Judith Deeley wins 2025 FLATE Distinguished Manufacturing Secondary Educator of the Year Award

Congratulations to Judith Deeley, Ed.D. for being a champion for all matters related to manufacturing and engineering technology education! Science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics (STE(A)M) education is a direct contributor to effective manufacturing education of today. For almost two decades, Dr. Deeley has made contributions to STE(A)M education that include:

• Leading high school (grades 9-12) programs in robotics and engineering achieving numerous industry certifications.
• Implementation and organization of engineering design, build and compete in a variety of categories land, air and sea.
• Coaching underwater robotics, drone Part 107, VEX and FIRST robotics with several teams and individuals winning regional, state and national awards as well as world competitions.
• Implementing the SkillsUSA workplace essentials and technical standards competitions.
• Inspiring students to continue in the engineering fields that are geared towards manufacturing whether they head to college, technical school, military or direct to career. 
• Leading a private k-8 school to become a fully accredited STREAM (includes religion) school.

Dr. Deeley obtained her masters in STEM education and a doctoral degree in Innovative Educational Program Development, both from the University of South Florida. She participated in a collaborative relationship with St. Petersburg Engineering and Technology division, serving on the board, taking coursework and participating in FLATE Summer Institutes to bring resources to students. Judith has presented at local, state and national conferences in mathematics and STEM, sharing ideas about the importance of STEM education and how to set up programs. She has written and received numerous grants to self-fund resources in technology for students.

Judith was honored as a 2025 Top Ten Teacher of the Year for Pinellas County Schools where she teaches engineering and robotics courses including:

• Foundations of Robotics: students learn fundamentals of a variety of areas of engineering fields, engineering design process and mechanical and electrical engineering, begin programming, build robots and underwater ROVs for competitions
• Robotic Design Essentials: students learn how to design and print using 3D modeling software and printers and continue with the engineering design process, continue programming, and competitions
• Robotic Systems: students learn programming and aeronautical engineering and part 107 and continue with prior content including competitions
• Robotic Applications Capstone: students utilize all education to participate in engineering design competitions and other robotics, and begin program logic controller

Judith believes that manufacturing education is important for increasing the number of employees with the necessary technological skill level, teaching workplace essentials and expectations, and providing awareness of career opportunities.

The manufacturers of today utilize more complex levels of technology, leading to the need for employees with knowledge of advanced technologies such as computer programming (to include AI), data analysis, electronics and robotics. There are not enough qualified people to fill the positions they already have open let alone those that will be needed in the near future.  In order to have a prepared workforce for the growing number of manufacturers and the diversification of the types of industries, it will be critical to ensure there are educational programs to teach these future employees the technical skills they need to function and be successful. -Dr. Judith A. Deeley

Dr. Deeley states that training cannot stop at the technical, that preparing future employees needs to include how to effectively communicate, solve problems and work in teams. She also stresses that it’s important to share with students the types of careers available in manufacturing since many may avoid manufacturing career paths because of a belief that these types of jobs are dirty and mostly manual labor. To this end, Judith has forged relationships with local manufacturers, setting up field trips for students to see what they learn in the classroom in action in the career field. She also recommended the creation of the career exploration summer camps at the high school level in Pinellas County, established a student-led aviation and aerospace club, and mentored students after school in robotics and engineering.

Watch these videos to learn more about how Dr. Deeley is supporting manufacturing education in Florida:

• Meet Teacher of the Year Finalist Judith Deeley
• The IT Factor - Inspiring Teachers - Dr. Judith Deeley
• Dunedin High School Robotics in the News

Congratulations again to Judith for her support of manufacturing education!  For more information on the FLATE Awards visit http://fl-ate.org/programs/flate-awards, or contact Ernie Friend, Executive Director of FLATE, at ernie.friend@flate.org.