Board President, Paul Fitzgerald

I grew up in Massachusetts where I excelled as an athlete. I graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a degree in Biology, a minor in Chemistry and a varsity letter in 1995. I double matriculated at University of Massachusetts Boston in the Environmental Coastal and Ocean Sciences program and Secondary Education. I conducted research into mathematical ecology and I received a M.Ed. and a TEAM BC Scholarship in 1998 for my work integrating math and science. I coached swimming and diving at the Cambridge Rindge and Latin School where my team won three, including its first, Greater Boston League Meet Championships. I was an active member of Mass Marine Educators and I was able to spend time on research vessels and on the Ernestina.

I moved to Vermont in 2003 where I experienced a number of transformative experiences such as my partnership with dancer/choreographer Lida Winfield. We were partnered for five years in the Words Come Alive (WCA) Program through the Flynn Theater in order to integrate dance into my math and science classes. This was likely to seed that prompted me to explore Odyssey of the Mind and it is certainly the focal point of improvisational training.

Similarly, Michael Freed-Thall mentored me in coaching chess, which led me to form the Queen City Chess Club. I ran the club for five years, which led to the development of several state champions. Michael challenged all of my preconceived notions about how intelligence and reasoning is developed, which changed how I taught everything.

I participated in robotics training, which led to the development of a robotics curriculum in both my math and science classes. This exposure dovetailed with my research into FIRST and led to the formation of my first Jr. FLL team.

I was exposed to service learning and place based learning programs through Shelburne Farms and the Vermont Middle Level Institute. These programs inspired a deeper understanding of project based learning, which drives much of my support in the project component of O.M., F.L.L. and Jr. FLL.

I completed advanced coursework and received my license in Administration in 2010. I also accepted the position of President, after serving a year as Secretary, of The Schoolhouse, an independent school. I was instrumental in re-structuring the debt of the school, which allowed it to change its business model and to grow into the thriving organization it is today.

For the past five years, I developed a remarkable group of problem solvers that I coach in both FIRST and OM. These kids have won state championships in both FLL and OM and have won the Ranatra Fusca Award for creativity and the Global Innovations Award. These experiences led me to  participate n the formation of Tips Inc. in order to expand the program offerings so that the kids can more fully experience mentoring and so that the participants can turn their projects into businesses so that they can create wealth and jobs that benefit Vermont and the world beyond.