Alethea Campbell, Consultant

Alethea has worked in a variety of positions ranging from teaching photography to youth places at-risk, to developing technology workshops for blind and deaf customers at Apple, instructing vinyasa flows of hot yoga, to working for higher education institutions, teaching algebra to sixth graders, and developing a constructivist curriculum for refugee and immigrant youth.

The power of making for herself and others has become a driving force in her life to make a transformation in the world of education. Her passion for art, design, science, and technology led her to the maker world. Experiencing the joys of making, she saw the power of sharing how to use an Arduino or create a 3D Model using CAD software, which can change a young person’s world. Alumni of Smith College, she graduated from Harvard Graduate School of Education and earned a Master’s of Education degree in Technology, Innovation, and Education. Alethea is a maker, creator, innovator, educator, and learner.

Alethea was The Fab Foundation’s former Sr. Manager of Relationships, Outreach, and Education Operations. She will continue exploring digital fabrication and making opportunities in the K-12 space and hopes to join the Fab Academy Class of 2022. She would love to hear from you and invites you to schedule a time to chat using this link or contact her at [email protected].

Melvin LaPrade, Consultant

Melvin LaPrade founded the National Urban Research Group (NURG) when he was a Ph.D. Candidate at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Department of Urban Studies and Planning. In the beginning, NURG conducted research and policy analysis on mortgage lending discrimination and the origins of the subprime financial crisis. The vision of NURG has extended to advance data-driven research through multiple perspectives, with particular concentration to the impact of public policy on social justice and educational equity across P-20 educational platforms.

Sherry Lassiter, Fab Foundation President & CEO

Sherry Lassiter is one of the architects of the MIT global initiative for field on-site technology development, the Fab Lab program. A Fab Lab, or as users like to call it, fabulous laboratory, is a rapid prototyping platform for technical education, innovation and personal expression. The Fab Lab network includes over 1200 digital fabrication facilities in 100 countries. Lassiter is Director of the Fab Foundation, a non-profit organization committed to building technical capacity in a locality, improving individuals’ abilities to develop themselves and their communities and bringing access to tools and knowledge that cultivate and support innovating practices.

Aidan Mullaney, Consultant

Aidan Mullaney was the former Instructional Manager for the GE/Celtics Brilliant Career Play Lab. His primary role with the Fab Foundation was developing and delivering a curriculum for the middle school mobile lab. Aidan facilitated career-related activities with a focus on STEM in sports and supports coursework for partnering schools, working with teachers to integrate the Brilliant Career Play lessons into the school curriculum. To reach Aidan regarding previous or new projects, email him at [email protected].

Liz Whitewolf, Consultant

Liz Whitewolf, was the former Education Director. She has a passion for integrating digital fabrication technologies equitably in schools for students, teachers, and other stakeholders in K-12 education. A graduate of FAB Academy, Liz opened an educational Fab Lab in Pittsburgh, PA, expanding the program to include two mobile fab lab units in addition to the museum-based makerspace. Before joining the FAB Foundation, Liz served as Senior Director of STEM Education at Carnegie Science Center and previously was a classroom teacher and out of school time educator in robotics, computer programming, and engineering. Currently Liz is pursuing her Ed.D. in STEM Education at the University of Pittsburgh. Currently, Liz is building a new organization named eduFab. Liz and her family are all makers and spend time experimenting and creating projects in their garage-based Fab Lab in their Pittsburgh home.

To schedule a 1:1 meeting with Liz, please click here.

Abigail Barton, Fab Foundation AmeriCorps Maker Fellow VISTA

Abigail Barton is the AmeriCorps Maker Fellow VISTA for the Fab Foundation, an international nonprofit organization dedicated to democratizing access to digital fabrication tools that create opportunities worldwide. Abigail serves capacity building for the educational Fab Lab in the Carnegie Science Center located in Pittsburgh, PA. She is assisting in expanding the Mentors in the Making program to makerspaces all over the country.