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“If they can’t see it, they can’t dream it.” High school students are hardly “one-size-fits-all,” and so many have entrepreneurial ambitions. As educators, it is our goal to support every student’s vision for their future. Especially when business partners may be hard to come by, entrepreneurial opportunities are a great way to provide work-based learning experiences for students. This panel of educational leaders discusses how to provide rich and robust opportunities for aspiring young entrepreneurs, dives into the some of the programs that schools around the nation are offering, and shares success stories including that of Illinois D214 student featured on Shark Tank, Martin Dimitrov (CEO of SnapClips).
Panelists discuss:
Dr. David Schuler
Dr. Dave Schuler Dr. David R. Schuler, a national education leader and superintendent in the northwest suburbs of Chicago, is passionate about preparing all students to be college, career and life ready. Dr. Schuler launched Redefining Ready!, a national initiative around post-secondary readiness, and was named the Illinois Superintendent of the Year and AASA National Superintendent of the Year.
Dr. Kamela Patton
Kamela Patton is in her ninth year as Superintendent of Collier County Public Schools (CCPS). She joined the district in June of 2011. During the last eight years, Dr. Patton has enhanced existing programs, instituted new technological tools, improved internal and external communications, and initiated new programs that resulted in a direct increase in student achievement. Over the past eight years, Dr. Patton has received a number of accolades and awards. Most recently, Dr. Patton has been recognized as Naples Top 100 from Naples Illustrated, received the 2019 Leadership Collier Distinguished Alumni Award, the 2018 Lavan Dukes District Data Leader of the Year Award, the 2018 National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) Distinguished Leader Award, the 2018 Florida Music Association (FMEA) Superintendent of the Year Award, and was named one of Naples Illustrated 20 Leading Ladies of Naples.
Dr. Maurice Flurie
After 35 years as a public school educator and administrator throughout central Pennsylvania, Dr. Flurie serves Commonwealth Charter Academy (CCA) families by combining the best elements of traditional public education with the flexibility inherent in public cyber education. Dr. Flurie came to CCA as assistant CEO in 2009 and was named CEO of Commonwealth Charter Academy in 2011. In this role, he leads a team of CCA employees that includes more than 600 professionals, who serve nearly 11,000 students in grades K-12 across Pennsylvania. He previously served as assistant to the superintendent at Lower Dauphin School District and as a building-level administrator and teacher at secondary schools throughout the region. He also shares his expertise as an adjunct instructor at Wilkes University, teaching graduate courses in educational law, current issues in education, school finance and educational psychology.
Margarita Geleske
Margarita worked with the founding Uncharted Learning team to create INCubatoredu entrepreneurship and an organization with the mission to bring *real* into the classroom. Margarita’s passion lies with building partnerships with schools, districts, and charitable groups to enable student success nationwide. Prior to this, Margarita held VP Directorship roles at Leo Burnett Company in Chicago, served as chairperson and trustee for the Barrington 220 Educational Foundation, and was a trustee for Barrington Youth and Family Services. She earned a MS in Advertising at Northwestern University, Medill School and a BS in Communications at Northwestern University.
Karen Roberts
Karen Roberts is entering her 26th year of teaching business education and is an INCubatoredu master teacher as well as a 2019 Illinois CTE Exemplary Teacher recipient. She currently teaches at Buffalo Grove High School in Illinois, where her Entrepreneurship class is a college level dual credit class. During the 2015-16 school year she instructed Hoodie Hoop who received funding in the D214 Startup Showcase and Skunk Aid whose product is sold in multiple stores.
Tammy Diedrich
Tammy Diedrich is the manager of Internship and Business Programs for Anne Arundel County Public Schools in Annapolis, Maryland. Throughout her 34-year career her focus has been on student success and cultivating meaningful partnerships with local organizations. She began her career as a career and technology teacher equipping students with skills for success by connecting them with real world work experiences. In her role as manager of internship programs she has been passionate about creating opportunities that allow students to apply classroom knowledge in the workplace to expand understanding of themselves while providing students with insight into the career fields that interest them.
Tim Brickley
Tim Brickley has taught business education for 21 years at Johnston High School in Johnston, Iowa. He teaches Sports and Entertainment Marketing, Web Design, Advertising and Sales, Law for Business and Personal Use, and an Entrepreneurship class. The Entrepreneurship class mixes opportunities for students to start their own businesses and work on real world projects like naming a new subdivision or developing a logo for local elementary students. Students can also earn 3 credits from the University of Iowa for this class. Tim earned his degree in Business Education from the University of Northern Iowa.