KEEN Rising Stars

Instilling entrepreneurial mindset


Congratulations to Kaitlin Mallouk, Erin Henslee, and Jennifer O'Neil, our 2022 KEEN Rising Stars!


Learn more about these engineering educators making a substantial difference in entrepreneurial engineering education.


Meet the 2022 Rising Stars



500_KaitlinMallouk.pngKaitlin Mallouk, Assistant Professor, Rowan University


Kaitlin continuously innovates her pedagogy to improve student experiences, and explores best practices for developing future engineers.


Read Kaitlin's story.





500_ErinHenslee.pngErin Henslee, Assistant Professor, Wake Forest University


Erin builds connections to people first, then ideas, through creating impact for others and instilling continuous learning and curiosity.


Read Erin's story.





500_JenONeil.pngJennifer O'Neil, Assistant Professor, Rochester Institute of Technology


Jen helps students build upon their curiosity and realize their love of learning by integrating EML into the learning experiences she creates.


Read Jen's story.



About the Award


IMG_KEENRisingStar2022.pngTo help celebrate and recognize faculty achievement, you can nominate individuals from a KEEN Partner school with fewer than 10 years of experience as a faculty member for the KEEN Rising Star Award each year. The KEEN Awards Committee reviews the Campus KEEN Rising Star nominations using the evaluation rubric.

The award goes to the faculty members' institutions, recognizing these individuals who have gone above and beyond to equip undergraduate engineers to create personal, economic, and societal value through the entrepreneurial mindset.

Nominations are currently closed.



The 2021 KEEN Rising Stars


Heath LeBlanc, Reva Johnson, and Andrew Sloboda were our 2021 KEEN Rising Stars. Learn how they are making a substantial difference in entrepreneurial engineering education.


500_HeathLeBlanc.pngHeath LeBlanc, Associate Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Ohio Northern University


The entrepreneurial mindset and value creation have become the heart of who Heath is.


Read Heath's story.





500_RevaJohnson.pngReva Johnson, Associate Professor, Valparaiso University


Reva creates value through storytelling with humanity at the center, and seeks to find the answer to, "Why might my students care about this concept?"


Read Reva's story.





500_AndrewSloboda.pngAndrew Sloboda, Assistant Professor, Bucknell University


Andrew thinks of his students as clients, guiding them to manage issues like ambiguous data, competing goals, and diverse stakeholders.


Read Andrew's story.



The 2020 KEEN Rising Stars


Cristi Bell-Huff, Blake Hylton, and Cheryl Bodnar were our 2020 KEEN Rising Stars. Read their stories to see how they're making a substantial difference in entrepreneurial engineering education.


500_CristiBellHuff.pngCristi Bell-Huff, Lecturer and Director of Faculty and Student Training, Georgia Institute of Technology


Cristi has helped countless engineering students acquire entrepreneurially minded skills which they can use for the rest of their lives.


Read Cristi's story.





500_CherylBodnar.pngCheryl Bodnar, Associate Professor, Rowan University


Cheryl helps faculty create unique experiential and entrepreneurial learning opportunities throughout the clinic-based engineering curriculum.


Read Cheryl's story.





500_BlakeHylton.pngBlake Hylton, Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering; Coordinator, First Year Engineering Experience, Ohio Northern University


Blake helps students look beyond easy answers, persist through false starts and failures, and make connections across multiple disciplines.


Read Blake's story.



The 2019 Rising Stars


Amy Trowbridge, Sarah Wodin-Schwartz, and Justin Henriques were our 2019 KEEN Rising Stars. Learn about their work with the entrepreneurial mindset and how they are helping students understand that the world is much greater than their campus.


500_AmyTrowbridge.pngAmy Trowbridge, Senior Lecturer and Director, Grand Challenge Scholars Program, Arizona State University


Amy provides her students with the tools to make a sustainable, built environment that meets our societal needs.


Read Amy's story.





500_SarahWodinSchwartz.pngSarah Wodin-Schwartz, Assistant Teaching Professor, Worcester Polytechnic Institute


Sarah puts people, purpose, and social impact of engineering at the center of her classes, helping graduates create real value.


Read Sarah's story.





500_JustinHenriques.pngJustin Henriques, Associate Professor, James Madison University


Justin is a role model for faculty and a mentor for students, helping them hone their entrepreneurial mindset.


Read Justin's story.