WEST VIRGINIA UNIVERSITY - Key Persons

Job Titles:

• Director of the West Virginia Public Education Collaborative
• Member of the National Association of State Boards

Donna Peduto currently serves as Director of the West Virginia Public Education Collaborative. WVPEC is composed of various educators from West Virginia and the national arena that have come together to champion public education from early childhood to post-secondary levels at a time when it faces significant challenges but remains critically important to the nation's future. Ms. Peduto recently served as Director of Operations for the West Virginia Board of Education (WVBE), Ms. Peduto was a key liaison to the WVBE members, the West Virginia Department of Education executive leadership, Governor's Office, chairs of the legislative education committees, as well as other leaders and organizations around the state. In positions at both the WV State Board of Education and WV Department of Education she has had experience in drafting policy and code, i.e. School Innovation Zones Act. Through her affiliation with national organizations such as the National School Boards Association and the Council of Chief State of School Organization, she is also familiar with drafting national education policy. Prior to coming to the WV Board of Education, Ms. Peduto served as Director of the Learning Lab Network Sites for the Stupski Foundation; a San Francisco based educational foundation, where she established a national network of six high schools in various states to incubate effective and innovative practice within the K12 environment. While with the West Virginia Department of Education, Ms. Peduto served in leadership roles in the Offices of Organizational Effectiveness, Professional Preparation, and 21st Century Leadership. She was named the first West Virginia State Coordinator of the first Innovation Zones Initiative and later served as director of the 21st Century Community After School Learning Centers and Schools of Excellence. Ms. Peduto was also Director of K-12 Initiatives at the EdVenture Group, where she supported the development and execution of projects related to K-12 technology training, curriculum, and research and consulting. As director, she led multiple educational research and technology-based programs in collaborations with organizations such as the National Science Foundation, the US Department of Education, and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Ms. Peduto is a member of The National Association of State Boards of Education Executives (NASBE) serving as President of the National School in 2016, a board member of the Regional Education Lab, a member of the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development and was inducted into the June Harless Hall of Fame in May 2016. In recognition of her work on behalf of public education she will be awarded the NASBE (National Association of State Boards of Education), 2017 David Kysilko award in November 2017, recognizing individuals who have demonstrated a steadfast determination to state boards of education and their important work. Ms. Peduto is a graduate of West Virginia University with both a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education and a Master of Arts in Reading.

Dr. Kevin E Howard, received his BS (‘81) and MS (‘83, under JL Petersen) in Chemistry from West Virginia University, and his PhD in Inorganic Chemistry from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign under the auspices of Professor Thomas B Rauchfuss. Following a post-doctoral position in Materials Science and Engineering at The Beckman Institute at UIUC (under Professor David A. Payne), Kevin joined the Central Research department at The Dow Chemical Company. Dr. Howard's thirty-year career with Dow was highlighted by a number of commercially successful inventions spanning a wide range of markets especially in the fields of microelectronics, solid-state lighting, and other new technology and business development opportunities for Dow. In addition to being a globally recognized expert in thermal management and non-oxide ceramic materials, Kevin was recognized for his recruiting and mentoring activities, along with his support for the advancement and mentoring of women in scientific roles as well as the advancement of LGBTQ. Kevin retired from Dow in 2019 and in November of 2019 he and his wife Kelly (WVU BS ‘81, MS ‘83) started Good Harbor Beach Consultants, LLC. He and Kelly now reside in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex.

Elizabeth joined the WVU Center for Excellence in STEM Education in May 2019.

Job Titles:

• Director of the WVU Center for Excellence

As a nationally recognized leader in physics education, Gay Stewart serves as the director of the WVU Center for Excellence in STEM Education. Her central role in the physics education community ensures that any findings transferable to physics will be known and discussed at the national level. Gay's primary research area has been improving physics education for college students, STEM majors and future K-12 teachers. Most recently, she is the recipient of the 2019 Hans Christian Oersted Medal, joining the ranks of luminaries Carl Sagan, Richard Feynman and Nobel laureates as the recipient of this prestigious award from the American Association of Physics Teachers. She is also the former president of the American Association of Physics Teachers, a member of the Board of Directors of the American Physical Society and a leader of the College Board's redesign of the AP physics sequence.

