Science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) educator Kimberly Puckett has served as a learning administrator for the Tri-Village Local School District since 2012.
Puckett has contributed immensely to STEM teaching in rural, low-income school districts. Her extraordinary way of delivering STEM knowledge has benefited scores of students and helped them establish a successful career.
She was honored for her efforts at the 2013 Women of Color STEM Conference with the K-12 Promotion of Education award
After graduating with a master’s degree from Wright State University, Puckett started her career with the Cincinnati Public School system and joined the Tri-Valley Local School District in 2000. During her career, she has also served as a curriculum development consultant and a research intern at Wright Patterson Air Force Base.
In 2009, she attended the Interservice/Industry Training, Simulation and Education Conference (I/ITSEC) for the first time. The annual conference is organized by the National Training and Simulation Association. This was where Puckett accepted a challenge from Rear Admiral David H. Lewis to translate and apply what she learned in her classroom.
Through collaboration with the Gaming Research Integration for Learning Laboratory (GRILL), Puckett dedicated her summers to STEM lessons development. GRILL works under the Air Force Research Laboratory 711th Human Performance Wing, Airman Systems Directorate Warfighter Readiness Research Division.
Puckett also served as a lead author in her capacity as the Dayton Regional Center’s STEM Fellow to develop a modeling and simulation course. The 3D modeling course launched in Puckett’s classroom and is now offered in over 10 schools in Dayton, Ohio.
Before taking up her current assignment as blended learning administrator in 2012, Puckett was a classroom educator with Tri-Village Local School District for twelve years.
As a classroom educator, she developed a successful STEM program, a service-learning program, and a web design and video editing course. Additionally, she was responsible for Advanced College Placement Statistics and served as the pre-engineering, STEM 8, and mathematics department chair.
During her consultancy with Pearson Education, she developed online Praxis review courses for teachers, created online courses in mathematics for future educators, reviewed education texts, mathematics content development, and review and video analysis of quality instructional practices.
Her honors and awards include the Women of Color K-12 Promotion of STEM Education, a Presidential Award for Mathematics, a Martha Holden Jennings Achievement Award, Milken Educator, Outstanding Teacher (Barnes and Nobles), as well as a National Training & Simulation Association (NTSA) Award for Outstanding Achievement, and recognition as one of America’s Teachers at NTSA's Interservice/Industry Training, Simulation and Education Conference.
