{"id":565,"date":"2024-11-08T20:06:07","date_gmt":"2024-11-08T20:06:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/staging.ii4t.org\/?page_id=565"},"modified":"2025-03-21T14:54:09","modified_gmt":"2025-03-21T14:54:09","slug":"about","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/staging.ii4t.org\/?page_id=565","title":{"rendered":"About"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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About the Innovation Institute for Tomorrow<\/h1>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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The II4T Mission:<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Founded in 2018, the Innovation Institute for Tomorrow, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) education nonprofit located in Franklin, PA. As a thought leader in a robust STEM ecosystem, II4T works to advance K-12 STEM education by removing barriers and creating opportunities for both students and teachers. II4T has been successful in providing regional school districts these opportunities by partnering with K-12 Schools, Colleges and Universities, Business and Industry, Workforce and Economic Development Agencies, Nonprofits, and State and Local Government.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"II4T\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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II4T Staff<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Tim\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Tim Heffernan\n<\/h4>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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President and CEO\n<\/b>\n<\/p>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Tim has 22 years of experience as an educator, and his passion for teaching inspired him to bring revolutionary STEM opportunities to teachers around the country. He founded the PA Rural Robotics Initiative in 2018, which transformed into the Innovation Institute For Tomorrow. His passion to inspire students and empower teachers and administrators through STEM has positioned him as a ecosystem and thought leader in STEM education and workforce development.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Steve\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Steve Cutchall<\/h4>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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Program Manager\n<\/b><\/p>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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After 18 years of coaching high school boys basketball, Steve pivoted to teaching Emerging Technologies at Franklin Area High School. Since joining II4T, Steve has led the VEX Robotics competitions for our PA Rural Robotics Initiative member schools and delivered student experiences and teacher professional development statewide. Steve is excited to be part of our dynamic team developing II4T in Franklin and assisting our regional school districts on their STEM journeys.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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II4T Board of Trustees<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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Jill A. Foys<\/h4>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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Executive Director<\/b>
Northwest Commission<\/p>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Jill Foys is the Executive Director of the Northwest Pennsylvania Regional Planning & Development Commission in Oil City, PA. The Northwest Commission is a regional community and economic development agency serving the counties of Clarion, Crawford, Erie, Forest, Lawrence, Mercer, Venango, and Warren. Jill serves as Chairman of the Local Development District Association of Pennsylvania, is a Director of the North Clarion County School District and is the Chairman of the Clarion County Career and Technical Center Joint Operating Committee.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Rachel\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Rachel E. Burcin<\/h4>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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Global Programs Manager <\/b>
\nCarnegie Mellon University<\/p>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Rachel Burcin focuses on growing and diversifying the robotics workforce. Through inclusive education design, assessment, and policy advocacy, Rachel has created symbiotic partnerships and funded educational initiatives that expand organizational impact and ultimately broaden participation in robotics. Rachel is interested in building upon these significant successes and body of knowledge to investigate scale and sustainability for systems-level change of the global robotics workforce. The educational programming and learning communities that she designs are aligned with regional and national STEM economic development initiatives.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Albert\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Albert A. Abramovic<\/h4>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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Commissioner<\/b>
\nVenango County<\/p>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Albert A. “Chip” Abramovic serves as the Board Chair of II4T. As a Venango County Commissioner, Chip has consistently worked to improve the lives of local residents and promote economic growth. Notably, Chip holds the position of President of the Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania. Additionally, Chip serves as a Special Advisor to the Robotics Institute at Carnegie Mellon University. Chip’s dedication extends further into academia and workforce, with a seat on the University of Pittsburgh Institute of Politics Board of Fellows, as an active member of the National Association of Counties Agriculture and Rural Affairs, and as a Northwest Workforce Development Board, member previously serving as the Chair of the Northwest Commission.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"William\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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William C. Vonada<\/h4>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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Superintendent<\/b>
