{"id":44,"date":"2025-11-08T15:52:49","date_gmt":"2025-11-08T15:52:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/knowledgefactoryinc.org\/wordpress\/?page_id=44"},"modified":"2025-11-08T19:23:54","modified_gmt":"2025-11-08T19:23:54","slug":"founder-ceo","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/knowledgefactoryinc.org\/index.php\/founder-ceo\/","title":{"rendered":"Founder &amp; CEO"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Tyraine&nbsp;<\/strong><strong>\u201c<\/strong><strong>Grand Hank\u201d Ragsdale<\/strong><br>Founder, CEO, Educator, Television Personality, Master Scientist<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"881\" src=\"https:\/\/knowledgefactoryinc.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Photo-Grand-Hank-1024x881.jpg\" alt=\"Grand Hank - Tyraine Ragsdale\" class=\"wp-image-136\" style=\"width:422px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/knowledgefactoryinc.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Photo-Grand-Hank-1024x881.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/knowledgefactoryinc.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Photo-Grand-Hank-300x258.jpg 300w, https:\/\/knowledgefactoryinc.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Photo-Grand-Hank-768x661.jpg 768w, https:\/\/knowledgefactoryinc.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Photo-Grand-Hank-1536x1322.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/knowledgefactoryinc.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Photo-Grand-Hank.jpg 1978w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Tyraine Ragsdale, widely known as&nbsp;<em>Grand Hank<\/em>, is an award-winning scientist, STEM educator, and former research chemist at the Robert Wood Johnson Pharmaceutical Research Institute, a division of Johnson &amp; Johnson. He is the visionary Founder and CEO of both&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/knowledgefactoryinc.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">The Knowledge Factory, Inc.<\/a>&nbsp;(TKFI) and&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.grandhank.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Grand Hank Productions, Inc.<\/a>&nbsp;(GHPI), multimedia education companies dedicated to transforming how STEM is taught and experienced\u2014particularly for underrepresented youth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A proud graduate of the University of Pittsburgh with a degree in Chemistry, Tyraine chose the field due to his passion for curing illness and solving real-world problems through science. His strong scientific foundation, combined with a background in music and television, has allowed him to build dynamic, culturally relevant STEM content that speaks to \u201chard-to-reach\u201d and \u201charder-to-interest\u201d students. Using tools like contemporary hip-hop, live events, television programming, and curriculum design, Grand Hank has reached over&nbsp;<strong>10 million students, parents, and teachers<\/strong>&nbsp;across the U.S. and internationally.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Since founding GHPI in 1989 and TKFI in 1998, Grand Hank has consistently broken barriers in&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/ghstemcenter.com\/stem-programs\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">STEM education<\/a>. His unique approach\u2014blending entertainment with rigorous science\u2014has earned him widespread acclaim and positioned him as a national leader in science literacy and youth engagement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Notable Achievements and Contributions:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Co-founder and host of the acclaimed television series&nbsp;<strong>Science of Philadelphia<\/strong>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<strong>Science Lab of Grand Hank<\/strong>, broadcast for 19 years via the Philadelphia School District\u2019s PSTV Network on Comcast and Verizon Fios.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Founder of the Grand Hank STEM Road Show Tour<\/strong>, which has reached over 25 U.S. cities, introducing students to STEM and energy-related careers.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Led an&nbsp;<strong>11-city STEM tour across South Africa<\/strong>, covering 3,000+ miles and delivering professional development to underserved educators and students.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Recipient of the&nbsp;<strong>George Washington Carver Award<\/strong>&nbsp;for excellence in science.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Honored with the&nbsp;<strong>\u201c<\/strong><strong>Man of the Year\u201d Award<\/strong>&nbsp;by the National Association of Negro Business &amp; Professional Women\u2019s Clubs, Inc.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Invited to the&nbsp;<strong>6th and final White House Science Fair<\/strong>&nbsp;with President Barack Obama.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Delivered the keynote address at the&nbsp;<strong>National Conference of the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA)<\/strong>&nbsp;in Nashville, TN.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Featured presenter at the&nbsp;<strong>U.S. Science and Engineering Festival<\/strong>&nbsp;in Washington, DC.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Completed a&nbsp;<strong>10-city STEM-Energy Tour<\/strong>&nbsp;sponsored by the American Petroleum Institute.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Partnered with DuPont Corporation for a&nbsp;<strong>5-city&nbsp;<\/strong><strong>\u201c<\/strong><strong>Science Is Fun\u201d&nbsp;<\/strong><strong>Tour<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Featured in numerous newspapers, magazines, radio shows, and television programs for his innovative contributions to education.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Spearheaded the&nbsp;<strong>renovation and development of the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/ghstemcenter.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Grand Hank STEM Center<\/a>&nbsp;for Inner-City Youth<\/strong>, a 10,000 sq. ft. facility adjacent to LaSalle University in Philadelphia that provides advanced STEM opportunities to underserved communities.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Grand Hank\u2019s mission is clear: to cultivate scientifically literate students and help return the United States to a global leadership position in STEM. His work continues to inspire new generations of innovators, scientists, and change-makers\u2014proving that when education is meaningful, fun, and culturally connected, every student can succeed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"827\" src=\"https:\/\/knowledgefactoryinc.org\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Grand-Hank-in-the-News-Graduats-from-PITT-1024x827.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-45\" srcset=\"https:\/\/knowledgefactoryinc.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Grand-Hank-in-the-News-Graduats-from-PITT-1024x827.png 1024w, https:\/\/knowledgefactoryinc.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Grand-Hank-in-the-News-Graduats-from-PITT-300x242.png 300w, https:\/\/knowledgefactoryinc.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Grand-Hank-in-the-News-Graduats-from-PITT-768x620.png 768w, https:\/\/knowledgefactoryinc.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Grand-Hank-in-the-News-Graduats-from-PITT-1536x1240.png 1536w, https:\/\/knowledgefactoryinc.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Grand-Hank-in-the-News-Graduats-from-PITT.png 1816w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Tyraine&nbsp;\u201cGrand Hank\u201d RagsdaleFounder, CEO, Educator, Television Personality, Master Scientist Tyraine Ragsdale, widely known as&nbsp;Grand Hank, is an award-winning scientist, STEM [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center 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