Newswise — Joan Kelly Ozdogan from Fairfax County, VA and Thomas A. Bach, P.E. from Concord, NC have been named to the Board of Directors of JETS, one of the nation’s leading non-profit educational organizations based in the Washington, D.C.-area dedicated to promoting engineering and technology careers to America’s youth.
Ozdogan brings demonstrated experience in institutional advancement, program development, community relations and operations management from various nationally recognized organizations. Presently she works as a career experience specialist for the Fairfax County Public School system (VA) advancing its commitment to world class pre-college engineering education.
“I am honored to be a member of the JETS Board of Directors and look forward to furthering this organization’s critical mission,” said Ozdogan. “Students need quality educational experiences that increase their awareness of the myriad of rewarding engineering careers and effectively prepare them for undergraduate studies in our nation’s distinguished centers of engineering higher education. JETS is a recognized leader in the education community.”
Ozdogan was invited to serve as a STEM expert to the 2010 Race to the Top Resource Conference; received the Founding Faculty Sponsor Award by the IEEE Student Club at Chantilly High School; and was a recipient of the 2008 Teacher of the Year by the Air Force Association. Ozdogan is a George Washington University alum where she received a Master of Arts degree in Social and Organizational Behavior.
Bach is a professional engineer currently working with the Water and Sewer Authority of Cabarrus County as the Utility Systems Engineer. His 25 year engineering career spans multiple industries including the North Carolina Department of Transportation, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Utilities, the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES), and York County, SC. As a member of the Professional Engineers of North Carolina (PENC) and current Community Outreach Committee Chair for the society, Bach has been charged by the PENC State President to champion engineering outreach in North Carolina high schools. Bach most recently volunteered with JETS at the TEAMS competition conducted at the University of North Carolina, Charlotte, and has coordinated with the JETS Faculty Advisor at East Carolina University.
“Connecting with students early is critical for the future of the engineering profession. I am truly honored to be named to the JETS Board of Directors and my involvement with JETS will serve as a platform of encouragement for other engineers to reach out in their communities and mentor young people,” said Bach. “If we don’t encourage students now, the engineering field will have a hard time filling positions once the economy is better.”
Bach is a University of Tennessee, Knoxville alum where he received his B.S. in Civil Engineering. He is a licensed professional engineer in both North and South Carolina.
About JETS
JETS is a national non-profit educational organization dedicated to promoting engineering and technology careers to our nation's young people. As a prominent force at the secondary school level, JETS engages students in various engineering education programs that are an essential part of fostering the engineering profession.
Students in JETS programs are presented the opportunities to: understand how engineers make a difference in our world (Explore); see how their own talents and skills align to engineering majors and occupations (Assess); and participate in exciting real-world based competitions and activities (Experience). JETS programs touch more than 40,000 students and 10,000 educators from 6,000 high schools across the country every year. JETS participants are a diverse group - more than 50 percent are from groups that are traditionally underrepresented in engineering and technology fields, including one-third who are female.
For more information, please visit, www.JETS.org.
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