Ask Corey Jackson and he’ll tell you that if there’s one thing America’s high schools should be emphasizing, it’s training in the trades. Now the vice president of facilities for Bancroft—a nonprofit providing day and residential services for people with autism, intellectual disabilities, strokes and brain injuries—Jackson has built a career with his hands. In […]
Case Studies Education
Lee McQueen – University of Nebraska at Kearney
Kevin Costner once heard a whispering voice telling him to build a baseball diamond in his Iowa cornfield. One state west, in Nebraska, Lee McQueen has not heard mysterious voices. Still, as the University of Nebraska at Kearney expands into acreage once used to farm corn and alfalfa, the expansion carries a “The Field of […]
Rob Hunsperger – University of Waterloo
Recognition within the highest circles of science is bringing the University of Waterloo in Waterloo, Ontario, to the forefront of scientific research on a world stage. University professor Donna Strickland earned a Nobel Prize in Physics along with colleague Gérard Mourou of France in 2018. Based on their research and exploration of chirped pulse amplification, […]
Norman LoPatin
To some, an outdated manufacturing facility in Sunnyvale, California, might deserve to be razed to make way for the next development in Silicon Valley. But Norman LoPatin saw something different: a potential school. And that shouldn’t come as a surprise. For 18 years, LoPatin has led the construction of 25 charter schools nationwide showing that […]
Warren Whitesell – DePauw University
Imagine a 93-year-old dorm—which has seen everything from parties to panty raids—that’s succumbed to waves of incoming freshmen over the decades. Warren Whitesell of DePauw University knows firsthand what effect college-age students can have on a dormitory—after all, he’s the father of five children himself. Ah, youth. That’s one of the reasons why Whitesell—as the […]
Morris Aldridge – Tacoma Public Schools
Morris Aldridge says it never gets old: watching elementary school children walk into a new school and hearing them squeal with delight. It’s almost as good as Christmas morning, he says. Delivering on a positive educational experience is something Aldridge knows a thing or two about. As a former teacher, principal and assistant superintendent, he […]
William Maffett – Auburn University
What culinary student wouldn’t like to learn how to learn how to cook under the eyes of a master chef in a world-class educational setting? (As long as it isn’t Gordon Ramsey of Hell’s Kitchen?) But that is just one of many options for hospitality students at Auburn University’s forthcoming $95.4 million culinary center approved […]
Ron Siliko – Miami University Recreational Sports Center
As a kid, when Ron Siliko thought about his dream job, he envisioned having his own set of keys to open a gymnasium, with a plan to shoot hoops anytime he wanted. In reality, he got his wish—and a whole lot more. Basketball courts, swimming pools, equestrian facilities and baseball diamonds are just a few […]
Kedrick Wright – San Antonio ISD
Back in the private sector after a productive five years with the Houston Housing Authority and one of that city’s independent school districts, Kedrick Wright figured he’d be around for a while as a project manager for the local affiliate of the civil engineering firm of Lockwood, Andrews & Newman. Career-wise, he’d have everything to […]
Kent Marsh – University of Colorado – Colorado Springs
When two halves amount to more than the sum of their parts, the effects can be powerful—even transformative. Case in point: the symbiotic public-private partnership between the University of Colorado Colorado Springs (UCCS) and the city that shares its name. Separately, the two entities suffered from traffic congestion and deficits in construction funding. In the […]
