afceasouthfloridachapter

1. Special Thanks to Our 2014 Platinum Sponsors Your continued support has made all the difference in our success. STEM Excellence Luncheon April 24, 2014 Planning Solutions, LLC 2505 NW 87TH Ave Doral, FL 33172 www.afceasouthfloridachapter.org

2. Our Goals Provide an ethical forum that promotes discussion of information technologies and issues among government, industry, and academic leaders throughout our community. Provide value and benefits to members and communities of interest. Grow and maintain our active membership. Provide professional development opportunities and mentorship to our Young AFCEAN members. South Florida Chapter AFCEA's South Florida Chapter, located in beautiful Miami, Florida is an intimate and welcoming organization dedicated to making a positive difference in promoting industry/government cooperation in the areas of information technology, communications, and electronics for the defense, homeland security and intelligence communities. We are a non-profit membership association serving the military, government, industry, and academia as an ethical forum for advancing professional knowledge and relationships in the fields of communications, IT, intelligence, and global security.   Our President is the United States Southern Command (USSOUTHCOM) J6 Director / Chief Information Officer.  Our Chapter encourages teamwork, diversity & inclusion, innovation, and visionary leadership.  We are proud to support the AFCEA mission and strive to make a positive difference each and every day. AFCEA Core Values Ethics: Insist on the highest ethics in everything we do. Visionary Leadership: Apply visionary leadership in our community and encourage it from our members at every level. Commitment: Consistently demonstrate commitment to continuous improvement of the Association and to improvement of service to our members. Quality: Provide the highest quality in everything we do. Education: Commit to do everything possible to further the education of our members and of the communities we serve. Diversity: Encourage, embrace and continually enlist the support and inclusion of all members of our diverse international community. 2014 AFCEA South Florida Chapter Executive Committee Colonel Maria Barrett – President Aaron Jones – 1ST Vice President Tim St. Jean – 2ND Vice President Walter Lewis – Secretary Gueldine Joseph – Treasurer Shequila Franklin – Programs VP Christina Valecillos – PR VP Colin O’Connor – Corporate VP Art – Membership VP Bill Lawless – Scholarship VP Joe Wotton – Awards VP Jeremy Spund – YAC Pres. Jesse Cosme– Schools & Univ. www.afceasouthfloridachapter.org

3. South Florida Chapter Mr. Cristian Carranza Administrative Director Office of Academics and Transformation Miami Dade County Public School District Luncheon Agenda: 1100 – 1130 Arrival/Registration/Networking 1130 – 1145 Opening Remarks, Aaron T. Jones , 1VP 1145 – 1150 Invocation, Chaplain King, USSOUTHCOM 1150 – 1200 President’s Welcome, COL Maria B. Barrett 1200 – 1230 Lunch 1230 – 1300 Keynote Speaker - Mr. Cristian Carranza 1300 – 1330 STEM Excellence Award Presentations 1330 Closing Remarks & Adjournment Cristian Carranza is Administrative Director for the Office of Academics and Transformation for Miami Dade County Public School District, Florida. Prior to accepting this position in 2012, Mr. Carranza had served multiple communities in the State of Florida for the last 18 years as an Instructional leader and as a Science Supervisor for the Florida Department of Education. His career as a science teacher, science coach, school site and district administrator in multiple districts in South Florida has focused on the support of the most fragile populations. He continues to promote a comprehensive education support system that aims to increase community and parent involvement in schools, provides teacher professional growth opportunities and intervention and enrichment plans for students to increase student achievement and college readiness. www.afceasouthfloridachapter.org

4. Guido Dominguez is an 8THGrade Student at Nautilus Middle School. Guido is registered in the National SECME Organization and competes every year in the STEM EXPO and the South Florida Regional Competition for Miami Dade County Schools. He attended Saturday seminars and has successfully worked with his team in the Robotics category for the Bionic Hand Exposition, winning awards and trophies for 3 years. This year at the 2014 STEM EXPO Guido was awarded a Medal and 2nd Place Trophy by Miami-Dade County School Board Member Dr. Martin S. Karp. Alex Benvenuti is an 8TH Grade Student at Kenwood K-8 Center. Alex’s science fair project received perfect judging scores, earning him a 1ST Place Ribbon at our school science fair. Alex was a founding member of the robotics club. He learned about First Lego League through a summer workshop he attended and when he returned to school he recruited students and got the support of the school administration for starting the club. He has worked very hard throughout the year, and was an integral part in the team’s success. Alex has also been actively involved in Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA). His Business Technology teacher and FBLA sponsor stated that Alex is an outstanding student who consistently earns an A+ in computer courses. This is Alex’s second year as a member of the FBLA club and this year he earned 2NDplace in the District FBLA competition. During the summer Alex attended a Microsoft programing camp, to learn programing for game design. This type of initiative is typical for Alex. He loves learning all he can about computers and programming. Alex’s Algebra 1 teacher has stated that he is also very motivated in mathematics maintaining an A average in a high school honors class. He works very hard and is very diligent in not only keeping up with his work, but in trying to get ahead in his work. Guido has been an officer in Nautilus Middle School Science Academic Club for 3 years and, as President, spearheaded science competitions and projects with members and younger students throughout the year. Guido led the school in Future City Challenge Regional competition, sponsored by FIU and the National Engineers Society. He and his team put in countless hours, in designing a virtual future city and presenting the model of that city at the National Engineering Week Regional Competition. Guido’s team won two awards in the Future City Challenge, “Best Efficient Energy Design” and “Best Integration of Historic and Cultural Resources”. Eliot Tamers is a 7THGrade Student at Kenwood K-8 Center. Eliot was one of a small group of students selected to take Physical Science Honors in seventh grade, effectively accelerating him two years as this is normally a ninth grade course. Eliot excels in all aspects of his Physical Science class and is extremely inquisitive and dedicated; always going above and beyond what is required of him. Eliot’s science fair project received perfect judging scores at the school level, earning him not only a first place ribbon but also the selection as the top project for his grade level. The judges remarked on Eliot’s in-depth knowledge of his subject matter and his engaging explanations. Eliot went on to the District Science Fair, where he received a rating of “Excellent”. UdayThapar is an 8TH Grade Student at George Washington Carver Middle School. Uday has pursued his interest in the field of STEM as a member of George Washington Carver Middle School’s Technology Club and attends Saturday District Engineering workshops. In addition to these efforts he has participated in the SECME Robotics Competition for the past two years. Last year his team placed third, and this year Uday worked as a true engineer; with two other students he redesigned the robotic arm using a new kit. Modifications to the arm included repositioning the battery, creating a stronger motor, and making it more visually appealing by covering the mechanical with a home-made material. His team won the first place award at the SECME District Robotic Arm Competition this year. Uday has always been a responsible, enthusiastic, and competent young man, always willing to help others. An individual of high moral principles, he possesses the unique ability to admit his mistakes and learn from them. Despite a heavy workload from his advanced coursework, Eliot has been actively involved in Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) and the Robotics Club. His Business Technology teacher and FBLA sponsor agrees that Eliot is an outstanding student who consistently earns an A+ in his courses. His Robotics Club sponsor states that he was selected by his peers to be captain of the team. He was very enthusiastic and committed to the team, making sure everyone participated and contributed. He frequently wanted to spend extra time, before and after school, working to perfect the robot and presentations for competition.