\nCranberry Area School District<\/p>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Bill Vonada has proudly served over a decade as the Superintendent of the Cranberry Area School District. Prior to becoming Superintendent at Cranberry, Bill was the Cranberry Jr. Sr. High School Principal for seven years. He began his public school career in the Franklin Area School District, serving as the Assistant High School Principal and High School Principal. Bill\u2019s entire professional career has been devoted to being a champion for children and public education.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Matthew\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Matthew LaVerde<\/h4>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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Director<\/b>
Erie County Technical School<\/p>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Matt is the Assistant Executive Director of Riverview Intermediate Unit 6, and formerly a Principal, Coach, and Math Teacher in Valley Grove and a few other Venango County Schools. Matt is the Chairman of the Board of Directors for UPMC-Northwest and is the Lay Leader for his church, Trinity United Methodist Church. He is on the Youth Committees of the Northwest and North Central Workforce Development Boards, serves on the CEDS Committee, and connects to the GR8T Manufacturing Partnership. Lastly, he is the PDE Liaison for Career Readiness in North Central PA.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Charles\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Charles T. Rosen<\/h4>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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Attorney<\/b>
\nRosen, Varsek, and Rosen<\/p>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Charles \u201cChad\u201d T. Rosen is a dedicated legal professional and a passionate advocate for STEM education, serving on the board of II4T. Charles earned his Bachelor of Arts from the University of South Carolina in 1999 and his Juris Doctor from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law in 2003. With a strong commitment to fostering education and professional development, he brings a wealth of expertise and strategic insight to II4T\u2019s mission.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Hayden\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Hayden G. Rigo<\/h4>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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Deputy Chief of Staff<\/b>
\nPennsylvania Department
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Hayden Rigo has worked in-and-around government, forging valuable relationships with elected officials, since graduating from Shippensburg University in Pennsylvania. Hayden currently serves as Deputy Chief of Staff to Pennsylvania Auditor General Tim DeFoor, working to put his boss and the department in the best position to succeed. Prior to his public service, Hayden represented numerous clients in front of the Pennsylvania General Assembly at a contract lobby firm in Harrisburg; he also spent time with the County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania on their government relations team.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Timothy\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Timothy James<\/h4>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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Instructor<\/b>
\nUniversity of Pittsburgh<\/p>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Timothy James is an instructor at the University of Pittsburgh Computer Science department, as well as a VP of Engineering and Data Science at Triple, where he works with a team of engineers to build card-linked offers that save people money. Before Triple, he spent time in a variety of industries including machine learning software, advertising, Internet consulting, finance, defense contracting, aviation maintenance, telecommunications, capital markets, and sandwich artistry. Timothy hopes to continue actively engaging the community in technical training and CS education efforts.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Sarah\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Sarah Pistella<\/h4>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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Program Officer<\/b>
\nMcElhattan Foundation<\/p>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Sarah Pistella is a Program Officer at the McElhattan Foundation, where she spearheads transformative grantmaking initiatives focused on economic development in the communities of Knox and Franklin, PA. A driven advocate for community growth and resilience, Sarah is passionate about empowering bold leaders and community members who are dedicated to shaping a more vibrant and sustainable future for their regions. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Gannon University and a Politics and Public Policy certificate from The Washington Center for Internships and Academic Seminars. Sarah is also a proud graduate of Leadership Pittsburgh\u2019s Leadership Development Initiative, which has further honed her commitment to fostering change and inspiring collaborative community solutions.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

About the Innovation Institute for Tomorrow The II4T Mission: Founded in 2018, the Innovation Institute for Tomorrow, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) education nonprofit located in Franklin, PA. As a thought leader in a robust STEM ecosystem, II4T works to advance K-12 STEM education by removing barriers and creating opportunities for both students and teachers. II4T […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"slim_seo":{"title":"About - Innovation Institute for Tomorrow","description":"About the Innovation Institute for Tomorrow The II4T Mission: Founded in 2018, the Innovation Institute for Tomorrow, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) education nonprofit lo"},"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-565","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.ii4t.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/565","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.ii4t.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.ii4t.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.ii4t.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.ii4t.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=565"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/staging.ii4t.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/565\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1180,"href":"https:\/\/staging.ii4t.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/565\/revisions\/1180"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.ii4t.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=565"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}