During Phase I, the Technology for All Americans Project required that a National Commission be appointed to serve in an advisory capacity to the project staff. The 25-member Commission, appointed during the winter of 1994-95, functioned independently of both the project staff and the International Technology Education Association (ITEA).
The goals of the Commission were:
Commission members served as a vital resource of experts who were knowledgeable in technology and its proper interface with science, mathematics, engineering, and education. Several Commission members had been involved in the development of standards in other disciplines.
The Chair of the Commission was Dr. Gene Martin, Dean of the School of Applied Arts and Technology at Southwest Texas State University. Martin has been a classroom teacher in the state of Maryland and a teacher educator at Miami University and Southwest Texas State for more than 25 years. He has authored or co-authored numerous books, chapters, and journal articles on various topics concerned with technology education. He is a frequent speaker at local, state, national and international conferences, and serves as a trustee of the Technical Foundation of America.
Dr. William Pretzer is the School Programs Leader for the Henry Ford Museum and Greenfield Village. As team leader, he is responsible for the development, marketing and delivery of school programs. In 1992, he served as chief project curator for "Made in America," a $6 million, 50,000 square foot exhibition on the history of American manufacturing and power production. Pretzer consults widely on museum projects and has served on peer review panels for the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Dr. James Davis is a Professor of English at Ohio University. He is a prolific writer and has given presentations on subjects including intellectual freedom, the value of literature, young adult literature, standards, and collaboration between colleges and schools. Davis edited the National Council of Teachers of English's publication Dealing with Censorship. He brings to the Commission a wealth of knowledge in the area of literacy.
Dr. John Wirt is currently a Senior Research Associate for the Institute for Education and the Economy at Columbia University. Previously, he was a Senior Analyst at the Office of Technology Assessment and director of the study for the U.S. Congress on youth and work-based learning. He also was a consultant to the National Governor's Association and the U.S. Department of Labor on issues of performance assessment in education and skill standards. Wirt served as Deputy Director of the U.S. Department of Labor's commission that produced the report, "What Work Requires of Schools." He also directed the Department of Education's second National Assessment of Vocation Education in 1990. He has also served as systems engineer in the electronics industry, a policy analyst for the Rand Corporation and a budget examiner for the federal government.
Dr. Walter Waetjen is President Emeritus from Cleveland State University. Waetjen has been involved in education for more than 50 years as a public school teacher, professor and university administrator. He has authored and co-authored two books, 19 chapters and sixty journal articles. He has received many national and international honors and awards for his leadership and accomplishments in education. He has also worked in the automobile and shipbuilding industries, played pro football for the Detroit Lions and Philadelphia Eagles, and was a national lightweight boxing champion.
Dr. Jim Bensen was appointed President of Bemidji State University in Bemidji, Minnesota, in July, 1994. He assumed this position following five years as President of Dunwoody Institute in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Prior to his work at Dunwoody, Benson was at the University of Wisconsin-Stout in Menomonie, Wisconsin, and served nine years as the Dean of the School of Industry and Technology. His work and interests keep him involved in speaking, consulting and writing on a variety of subjects relating to change, technology, educational excellence, quality and the future.
Ms. Elizabeth Phillips is a Specialist at Michigan State University in the Department of Mathematics where she teaches math courses and math method courses for elementary and secondary school teachers. She has also taught high school math and chemistry. Phillips has extensive background and interest in curriculum development and reform. She has directed teacher enhancement curriculum development and research projects; has chaired the Michigan Council of Teachers of Mathematics Guidelines Committee; and has served on the Leading Mathematics-Education into the 21st Century project. She currently co-directs The Connected Mathematics Project, a five year NSF-funded project to write, test and implement a complete Mathematics curriculum for the middle grades. She is also involved with an on-going Michigan based project, Making Mathematics Accessible to All project, that helps high schools implement a core curriculum in Mathematics. She is currently chair of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics Algebra Task Force.
Dr. Patricia Hutchinson is Project Director and Editor-in-Chief of TIES Magazine. As a Fullbright Scholar in 1985, she served as a Research Associate in the Department of Educational Studies at Oxford University. In 1988, she was named an Outstanding Young Technology Educator by the International Technology Education Association. Hutchinson's professional background includes serving as a consultant and curriculum writer in Technology Education.
Dr. Charles Vela is a member of the Technical Staff of the Advanced Telecommunications Department at The MITRE Corporation. His research at the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences included studies aimed at developing a national technical and scientific strategy on the utilization of enabling technologies in the mapping of the brain and in the conduct of neuroscience research. Vela is Director of the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers Young Educators Program and the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Institute in Washington, D.C.
Dr. Frank Huband is the Chief Executive Officer of the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE), a professional society for engineering educators and institutions of engineering and engineering technology. In this capacity, Huband seeks to enhance the capability of ASEE to assume a leadership role in the improvement of engineering education. He has held various positions at the National Science Foundation (NSF), including director of the Electrical and Communication Systems Division, head of the Technology and Resources Policy Section, director of the Emerging Engineering Technologies Division and director of the Electrical and Communications Systems Division. During his tenure at NSF, he also managed the federal government's Japanese Technology Assessment (JTEC) activity. Huband has a doctorate in electrical engineering from Cornell University and a law degree from Yale. He is a member of the District of Columbia Bar.
Dr. Thomas Liao is Chairperson of the Department of Technology and Society in the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences at the State University of New York at Stony Brook. There he directs the Laboratory for Personal Computers in Education, the Science and Technology Entry Program Project and the Principles of Engineering Project. He is a member of New York State's Education Commissioner's Advisory Committee for Curriculum and Assessment in Math, Science and Technology. He is on the Advisory Committee for NATO's program on Advanced Educational Technology and currently is co-editor of the Journal for Education Technology Systems.
