Donna Lange
PI, DeafTEC
Rochester Institute of Technology
Donna Lange is the Center Director and PI for DeafTEC: Technological Education Center for the Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Students, an NSF Advanced Technological Education National Center of Excellence (award # 1104229 and 1501756). DeafTEC is housed at the National Technical Institute for the Deaf (NTID), one of the nine colleges of the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) in Rochester, NY. The goal of DeafTEC is to increase the number of deaf and hard-of-hearing (deaf/hh) individuals in highly skilled technician jobs in which there continues to be underrepresentation and underutilization of such individuals in the workplace. Donna has been teaching deaf/hh students at NTID for over 25 years. She is an associate professor and former chair of the Applied Computer Technology Department, and has taught a variety of computer-related courses in the areas of both hardware and Web development.
Scot McLemore
Manager of Talent Acquisition
Honda North America
Scot McLemore has been a tireless advocate of developing early-college pathways and experiential learning programs to promote advanced manufacturing education throughout Ohio. Scot is setting the standard for collaboration between community colleges and K–12 districts in meeting the need for industrial maintenance technicians. Scot was instrumental in the development of CSCC’s Modern Manufacturing Work Study program. This five-semester program culminates in an AAS in electro-mechanical engineering technology and includes a year-long paid co-op during students’ second year of coursework. Honda’s support, partnership, and forward-looking approach have led to the placement of more than 100 students at over thirty Central Ohio employers. Students graduate from the program with full-time job offers from industry partners and little to no debt. Scot has also ensured the development of a strong manufacturing technician career pathway through the creation of career exploration programs for middle schools, the development of CTE programs at high schools and career centers, the adoption of the Modern Manufacturing Work Study programs across the state, and tuition reimbursement for bachelor’s degree attainment. Scot’s unwavering passion for advanced technician education can be seen in his participation in efforts such as Project Lead the Way, the STEM Industry Council, Men of Color in STEM, and the EPIC Initiative. Along with CSCC’ President David Harrison, Scot testified before the Joint Economics Committee of the US House of Representatives on innovative strategies for addressing workforce development. Scot is also responsible for Honda’s national workforce strategy for technician roles.
Pamela Silvers
PI, Skilled Workers Get Jobs
Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College
Pamela Silvers teaches in the Computer Technologies department at Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College. She is a first-generation, non-traditional college graduate. Since 1992 she has taught all aspects of computer technologies, first as an adjunct instructor, now as a full-time instructor and former department chairperson. Pamela also serves as Principal Investigator (PI) for a National Science Foundation ATE Grant entitled Skilled Workers Get Jobs. Pamela’s commitment to students and STEM can be found in her numerous presentations and awards. She has been recognized as the Faculty Member of the Year and as an Innovator Educator by the local Chamber of Commerce.
Thomas Tubon
PI, National Coordination Network for Cell and Tissue Manufacturing
Madison College
Dr. Thomas Tubon is faculty at Madison College and teaches program courses in the Applied Associates Degree in Biotechnology, Post-Baccalaureate Certificates in Biotechnology, and human Stem Cell Technologies. He currently serves as the PI for the NSF ATE National Coordination Network for Cell and Tissue Manufacturing. He holds leadership roles the NSF ERC for Cell Manufacturing, NSF ARIS Center and the National Center for Biotechnology. Dr. Tubon oversees development of community college technical bioscience workforce and strategic implementation for local, regional, and national-level program scale-up.
Celeste Carter
Lead Program Director, ATE
National Science Foundation
V. Celeste Carter is the Program Director for the Division of Undergraduate Education (DUE) at the National Science Foundation (NSF). She received her Ph.D. in Microbiology from the Pennsylvania State University School of Medicine and completed her postdoctoral studies at the University of California at Berkeley. Carter joined the Division of Biological and Health Sciences at Foothill College in 1994 to develop and head a Biotechnology Program. She served as a Program Director twice in DUE as a rotator. Carter accepted a permanent Program Director position in DUE in 2009; she is the Lead Program Director for the Advanced Technological Education (ATE) Program, and works on other programs in the Division and across the Foundation.
Rachael Bower
PI, ATE Central
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Rachael Bower co-directs Internet Scout Research Group, a grant-funded research and development center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She has been Principle Investigator on a variety of federal and philanthropic awards over the past twenty-five years, including Scout’s ATE Central project. ATE Central acts as an information hub for the ATE community providing an online portal of resources, tools, and services that support and promote the work of ATE grantees. Rachael has spent most of her career in academia, with a brief foray into the world of start-ups, and brings a deep understanding of issues related to educational digital projects, sustainability, and grant stewardship to her work at Scout and ATE.
Ryan Kelsey
Chief Strategy and Innovation Officer
Achieving the Dream
Dr. Ryan Kelsey is Chief Strategy and Innovation Officer at Achieving the Dream, Inc. In this role, Ryan works to continue strengthening ATD’s internal capacity as an organization and its outreach to its network of colleges through strategic planning, the design of new products and services, and the scaling of key initiatives across the network.
Mary Slowinski
Co-PI, Working Partners Research Project
Bellevue College
Mary Slowinski, Ph.D. is an educator and consultant specializing in collaborative and applied learning in support of workforce education. Mary is co-PI on the NSF-ATE Working Partners project which investigates and documents industry/education partnerships, and tenured faculty at Bellevue College, where she has served as Director of Curriculum Design Services and led efforts around faculty professional development. Currently, additional roles include community of practice lead for a biotech education consortium, learning coordinator for an international renewable energy faculty learning project, and, as a national DACUM-certified facilitator, coordinating and leading industry focus groups to ensure alignment between institutional programming and regional workforce needs.
