SUKI FULLER MENTORS NEW GENERATION OF TECH ENTREPRENEURS IN LONDON
It took Suki Fuller a few years to fnd just the right college major, but when she discovered Mercyhurst’s Research Intelligence Analyst Program (RIAP), the forerunner of today’s Intelligence Studies program, everything clicked. Suki was about eight years older than most of her classmates when she enrolled in 2001, but she’d packed a lot into those years: engineering classes, work as an internal auditor and store detective at a major retailer, a job as a lab tech and metals fnisher, even service with the Army Reserves. She was ready to return to college, once she found a feld where she could use all those varied skill sets. Her real-world business and military background came in handy as she began working on contract projects during her frst year at Mercyhurst. “The thing I liked best about the program was that we got to do practical applications while learning theory,” she said. Professor Kris Wheaton said Suki worked on one of Mercyhurst’s frst contracts with the Department of Defense looking at technology trends. Though he can’t talk much about the project, he noted, “It was good enough that the DoD doubled the amount of money they spent on project work the next year.”
An internship with Navistar allowed her to work with Jan Herring, the “godfather of competitive intelligence,” with whom she’s still in touch. He confrmed what her professors at Mercyhurst had taught her: that analysts must be familiar with all phases of an operation. Since her 2005 graduation, Suki has done strategic intelligence work for clients in the automotive, pharmaceutical, technology and defense industries. She’s based in London now, the city where she was born, but has also worked in China and the Middle East as well as the United States and United Kingdom. She continues to resist settling down in any particular business sector, despite overtures from many of her previous employers. “Good competitive intel professionals are generalists in subject matter, but experts in knowing how to collect, analyze and report data – and that’s the core of what is taught at Mercyhurst,” she explained. “We can walk out the door and do any subject area.” Though she’s primarily a one-person operation, she did incorporate her business in 2015. It’s called Miribure, a word she and her dad coined to describe what she helps her clients to do: MItigate RIsk and BUild REsilience. Or, put another way, to identify opportunities while reducing uncertainty in decision-
making through strategic research and analysis.
- Since 2015, Suki has focused on mentoring entrepreneurs, including many women, in the fast growing tech industry. She’s a mentor ambassador for Tech London Advocates’ Women in Tech Group and was recently named one of the 30 Change Makers for London Tech Week. She also founded Salaam Ventures to incubate and accelerate early-stage start-ups. Forbes Magazine featured her advice on dealing with venture capitalists in a recent profle titled “How This Woman Is Helping Women Founders Close Funding with Conviction,” while Tech World highlighted her thoughts on “Diversity vs. inclusion: What tech frms need to know about the diferences.”
SCOTT DONNELLY BRINGS REAL WORLD INTO 5TH-GRADE CLASSROOM
For the frst fve years of his teaching career, Scott Donnelly ’88 used textbooks and quizzes and the traditional approach he now laughingly describes as “drill and kill.” But then he concluded that teaching science and social studies out of a book wasn’t good for his students – or for him. So he transformed his ffth-grade classroom at Pittsburgh’s Carnegie Elementary School into an active learning environment where students collaborate on real-world activities and the only textbooks you’ll fnd have been turned into ramps to launch toy cars in physics experiments. Most schools today, he believes, are still using the 20th century education model for a 21st century world. And that’s not the best model for 21st century learners. The real world isn’t about test-taking, he argues. It’s about solving problems and not being afraid to fail. To prepare for that world, he says students need to learn hands-on by doing, not by memorizing. The approach is mostly associated with STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) classes, but it works with any subject. Scott has sought out professional education opportunities all over the country. And he continues to network with other teachers he meets at those workshops.
Teachers who attended NASA Space Camp last summer, for example, devised the “Pringles challenge.” Students had to design a package that would safely deliver a single Pringles chip to its destination through the regular mail system. The lighter the package the better, since it would be cheaper to mail. Students eagerly watched on video as other students all around the country – and as far away as Germany – opened their packages to check the chip’s condition. He partnered with a Vietnamese teacher he met at the Boston Museum of Science on a competition to create the best recipe for modeling dough. Since the Vietnamese kids were fuent in English, their live video interactions created a true cultural exchange, too. The CEO of American STEM Vietnam was so impressed that he invited Scott to visit the school this summer. And his own superintendent in Pittsburgh is exploring continuing partnerships, and perhaps even a teacher exchange in the future. “As kids get into the real world, they’ll be working electronically with people all around the world. This is a great chance to show them that learning has no borders,” Scott noted. Another highlight of his visit to Vietnam was the opportunity to meet Steve Kaczerski ’13 at S & L’s All- American Diner in Hanoi. Steve and his wife, Loan Vu ’13, opened the diner there in late 2016.
Scott Donnelly, right, and teachers at AmericanSTEM Vietnam practice communication and teamwork with the Cup Pyramid Challenge.
Fresh of his Vietnam trip, Scott headed to the U.S. Naval Academy, where he had won a scholarship to yet another STEM conference. Teaching is a second career for Scott, who earned his Mercyhurst degree in hospitality management. An internship led to a job with Hyatt Hotels after graduation. Then he partnered in the opening of three New York-style delis in Pittsburgh. When he and his wife, Terri, learned that twins were on the way, he decided his long work hours were going to be a problem. So he enrolled at the University of Pittsburgh to earn a Master of Arts in Teaching, an intense program designed for people changing careers. He’s been working at Carnegie for 10 years now, and those twins – Ava and Olivia – are now 13 and starting 8th grade. Scott still credits his Mercyhurst mentors, including John and Paula Wolper and Daryl Georger, for his success.
21
Made with FlippingBook - professional solution for displaying marketing and sales documents online