In this interview, we delve into the remarkable story of how Alison Godfrey, the President and Co-Founder of STEM for Flathead Valley Schools, embarked on her path to success in the field of education. Join us as Alison shares her experiences, notable accomplishments, leadership style, and the values that have guided her along the way. Discover what sets STEM for Flathead Valley Schools apart from other educational initiatives, and her aspirations for the future. Get ready to be inspired by Alison’s journey as a leader and her relentless pursuit of excellence in the field of STEM education.
Leadership Qualities
Alison Godfrey believes that setting high expectations, being direct, and maintaining an open-door policy have been crucial to her success as a leader. From the beginning of her career, as an accomplished software engineer, Alison set clear and high expectations for herself and her team. She emphasized direct communication, ensuring that every team member understood their roles and responsibilities. She always encouraged anyone in need of assistance to approach her. This policy not only fostered a supportive environment but also ensured that issues were addressed promptly, allowing the team to work seamlessly together.
In her leadership approach, Alison focused on mentoring less experienced engineers by providing guidance and tutoring. It is important that everyone be treated equally, without favouritism as this encouraged open communication and collaboration among team members. Alison firmly believed that every individual brought unique values to the team, regardless of their experience level, and she urged everyone to participate actively. She avoided micromanagement, trusting her team to take ownership of their tasks, and above all, she ensured that the work environment was enjoyable, making fun a key component of their daily activities.
Key Trends and Challenges in the Industry
According to Alison, being a non-profit organization is fundamentally different from being part of a commercial industry. Instead of products, their measure of success is how well they support the community and the positive feedback they receive. One major challenge she sees for industry is the declining performance of the public education system, which affects students’ readiness for future careers in STEM fields. Alison identifies lack of funding and inadequate teacher training in STEM subjects as significant issues. This led to the creation of STEM for Flathead Valley Schools, LLC non-profit in order to help support the schools in providing adequate STEM to their students.
Alison then elaborated on the key trends and challenges faced by STEM for Flathead Valley Schools in 2024 and beyond. The decreasing performance of the public education system nationwide poses a significant challenge, making it difficult to meet the real-world needs of students and prepare them for future careers in STEM fields.
Due to the lack of funding and inadequate teacher training, Alison notes that the current education system produces generalist teachers who often lack basic knowledge in STEM areas. This deficiency is exacerbated by inadequate funding, which limits the availability of hands-on materials and resources for effective STEM education. To counter this, Alison and her team established the STEM Resource Library, which provides teachers with necessary materials, along with expert teaching support, ensuring that students receive a comprehensive and engaging STEM education. The STEM Resource Library works like a regular library does. The schools check out materials such as robots, forces of motion lab kits, or electricity and magnetism kits, and then return them to the library after they have finished using them. There is no cost to the schools for use and all damaged or missing materials are covered by the nonprofit.
Adapting to the Changing Landscape
To thrive in the evolving educational landscape, the organization is continually expanding its support to include more subject areas and provide additional lab materials, within its STEM Resource Library, at no cost to schools. They are currently focusing on introducing computer programming and robotics and offering curriculums that begin in early grades and progressively increase in complexity through middle school. The rural schools lack the budget to offer full hands-on robotics classes, so STEM for Flathead Valley Schools providing robots, via their Resource Library, has been very well received and purchasing more robots to meet the expanding demand is a top priority.
As schools become more familiar with their support, Alison observes an increasing number of teachers requesting assistance across more grades. Initially focused on middle school, the organization is now working with students from grades 1 to 8 within the same rural school district. This continuity allows for ongoing STEM exposure as students’ progress through the grades, fostering a deeper understanding and sustained interest in STEM subjects.
Overcoming Major Obstacles
Alison faced significant obstacles, such as, being a female engineer in High Tech industry for 30 years and her lack of experience in managing a non-profit. As an engineer with no prior experience in managing a non-profit, she faced a steep learning curve. She began by partnering with a rural school to act as the receiving party for donated funds, which helped her navigate the initial stages of funding and grant acquisition. Detailed spreadsheets and guidance from local banks played a crucial role in securing local grants. Overcoming the challenge of getting schools to participate, involved demonstrating the value of their programs through successful examples and emphasizing the no-cost aspect to schools. Their program started with 2 rural school districts and 28 students and has grown to 12 school districts with over 1000 students.
