The Education Technology Think Tank was founded by Dr. Ronnie Lowenstein, Mr. Richard Clark and Dr. Edith Patterson.
Often called "a Weaver," Dr. Ronnie B. Lowenstein has pioneered interactive technologies as tools of societal transformation, and championed technology partnerships as the strategy of change.
Her thirty-eight year career has spanned the realms of research, policy and practice at local, state and national levels. Whether working 13 years in public schools, researching satellite broadcasting in 1974 at the United Nations, teaching three years at university, innovating multimedia in the early 80's, or serving 15 years as an Education Consultant and Advisor to public and private agencies across the country, Dr. Lowenstein has advocated math, science and technology innovation and systemic reform within and among community institutions. Since 1996, she has co-authored three books on Technology Partnerships and conducted a variety of workshops on partnership development process at conferences and for government agencies, such as NASA.
Richard W. Clark ("Dick Clark") currently serves as a private sector contractor with the National Office of Job Corps, the New Corps/School for Integrated Academics and Technologies (a West Coast based, national charter school developer), and AGPLEX, Inc., an agricultural development company. For the past several decades, Dick has also been a consultant and policy advocate in the general fields of education, technology, and civil and consumer rights. Among his complementary non-profit work, Dick has had professional involvement with numerous public service organizations, and served for over three decades as President of the Minority Legislative Education Program, Inc. (MLEP), a non-profit organization traditionally involved in policy advocacy training for other non-profit organizations.
MLEP is the administrative host organization of the Education Technology Think Tank, the association of education technology advocates promoting technology policies and programs for underserved communities. Education Technology Think Tank's central focus has included advocacy for the modernization of K-12 schools, and coordination of a youth program -- the NetGeneration of Youth. For the past 6 years, the Think Tank has also been the program planner and coordinator of the Congressional Black Caucus' annual Education Braintrust meeting.
The Honorable Edith Jerry Patterson was educated in Virginia and received a B.S. degree in Biology/Chemistry from Virginia Union University, M.Ed. degree in Guidance & Counseling from Bowie State University and an Ed.D. degree in Higher Education Administration from George Washington University. Dr. Patterson has been an educator for many years. She is a former teacher with the District of Columbia and Charles County Public Schools and for many years was a counselor at the College of Southern Maryland. Dr. Patterson continues at the community college and currently serves as the Director of the U.S. Department of Education's Educational Talent Search Program. Because of her expertise on various educational policy boards and reviews, she is a grants consultant for both the U.S. Department of Education and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Recently she authored two technology grants totaling nearly $300,000 from women and minorities.
Five years ago she became a founding member of Education Technology Think Tank, a non-profit organization committed to funding programs so that underserved communities will have technology. In that same year she was selected President of the Charles County Public Schools Education Foundation, a non-profit group designed to create scholarships for teachers and classrooms.
