About me
With a degree in mechanical engineering from MIT, Ken’s first career was in the petroleum industry. He became an expert at controlled directional drilling. Ken transitioned into the software industry after traveling around the world for 15 years, making holes in the ground, and getting an MBA. He spent the next 10 years writing database applications for government contractors. After transitioning to DC, Ken took a couple of years to explore robotics when he lucked into the classroom and started teaching math. Ken became a DC Teaching Fellow and received a master's in teaching. After five years of teaching math, he started the engineering department at McKinley Technology High School. Ken left the classroom in 2013 and is now the director of the McKinley Academy of Engineering. The McKinley AoE is now recognized as a Distinguished Academy within the National Academy Foundation (NAF) network. Ken was a Wolfram Educational Innovation Fellow, which is a unique educational and career opportunity to learn and do projects at the frontiers of science, technology, and innovation. Ken’s project is to develop a city-wide STEM literacy center and maker space. Ken is an expert in modern manufacturing techniques, including 3D printing.
Ken’s focus in education is to create a more realistic learning environment. He believes the factory model of education we have followed for the last 123 years is no longer relevant to our society's needs. Ken is pursuing new questions and looking for new solutions.