Getting schools to buy into their programs was another significant challenge. The success of the Flathead Valley Rocket Rally program spread by word of mouth among teachers and parents. This grassroots support helped overcome initial resistance. However, expanding to new programs and introducing the STEM Resource Library required additional effort. Alison and her team conducted school-wide discussions to demonstrate the value of their programs and the no-cost benefit to schools. This approach gradually gained the trust and participation of more schools, leading to their current involvement with 12 school districts and over 1000 students.
Fostering a Culture of Innovation
Innovation at STEM for Flathead Valley Schools is driven by flexibility and a tailored approach to each school’s needs. Alison emphasizes that there is no rigid policy on how they interact with schools and students, allowing them to adapt their educational support strategies to the diverse management styles and curriculums of the 12 school districts they serve.
The organization’s success is rooted in its flexibility and ability to tailor educational support strategies to meet the unique needs of each school and class. With 12 school districts under their purview, they encounter a wide range of curriculums and student abilities. This diversity requires a dynamic approach, adapting their methods to suit the specific requirements of each educational environment.
By not adhering to a rigid policy, Alison and her team can innovate and customize their support, ensuring that it is relevant and effective. This adaptability has been key to their success, allowing them to create engaging and impactful STEM programs that resonate with both teachers and students.
Impactful Resources and Learning Experiences
With over 30 years of engineering and management experience, Alison found transitioning to teaching students in grades 1-12 a challenge. Simplifying complex STEM material with the help of teachers has been an important learning experience for her, helping her adapt her knowledge to a level appropriate for younger students. Listening to student’s questions and confusions also helped her and her team adapt technical material to the appropriate level.
Alison learned to distil advanced technical material into engaging and understandable lessons for young students. This experience not only enhanced her teaching abilities but also deepened her appreciation for the critical role that teachers play in shaping students’ understanding and interest in STEM subjects.
Building a Strong Team
Alison builds strong teams by being sensitive to individual strengths and weaknesses, ensuring that team members complement each other. She avoids micromanaging, allowing her team to find their way while providing mentorship and guidance as needed.
Alison shares her approach to building and nurturing a strong team. She emphasizes the importance of understanding and leveraging each team member’s strengths and weaknesses. By creating a team where members complement each other, she ensures that they collectively have the right skills to achieve their goals.
Mentorship and guidance are integral to her leadership style. Alison provides support as needed, fostering an environment where team members feel empowered to make decisions and innovate. This approach not only strengthens the team but also promotes individual growth and development.
Social and Environmental Responsibility
STEM for Flathead Valley Schools relates STEM concepts to real-world issues, such as using geometry to calculate practical measurements and discussing the environmental impact of green energy initiatives. Alison stresses the importance of science in finding solutions and improvements for a better future.
STEM for Flathead Valley Schools incorporates social and environmental responsibility into their educational practices. The organization strives to relate STEM concepts to real-world issues, making learning relevant and impactful for students. For example, they use geometry and algebra to teach practical applications like calculating the area of a nose cone or using simple trigonometry to calculate the height of a tree or how high a rocket flies, demonstrating the real-world utility of these mathematical principles. She explains how these skills relate to many other occupations, not just engineering.
They explore topics such as the effects of wind turbines on bird populations and the environmental implications of synthetic materials used in renewable energy equipment. By connecting STEM education to broader social and environmental issues, they aim to inspire students to think critically about the world around them and the role of science in creating a better future.
Digital Transformation
Digital transformation is crucial for staying current, and Alison has taken steps to incorporate this technology into their programs, which is why the organization is prioritizing in introducing computer programming and robotics, to the schools to enhance student’s learning experiences.
Alison emphasizes the importance of digital transformation in staying current with educational trends and technological advancements. By incorporating these elements into their curriculum, they provide students with hands-on experiences that enhance their learning and prepare them for future technological challenges.
