Indianapolis (December 18, 2012) – Last week, the Board of Directors of the nation’s leading provider of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education curricular programs expanded the members of the board. New members include Mohammad (Mo) Qayoumi, president of San Jose State University; and Eunice Heath, global general manager of Dow Chemical Company. Chris Bradshaw, chief marketing officer and senior vice president of Autodesk, joined the board in September.
These three new board members bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to PLTW’s Board of Directors, a board dedicated to improving student education in the United States, linking it to economic development and the job demands of a high-tech, highly skilled global economy. The business acumen and experience of the board is vital to the direction and success of the non-profit, recently named one of the Top 100 Performing Nonprofit Organizations by the Social Impact Exchange’s S&1 100 list.
Mo Qayoumi, Ph.D., has served as the 28th President and a professor of electrical engineering since 2011 at San Jose State University, a PLTW affiliate university. As a PLTW affiliate, San Jose State provides professional development training to PLTW teachers and preferred admission to its engineering program for PLTW graduates. Prior to taking the helm at San Jose State, Qayoumi served in leadership positions at California State University East Bay and California State University Northridge. He has over 32 years of engineering and administrative experience at several universities. Qayoumi also served as an engineer on a variety of projects in the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia and has made presentations at numerous conferences across the United States and in 10 other countries.
Qayoumi holds a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from the American University of Beirut and four degrees from the University of Cincinnati: a master’s in nuclear engineering, a master’s in electrical and computer engineering, an MBA, and a doctorate in electrical engineering. He has also published eight books and more than 100 articles, as well as several chapters in various books. He is a licensed professional engineer and a certified management accountant. In addition to the Board of Directors of PLTW, Qayoumi serves as a board member of the Bay Area Council, the Bay Area Council Economic Institute, the Silicon Valley Leadership Group, Joint Venture Silicon Valley, KQED, the Commonwealth Club, Blue Shield of California, and California STEM Learning Network.
Eunice Heath is the Global Director for Sustainability, Business Engagement, and Education at the Dow Chemical Company. She has worked at Dow for more than 20 years in various capacities including senior director of government affairs (Northeast) and corporate citizenship, global general manager of Dow’s home and personal care division, a three-year assignment in Switzerland as a global business director, and a current member of the corporate diversity and inclusion council. In 2011, Heath was named a “Woman of Distinction” by the Philadelphia Business Journal. She holds a bachelor’s degree in industrial and systems engineering from the University of Florida and an MBA from the University of Michigan. Heath takes an active role in her community by mentoring and sharing her educational and career experiences with middle school, high school, and college students. She also serves as a volunteer with Project H.O.M.E., an organization dedicated to ending homelessness in Philadelphia.
Chris Bradshaw is Autodesk’s Chief Marketing Officer and Senior Vice President of Reputation, Consumer, and Education, where he is responsible for enhancing the company’s reputation and future business through brand management, product marketing, and public affairs. Previously, Bradshaw led the Autodesk Infrastructure Solutions Division and was general manager for the Autodesk® Buzzsaw® online collaboration service for the architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) market. He was also a sales director in Asia Pacific, driving AEC revenue growth. Prior to joining Autodesk, Bradshaw was manager of flight software development for the United States Air Force, where he guided the development, testing, and integration of on-board computer systems for two national space programs.
Bradshaw has served on the board of directors for the Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC), an international standards organization that is leading the development of standards for geospatial and location-based services. He holds a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from Cornell University and an MBA from Duke University.
Qayoumi, Heath, and Bradshaw join an existing seven-member board, with an eleventh member planned for 2013. For more information on Project Lead The Way’s Board of Directors, visit http://www.pltw.org/about-us/board-directors.