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Melissa received a bachelor’s in Psychology from Louisiana State University in Shreveport and is completing her doctorate in instructional design at the University of South Alabama in Mobile, AL. For the last 15 year, Ms. Dean has been working in the informal and formal STEM education fields, serving as Education Director at the Gulf Coast Exploreum Science Center and the K-8 Education Director at the Mobile Area Education Foundation. At STEMWorks, Ms. Dean serves as the Research Associate and Instructional Designer for the NSF JROTC Academy Award. As Research Associate Ms. Dean is primarily responsible for carrying out research activities including developing and deploying data collection instruments, cleaning data, conducting direct observations of the intervention, analyzing the data, and assisting the Lead Researcher with preparing annual reports and other tasks as required to ensure the successful implementation, analyses and dissemination of results of the research project. Additionally, as Instructional Designer Ms. Dean assists with the adaptation or development of STEM Curriculum to meet the Academy STEM curriculum outcomes, support feasibility testing of STEM Curriculum activities, and review and provide feedback on STEMWorks developed lessons.

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James Van Haneghan is a consultant for STEMWORKS, LLC and Professor in the College of Education and Professional Studies at the University of South Alabama where he teaches courses in research methods, assessment, and learning. He has research interests in the areas of program evaluation, problem- and project-based learning, mathematics education, motivation, and assessment. He has been at the University of South Alabama since 1995. Before that he held positions at Northern Illinois University and George Peabody College of Vanderbilt University. His doctoral training was from the Applied Developmental Psychology Program at the University of Maryland. He also holds an MA in Experimental Psychology from S.U.N.Y at Geneseo, and a B.S. from S.U.N.Y.at Brockport where he majored in psychology and business administration.

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Dr. Susan Pruet has been actively involved in STEM education for over 30 years – as a teacher, teacher educator and director of reform initiatives. Since 1998 she has directed two STEM reform initiatives for the Mobile Area Education Foundation (MAEF): the Maysville/Mobile Mathematics Initiative and, most recently, Engaging Youth through Engineering (EYE), a K-12 workforce development and STEM initiative in Mobile, Alabama. Both initiatives, funded largely through NSF grants, involve valuable partnerships with the Mobile County Public School System, the University of South Alabama, and area business and industry. Change the Equation, a non-partisan, CEO-led commission focused on mobilizing business communities to improve the quality of STEM learning in America, recognized the EYE Modules as one of Change the Equation’s STEM Works Programs. Dr. Pruet has served on a number of education boards and committees including vice chair of the Board of Directors of the Alabama Mathematics, Science, Technology, and Engineering Coalition (AMSTEC) and the Executive Board of the American Society of Engineering Educators (ASEE) K-12 & PreCollege Division. Dr. Pruet received her undergraduate degree in mathematics from Birmingham-Southern College, her master’s degree in secondary education from the University of Alabama in Birmingham, and her doctorate from Auburn University in mathematics education. Currently, as president of STEMWorks, LLC, Dr. Pruet consults with various education organizations around designing, funding, implementing and sustaining integrated STEM programs, especially those serving populations under-represented in STEM careers.

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James Duke graduated from the University of South Alabama in Mobile with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Geography with a concentration in Meteorology and a Minor in Mathematics. After working with a private weather firm in Houston, TX, Mr. Duke returned to Mobile and began teaching high school mathematics. While teaching high school, he enrolled in the Alternative Masters Program at USA and earned a master's degree in Mathematics Education and his teaching certificate in the state of Alabama. He is currently in his twentieth year at Davidson High School in Mobile teaching AP Statistics, AP Calculus, and AP Physics and recently became a National Board Certified Teacher. For the past seven summers, Mr. Duke has work the the JROTC program for Mobile County Public Schools and STEMWorks, LLC. to develop curriculum for the JROCT STEM Leadership Academy. He also serves as an assistant coordinator for the summer academy.

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