Mentoring Faculty for Leadership Development: From IBM to Academia: A Model for Knowledge Transfer Through Mentoring

Elaine L. Craft (Florence-Darlington Technical College, Florence, SC) holds a baccalaureate degree in chemical engineering from the University of Mississippi and a MBA from the University of South Carolina with additional graduate studies in mathematics. Her experience includes working as an engineer in industry as well as teaching and administration at community college and state levels. She has served as Director of the South Carolina Advanced Technological (SC ATE) Center of Excellence since 1994, leading initiatives and grant-funded projects to develop educational leadership and increase the quantity, quality and diversity of highly skilled technicians to support the American economy. Currently serving as Principal Investigator, Mentor-Connect: Leadership Development and Outreach for ATE; Co-Principal Investigator, SC ATE National Resource Center for Expanding Excellence in Technician Education; and Co-Principal Investigator, ATE Regional Center for Aviation and Automotive Technology Education Using Virtual E-Schools (CA2VES). The SC ATE Center is widely known for developing and broadly sharing successful educational models and practices in technician education, with a particular emphasis on faculty development in problem-based learning, the first year of study for success in engineering and technology majors, and mentoring educators nationally.