The first job for Marion C. Blakey ’70 – as a GS-3 federal clerk – might not have been glamorous. But it was a step on a path that would propel her to the top of her field. In December, she received the 2013 Wright Brothers Memorial Trophy in recognition of her leadership in aviation. “Tonight, I am reflecting for a moment about the blessings of an unexpected career,” Blakey said in her acceptance speech in Washington, D.C. President and CEO of the Aerospace Industries Association since 2007, Blakey has spent decades improving transportation safety, both on and off the ground. She’s helped reduce death and injury from motor vehicle crashes, improve accident reporting processes, enhance outreach programs, and modernize air transportation. Her time at the helm of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in the mid-2000s marked the safest period in U.S. public air travel history. Blakey also has served as administrator of the Department of Transportation’s National Highway … [Read more...]
Notable and Quotable
Art Teacher Draws on Inclusion
The résumé of Tanya Green, M.Ed. ’06 is picking up as much color as her students’ creations. An art teacher at Hampton Oaks Elementary School in Stafford, Va., Green won a 2013 Agnes Meyer Outstanding Teacher Award, presented last May by The Washington Post. “These educators were chosen by their school systems for going above and beyond their day-to-day duties to create exceptional educational environments,” according to washingtonpost.com. Green, who also was named Stafford County Public Schools’ 2013 Teacher of the Year, is known for customizing curriculum around main-classroom themes and the needs of smaller groups of students. She participates in the Skillful Teacher cohort, which aims to strengthen respect for students’ diverse cultural backgrounds. An Encore staff team lead, Girl Smarts group facilitator, and Student Council Association adviser, Green has presented work to the National Art Education and Virginia Art Education associations. She earned a bachelor’s … [Read more...]
Leader Advocates for Creativity
When you think of Oklahoma, Susan Shaw McCalmont ’80 wants you to think of creativity. For her tireless efforts to foster the creative process, McCalmont received the inaugural Sir Ken Robinson Award for Leadership in Creativity & Innovation. Robinson, an internationally recognized adviser on arts in education, presented McCalmont with the honor in November. She’s “the driving force behind … the effort to truly make Oklahoma ‘The State of Creativity,’ ” Robinson said of McCalmont, who worked to make Oklahoma North America’s only internationally recognized District of Creativity, through the Flanders, Belgium-based Districts of Creativity Network. McCalmont is president of Creative Oklahoma, a nonprofit she co-founded to encourage creativity and innovation in education, commerce, and culture. She provided leadership in establishing Oklahoma A+ Schools and the DaVinci Institute, which foster creativity in Oklahoma schools, and the National Creativity Network, a nonprofit … [Read more...]