Essential Skills for Success
Alison believes that critical thinking and the ability to work under stress are essential for success in the business world. She notes a decline in these skills among students due to current educational trends. Her programs encourage problem-solving, logical thinking, and teamwork, helping students develop these vital skills.
By engaging students in hands-on STEM activities, they provide opportunities for them to tackle challenges, think critically, and collaborate effectively. They will often fail in their initial approach to an exercise or challenge. Determining why it failed, learning how to troubleshoot the failure, and, correcting it to achieve success helps develop logical and critical thinking skills. These are the skills they need to succeed in their future careers and navigate the complexities of the real world. She also encourages teamwork. If you are still having problems solving the failure, do not feel bad asking for help as everyone has different abilities and different perspectives on the failure mode.
Following Alison’s Leadership Journey
Alison’s diverse career has given her a broad perspective on problem-solving and adaptability. She emphasizes the importance of being open to different approaches and understanding various challenges people face. Alison strives to instil flexibility and open-mindedness in everyone she works with.
By encouraging a culture of continuous learning and adaptation, she ensures that her team is well-equipped to handle the ever-changing landscape of STEM education.
Influencing the Future Business Landscape
Alison aims to give students insights and knowledge into future possibilities they may not have considered. By helping them develop skills that will influence future technologies, she hopes to contribute to a better future for everyone.
Through their programs, Alison, and her team at STEM for Flathead Valley Schools, are preparing the next generation of innovators and leaders. By fostering a deep understanding of STEM subjects and encouraging critical thinking, they are equipping students with the tools they need to drive technological advancements and create positive change in the world.
Significant Achievements and Milestones
Alison’s engineering career included leading multiple classified programs and being the technical lead for eight successful rocket launches. She has received multiple technical achievement awards during her engineering career.
With the non-profit, she has grown their program from 2 schools and 28 students to 12 school districts and over 1000 students. They have made a significant impact, inspiring students to pursue STEM fields and helping them discover their potential.
Alison’s Career Journey and the Birth of STEM for Flathead Valley Schools
Alison Godfrey is an engineer specializing in software with 30 years of experience. She quickly grew in title and responsibilities, culminating in her role as the technical lead for eight rockets used by the Missile Defence Agency. After retiring in 2011, Alison was invited in 2015 to hold workshops at an Expanding Your Horizon Event, a one-day STEM event for middle school girls. Her workshop on rockets and engineering was a success, leading her to ask the 8th-grade science teachers at two rural schools if they would like to bring the workshop to their science classes. The teachers enthusiastically agreed, and the idea of having the two schools compete with their rocket teams received an equally enthusiastic response. Thus, the Flathead Valley Rocket Rally was born. This program allows students to learn about rockets, build multiple types (film canister, stomp, and water bottle rockets), and use the engineering process to design, build, test, and modify to improve their rockets.
Recognizing the lack of school budgets and materials for hands-on experiments, Alison and her team saw the growing number of participating school districts as an opportunity to create their own STEM 501C3 non-profit organization. In 2019, Alison co-founded STEM for Flathead Valley Schools with her husband, Steve Alejandro, a retired physicist. Their premier program remains the Flathead Valley Rocket Rally, but they have since expanded to include physics programs in electricity and magnetism, astronomy, weather, forces of motion, thermodynamics, and robotics. Their mission is to bring STEM studies to life in Flathead Valley Schools and give students the tools to become future innovators in engineering, science, technology, and math.
In conclusion, Alison Godfrey’s journey is a shining example of how passion, perseverance, and effective leadership can create profound and lasting change. Her dedication to STEM education and her innovative approach have transformed the educational landscape in Flathead Valley and beyond. Through her work with STEM for Flathead Valley Schools, Alison has provided countless students with the opportunity to explore, learn, and excel in STEM fields. Her legacy is one of inspiration, empowerment, and a commitment to making the world a better place through education. Please visit flatheadstem.org for more information on Alison’ organization and programs.