Dr. Myron Atkin is a former science teacher at the elementary and secondary school levels and has served on the faculties of the University of Illinois and Stanford University (at both institutions he also served as Dean of Education). His many professional accomplishments include serving as a member of the National Committee on Science Education Standards and Assessment of the National Research Council of the National Academy of Sciences. He is also a member of the Mathematical Sciences Education Board.
Dr. John Ritz currently chairs the Occupational and Technical Studies Department at Old Dominion University. Ritz has extensive experience in education as a teacher at the middle and senior high school levels and as a professor and administrator at the university level. His research includes middle school multi-disciplinary education, adolescent development, curriculum development and Technology Education. Ritz is the founder and member of Tidewater Technology Associates, a curriculum and instructional writing group for Technology Education. He is the author of two textbooks -- Exploring Communications and Exploring Production Systems -- numerous journal articles and 17 curriculum guides.
Dr. Paul DeVore is President of PWD Associates, a consulting firm specializing in technology transfer, innovation management and Technology Education. He has authored a number of articles, monographs and textbooks. He served as designer and editor for the first complete K-college textbook series for Technology Education. He has been principle investigator in numerous publicly and privately funded research projects focusing on the feasibility of technologies for small scale business and industry development and technology transfer/commercialization. DeVore's work has been influential in bringing about significant changes in development of the content and structure of Technology Education programs in public schools and colleges throughout the United States.
Mr. Ismael Diaz is a Director of Precollege Programs for the National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering, Inc. (NACME), a not-for-profit corporation dedicated to increasing the number of African-Americans, Hispanics and American Indians who enter the engineering professions. Diaz is responsible for the initiation, development and support of precollege programs throughout the country. He has been instrumental in the development of the Say YES Through Family Math program in New York City. Diaz has also coordinated the development of NACME's new precollege initiative titled, Techforce Partnership for Scientific Learning. Diaz is involved with numerous associations concerned with engineering education and minorities.
Dr. Robert Daiber is a technology education classroom teacher at Triad High School in St. Jacob, Illinois. In 1992, he was a teacher/sponsor of the First Place winner in the National Science Teacher Association--Duracell Corporation Inventor's Contest and in 1993, the Second Place winner. Daiber has been recognized by the Illinois House of Representatives for his contributions to education and received the Outstanding Teacher of the Year Award from the International Technology Education Association in 1985.
Dr. Michael Wright is an Assistant Professor of Technology Education at the University of Missouri-Columbia. His primary responsibilities include the development of a model elementary Technology Education program and is currently working on a Math-Science-Technology initiative project. Wright is an active promoter of Technology Education and has delivered many presentations, articles and teacher workshops related to the field. He has served on or chaired 23 national or state level committees in Technology Education. He was a consultant for the popular K-12 articulated Technology Education program, "Ten Sleep."
Dr. Charles Pinder is a Professor and Chairperson in the Department of Technology at Northern Kentucky University. Pinder has many years of public school teaching experience as well as nearly three decades of experience in higher education. Pinder's experience includes directing the Governor's School of Technology and Associate Director of the Program Standards for Technology Education Project conducted in the 1980's. Pinder has authored numerous articles and delivered an extensive list of presentations to professional organizations.
Dr. Franzie Loepp is the Department Chair for the Technology Education Department, Director of the Integrated Mathematics, Science and Technology Project and Co-Director for the Center of Mathematics, Science and Technology at Illinois State University. He has authored numerous articles on various topics concerned with Technology Education. Loepp's research interests include curriculum development, the integration of Mathematics, Science and Technology and Technology as a Liberal Art.
Dr. Allen Bame is an Associate Professor of Technology Education at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. He has authored seven books and monographs, and a number of general articles. Bame's current interests include curriculum development in Technology Education both at the undergraduate and graduate degree levels. He coordinates and supervises the Technology Education student teaching experiences at Virginia Tech. Bame has co-directed several research projects related to Technology Education.
Dr. Gene Carter is a veteran educator with experience as a private and public school teacher and public school administrator. He is currently Executive Director of the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD), an international association of educators in all roles, including superintendents, central office staff, principals, teachers, school board members and professors. Carter's many honors and awards include selection as the first National Superintendent of the Year by the American Association of School Administrators, and being named by The Executive Educator magazine as one of the top 100 executive educators in North America. Carter has provided leadership training throughout the world. Much of his work has centered on instruction innovation and curriculum development.
The following individuals serve as the International Technology Education Association (ITEA) staff representatives:
Mr. Thomas Hughes, Jr. is the Director of Development for the Foundation for Technology Education. Hughes has served for 30 years in a variety of leadership and administrative roles in the Virginia Department of Education related to Technology Education. His expertise is in the philosophy, concepts, structure and practice of Technology Education and is contributing author on various topics concerned with Technology Education.
Dr. Kendall Starkweather is Executive Director of the ITEA and editor-in-chief of The Technology Teacher. ITEA is the only major association in North America existing solely for the purpose of advancing technological literacy in our schools. His background includes high school teaching experience and nearly a decade of teacher education work. Starkweather has been involved in a number of advisory groups including the North American Treaty Organization, National Association for Science, Technology and Society, American Association for the Advancement of Science's Project 2061, National Science Foundation, National Science Teacher's Association, Junior Engineering Technical Society, as well as the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. He has spoken on Technology Education throughout North America and in several other countries.
The following individuals serve as the Technology for All Americans Project staff representatives:
Dr. William Dugger, Jr. is the Director of the Technology for All Americans Project.
Dr. Richard Satchwell is the Assistant Director of the Technology for All Americans Project.
NOTE: The positions indicated for the National Commission members were accurate during Phase I of the project (October 1995 to September 1996).