NCCE is proud to pay tribute to five members who have been selected to receive the prestigious Making It Happen award for technology education leadership.

Making It Happen is a nationally-recognized educational program highlighting the dramatic role that educators play in the learning process using quality technology in the classroom. Designed especially for educators, the program identifies educational technology leaders around the country and rewards those individuals for their commitment and innovation.

To date, more than 100 educators have been awarded this recognition. The impact of this program has been felt at numerous conferences around the country. The focus of the Making It Happen program is on current practitioners, highlighting their significant contribution and encouraging them to continue their work.

NCCE is proud to introduce our four members who have merited such a significant award.

Bill Davis

A long-time educator and current president of NCCE, Bill has been involved in technology and its integration into the classroom curriculum for many years. He has a master’s degree in computer science and a Ph.D. in curriculum and instruction. He has been a member of NCCE for 19 years, acting as program chair for four years, while also serving as conference chair for three of those years. He has served on the NCCE board of directors since 2000.

Hailing from Eugene and Springfield, Oregon, Bill has served the field of education in several roles: as special education classroom/resource specialist, district technology coordinator, and instructional coordinator. In his current role as principal of Moffitt Elementary School in Springfield, Oregon, Bill supports technology integration within his staff to improve education for students. He has successfully used Title II D technology grant funds to support a pilot reading intervention program, and has also coordinated district E-rate funds.

Bill Davis is the model of dedication, and his long years of service to children are well known by colleagues and families in his district, and all those who know him celebrate this laudable accomplishment in his career.

Wayne Rush is a person whose career has spanned the trades, business and education. He is currently the Program Development Officer of the J.A. & Kathryn Albertson Foundation. Entering the world of work, Wayne became a plumber for a convention center, and then moved into a partnership with a low energy irrigation company. Later he taught for four years at Kendrick High School in Agricultural Science and Technology and Speech, and then spent six years with the University of Idaho College of Agriculture, developing recruitment, retention and placement programs. While there he co-hosted a monthly TV program called Idaho Agriculture and a video series on research at the University of Idaho.

Next, Wayne became the Idaho State Tech Prep Coordinator, where he worked to develop Career Pathways, connecting high school with postsecondary education, and connecting academic and vocational education.

He spent a short time as the Alumni Director for the University of Idaho and was coaxed back into educational reform efforts by the J.A. & Kathryn Albertson Foundation. He has spent the last four years creating professional development programs for Idaho educators, as well as managing reform initiatives for the Foundation. One of these, Teaching With Technology, offers a comprehensive year-long curriculum that combines standards, teaching methods, assessments, and technology into a comprehensive professional development project. Other initiatives include Secondary Academies, Professional Technical Academies, Middle School Education, Principal Leadership Development, and Idaho's Student Information Management System.

He has been a consultant to school districts that have been looking for ways to restructure their high schools. He has a B.S. and a master’s degree from the University of Idaho in Agricultural Education.

Wayne Rush is truly a master of all trades, and an inspiration to all educators.

Dennis Small

Dennis Small has been an NCCE member for many years, and is a past member of the NCCE board of directors. He is a much admired and respected educator. He is described by colleagues as an honest, humble and hardworking leader, an intelligent and dependable problem-solver, and one of the nicest persons you will ever meet. After earning bachelor’s degrees in music and mathematics in 1978, and a master’s degree in education from Stanford University, Dennis moved to the Pacific Northwest to teach music at Charles Wright Academy in Tacoma.

In 1989 he accepted a position at the Washington State Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction where he now serves as the Educational Technology Program Manager. His hard work, leadership, and dedication to teaching and learning over the years has lead to furthering the vision of the effective use of technology for teachers and students.

Dennis has impacted technology education in his own state, and at a national level as well. His contributions include representing Washington State though the Northwest Educational Technology Consortium, chairing the Washington Educational Technology Action Committee, and at the national level, on the State Educational Technology Director’s Association. His guidance led to the development of the Washington State Educational Technology Plan, furthering of the ESD Educational Technology Support Centers and spearheading numerous projects, grants and opportunities for teachers throughout the Northwest.

Dennis Small is a quiet but staunch advocate for teachers and children, and we applaud his achievements and this award.

Georgia Talbot

Georgia Talbot is a visionary educator. She has made significant contributions to help students and teachers effectively use technology to improve student achievement.

As Technology Coordinator for the Kennewick School District she has been instrumental in advancing the vision of technology in schools. In addition to successfully writing a Gates Foundation district grant, she has organized community technology fairs, and teaches educators at City University and Washington State University. She recently initiated a Digital Divide Project in which older computer equipment was collected, loaded with software, and donated to families in the community. In recognition of this work she was awarded NCCE’s Outstanding Technology Leader of the Year in 2000.

She has contributed a great deal of time and expertise to NCCE, serving as conference hardware chair in 1992, conference co-chair in 1993, and conference program chair in 1999 and 2002. She served on the board of directors from 1993 to 1997, and was NCCE president from 1994-95. Her active involvement has continued since she left the board. Additionally, for the NCCE twenty-fifth anniversary conference, she produced a history of the organization. At the national level, she served as the workshop co-chair for the 1997 National Educational Computing Conference held in Seattle.

Georgia Talbot’s impact on educational technology has been remarkable— not only in Kennewick, but across the Northwest region and the nation.

The Making It Happen award is based upon the premise that successful integration of educational technology requires a common passion, initiative and pledge that can best be summarized by the Making It Happen “Formula of Success. “

The eight qualities of the Formula of Success describe educators who:

1. Apply available technology now
2. Move forward and don’t look back,
3. See students as real people,
4. Teach through relationships – inspire, encourage, nurture,
5. Recognize that further change is necessary, but understand that it is a process,
6. Realize that teacher empowerment is the key element to technology integration,
7. Expect success
8. Motivate through awareness and access to information.

Making It Happen honorees include classroom teachers, school principals, district superintendents, state superintendents, the Director of Education Technology at the U.S. Department of Education (John Bailey), governors and even former Secretary of Education, Richard Riley.

NCCE congratulates all of our deserving winners!