Gayle Conelly Manchin attended West Virginia University, where she obtained her Bachelor of Arts in Language Arts and Education and a Master of Arts in Reading, and a second master's specialization in Educational Technology Leadership from Salem International University. She was appointed by Governor Jim Justice to serve as Cabinet Secretary for the Office of Education and the Arts within his administration. As an educator, Gayle worked in Marion County Schools at the secondary level, served on the faculty of Fairmont State University in Developmental Education and was the Director of the university's first Community Service Learning Program. From 2000-2004, she directed the AmeriCorps Promise Fellows in WV and through the Secretary of Education and the Arts, implemented a statewide initiative, WVPASS (WV Partnerships to Assure Student Success). From January 2005 until November 2010, Gayle served as West Virginia's First Lady and the official hostess of the Governor's Mansion where she was an advocate for West Virginia children and families. In addition, she was appointed by the Governor to serve as a member of the State Board of Education, where she completed her tenure in 2015 after serving as President for her last two years. She is the Chair of the Board for Reconnecting McDowell, an AFT initiative serving rural WV, is a past president of the Vandalia Rotary Club of Charleston, and currently serves on the Clay Center Advisory Board, Vision Shared and as an Emeritus Member of The Education Alliance. In addition, she serves on the REL Appalachia Governing Board. On the national level, Gayle is a Past-President of the National State Boards of Education (NASBE). She served by appointment of Sec. of Education, Arne Duncan to the FIPSE (Federal Improvement for Post-Secondary Education) Board from 2010-2014, and is a current member of the International Friendship Club and the Senate Spouses Organization in Washington, DC. Gayle is also a member of the Board of Directors for Horton's Kids, a non-profit organization serving at-risk youth in Washington, DC. She has spoken both at a state and national level on challenges of rural education, poverty, and our responsibility to intersect economic development with education through collaboration with the Governor's STEM and STEAM initiatives. Gayle Conelly Manchin was sworn in as the Appalachian Regional Commission's thirteenth federal co-chair on May 6, 2021, becoming the first ARC federal co-chair from West Virginia. Nominated by President Biden, Manchin works directly with ARC's 13 member governors, their state alternates and program managers, and a network of local development districts to continue to build community capacity and strengthen economic growth throughout Appalachia. An alumna of West Virginia University, Manchin worked as an educator in Marion County Schools, served on the faculty of Fairmont State University, and was the director of the university's first Community Service Learning Program. She directed the AmeriCorps Promise Fellows in West Virginia between 2000-2004 and implemented a statewide initiative, WV Partnerships to Assure Student Success. Manchin previously served as West Virginia's First Lady between 2005-2010 and was appointed to serve as a member of the State Board of Education, serving her last two years as president. She was the chair of the Board for Reconnecting McDowell, Inc., an AFT initiative serving rural West Virginia, is a past president of the Vandalia Rotary Club of Charleston, and was an emeritus member of The Education Alliance. She also served as cabinet secretary for the West Virginia Office of Education and the Arts.

Dr. Michaluk joined the WVUCE-STEM staff in August 2015, where she serves as a research consultant, statistical analyst, and evaluator for center-affiliated projects and grants. She helps researchers create and refine formal research questions, hypotheses, and research methodology, creates and statistically validates survey assessments, and conducts statistical analyses. She also writes analyses sections for proposals and results sections for reports.

Job Titles:

• Director of the SEA Change Institute, the AAAS Committee

Michael Feder, Ph.D., is the Director of the SEA Change Institute, the AAAS Committee on Opportunities in Science, and the Marion Milligan Mason Award. Dr. Feder brings over a 15 years of experience in STEM education policy, research, and practice to STEM Education programming at AAAS. Michael's previous experience includes managing Battelle's STEMx network - a consortium of 21 statewide STEM education organizations. Dr. Feder provided strategic opportunities for the network to address grand challenges in STEM through shared solutions and collaborative initiatives. During his tenure with STEMx he grew the network by 25 percent, developed the organization's first strategic plan, and created innovative services to expand the capacity of its members. Dr. Feder also served as a policy analyst at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, where he provided the President and senior leaders with STEM education policy guidance. During his two years with the Obama administration he led the interagency committee on STEM education, which wrote the 5-Year strategic plan for federal STEM education programs. During his career, Dr. Feder also provided guidance to the federal government, state decision makers, and STEM education stakeholders as a Senior Program Officer for the Board on Science Education at the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine. At the Board on Science Education, he worked with interdisciplinary expert panels to write reports on topics such as science education standards, engineering education, persistence in STEM degrees, and federal investments in STEM. Dr. Feder also has experience in program evaluation and has been published widely on STEM education. He earned his doctorate and masters degrees in developmental psychology at George Mason University. He earned his bachelors' degree from Pennsylvania State University.

Job Titles:

• Adviser, Investor and Board Member
• Director, High Technology Foundation

Mike Green, a retired businessman with a background in business and technology, currently serves as the Chairman of the West Virginia Growth Investment Fund and Managing Director of Mountain State Capital, both providing mentorship and funding to entrepreneurs and early stage companies. He was appointed to the West Virginia Board of Education in 2009 and served as the Board President from July, 2015 to January, 2017. Mr. Green is also a board member of the West Virginia High Technology Consortium Foundation. Mr. Green serves as an adviser, investor and board member for several privately held technology companies. He earned a bachelor's degree in mathematics from Boston University and a master's degree in numerical science from Johns Hopkins University. He began his career in 1969 as a mathematician, cryptanalyst and software developer at the National Security Agency. In 1979, he began his career in the private sector and held executive positions with a number of successful technology companies. Mr. Green dedicates much of his time to working with early stage companies, angel investment groups, lecturing on a variety of business and investment issues and coaching entrepreneurs.