How long have you been a BAMA member?
Wow – I think I became a BAMA member in 2001 when we were first working on our plans for FLATE. At that time, FLATE was going to be the “Greater Tampa Bay Regional Manufacturing Center”, and BAMA was a strong partner. From that, we quickly grew to a statewide focus, but continued to work closely with BAMA as the FLATE Center was housed in Tampa at Hillsborough Community College’s Brandon Campus once it was funded by the National Science Foundation NSF.
What do you like most about being a BAMA member?
Professionally, I like BAMA’s focus on STEM education and enjoy supporting that mission in its many personifications: providing scholarships, supporting industry tours during manufacturing month (as well as all year), judging STEM fairs, supporting STEM and Robotics teams and now joining the FloridaMakes “Adopt a School” program. On a personal level, I like the opportunity to socialize with colleagues in a variety of venues.
Tell us about FLATE
FLATE was first funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation’s Advanced Technological Education (NSF-ATE) program which focuses on Technician Education programs in 2-year degree awarding institutions (community or junior or state or technical colleges). Our vision for FLATE was to unify the manufacturing programs around the state to better support industry as well as the programs. After a two year planning period, FLATE was funded as “regional center for manufacturing education in Florida in 2004. When NSF funded ended in 2020, FLATE transitioned to become part of the FloridaMakes Network with partial support from the Florida Department of Education (FDOE) to continue and expand our work.
Supporting technical programs has been the core of our curriculum reform efforts, and we typically put our work to help build robust programs in three buckets: outreach and recruitment, professional development and curriculum reform. Educator professional development includes workshops for new technologies, pedagogy and course delivery models. For outreach and student recruitment, FLATE developed the brand and outreach tools “Made in Florida” and its website, the Engineering Technology Forum (ET Forum), FLATE’s Wiki free manufacturing lesson plans and a variety of outreach resources and tools, and “FLATE Focus”, our monthly newsletter/blog. All can be reached via FLATE’s website. For curriculum reform, FLATE works with the FDOE, industry partners, and educators of the programs
FLATE works with manufacturing and related STEM programs in middle and high school, technical colleges, state colleges to raise awareness of these programs and their students. To raise awareness of these programs and the dedicated teachers and faculty, FLATE runs an education award program every year which recognizes educators and their supporting partners. You can read about the recently named awardees here.
How has your involvement with BAMA influenced your career?
BAMA has helped FLATE and myself connect with manufacturers in the greater Tampa Bay region and has also provided access to many other manufacturing stakeholders who need to get engaged with workforce pipeline in the Florida K12 and post-secondary education systems as well as the Florida College system. They all need support from manufacturers to provide their students with the best possible education and career preparation.
What do you consider your greatest accomplishment to date?
Writing my dissertation and getting my Engineering Ph.D. That education and training provide a strong foundation for “making connections” across disciplines, creative thinking, and kind of secured my determination to finish what often seemed impossible and to do so successfully. It taught me to keep looking for all possible connections that might interfere with or influence my goal – no matter how outlandish they might appear at first look. That “educational exercise” in engineering supported me in my engineering and design work, my teaching and all the work I have done with manufacturing education that time.
What is the most important skill you have developed in your career?
Listening. Its so important to understand what someone wants, is interested in and/or needs to develop a strong relationship or partnership. We need to know not only “what’s in it for me” but also “what is in it for others”.
What are your hobbies or interests?
I like to run, jog and walk outdoors and when traveling use my feet to explore where ever I am visiting. I love to travel and immerse myself in other cultures. I also love gardening, swimming and boating. I also enjoy cooking and baking. I love spending time relaxing with my family.
