School District. Beste earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism from The Ohio State University and holds a certificate in Corporate Community Involvement from the Boston College Center for Corporate Citizenship.

Details

Award: STEM Hero
Year: 2023
Title: Director, Corporate Citizenship
Organization: Northrop Grumman Corporation

2025-2026 Signature Event Updates

  1. An Event Partner wanting to apply to host a Signature Event must have hosted events for at least 2 seasons prior to applying. 
  2. Signature Events must use the officially branded award banners for the Excellence Award and Tournament/Teamwork Champions Award.
  3. When hanging field skirts the VEX Robotics logo/brand name can not be covered up on the competition fields.
  4. VEX V5 Robotics Competition Signature Events may have regional capacity and max per organization restrictions lifted 8 weeks before the event if the event is not full (similar to the process already in place for VEX IQ Robotics Competition Signature Events).
  5. Minimum pit size reduced to 8’x 8’ instead of 10’x10’.
  6. Beginning in the 2025-2026 season, the REC Foundation will collect $10 instead of $5 per team registration on all Signature Events. This is to help offset travel costs for REC Foundation staff to support these larger events.

2025-2026 Signature Event Application Reminders

  1. Existing Signature Events only need to complete the Final Application (due by March 31, 2025)
  2. New Signature Event concepts will need to complete the Initial Proposal by January 31, 2025 and if approved, complete the Final Application by March 31, 2025.
Crowd watches the Signature Event in Minnesota's Mall of America
VEX Robotics World Championship landscape logo
Robot Shipping Option
Freeman is our shipping partner for the VEX Robotics World Championship. Teams choosing to ship should ensure that their robots arrive on or AFTER May 5, 2025 to the Kay…
Judges observe participants at VEX Robotics World Championship
Volunteer | VEX Robotics World Championship
WE NEED PASSIONATE VOLUNTEERS LIKE YOU TO POWER THE VEX ROBOTICS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP! Whether you participate solo or with a group of friends, family, or coworkers, you’ll make a huge…