Assistant Treasurer- Harold has been active in Odyssey of the Mindâ since 1986. He has served as State and Regional Problem Captain (PA) and has served as a head judge at Worlds for 14 years. Presently Association Director for New Jersey (CUinNJ) and Secretary for Pennsylvania (CUinPA) His wife Joy has been the International Problem Captain for Spontaneous for 15 years." All four of our children have participated in Odyssey of the Mindâ as students and three of them now serve as judges and/or assistant problem captains in both PA and NJ. This program has had a powerful influence on our family!" Harold is a retired Superintendent of Schools (17 years). After a 36 year career in public education, he was employed for three years as the Director of Charter School Operations for Foundations-Inc a non-profit private educational foundation. Since 2004, he has worked as an independent consultant as the Founder and President of Synergy Educational Consultants providing technical assistance to charter schools in the Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Ohio.
Lady Lake,
Florida
International Problem Captain, Odyssey of the Mindâ Problem 4, Structure -- Dan is a retired teacher who taught for 34 years. He began working as an Odyssey of the Mind coach, and at one time worked with over 20 teams simultaneously (don't ask how he did it!). In all, he coached 210 teams, taking 13 teams to World Finals, in seven years at Woodrow Wilson Middle School, Edison, NJ. He began serving as "IPC" for Structure in 1993. Dan is retired as a Command Sergeant Major in the US Army Reserve (35 years service); he is on the Florida State Odyssey of the Mindâ Association Board. "I look forward to the day when we elect an Odyssey of the Mindâ alumnus as President of the United States!" Dan says. He started to judge in 1982. From 1987-93, he coached as many as 41 Odyssey teams in one year (don't even ask).
Michael E. Bledsoe, Ph.D. – Secretary
Membership Chair -- Head Judge, Odyssey of the Mindâ Problem 2, -- Mike has been involved in Odyssey of the Mind for 16 years, first as a coach, then Regional and State Director (California), and now as Regional and Florida State Problem Captain for Problem 2. He holds a Ph.D. in Entomology and works for Village Farms, the largest U.S. producer of Greenhouse Hydroponic Tomatoes, as the Vice President of Technology and the Corporate Environmental Health & Safety Officer. He and Janette have two children who participated in Odyssey of the Mindâ from 3rd grade through graduation, at World Finals.
Carl W. Roberts, C.P.A.
– Treasurer
Houston, Texas
Carl has been involved with Odyssey of the Mind for 17
years, beginning as a coach for his son’s fourth grade team in Colorado. He has
been an active regional and state board member in Oklahoma and Texas, serving as
a regional and state problem captain in Problem 2 and Spontaneous and as State
Treasurer in Oklahoma. Carl and his wife Lynn, a World Judge in Problem 3, have
3 children, all of whom participated in Odyssey as team members and who are
currently serving as judges and/or regional directors and a granddaughter who is
also proud to be an OMER. In his other life, he earned his C.P.A. certificate
in Oklahoma in 1973, and works as an accountant in the Oil & Gas industry. He
is currently Vice President of an O&G accounting firm in Houston, Texas.
Athelene Carter, Ed.D.
–
Director
Thomasville, North
Carolina
I am retired after
spending 32 years in the education profession as a classroom teacher, principal
and central office administrator. As an administrator I introduced the schools
to the Odyssey of the Mind Program. For 20 years I have been involved as a
regional director, tournament director, problem Captain, state director, and
judging at the regional, state and world finals. The educational experiences
offered in the Odyssey of the Mind Program are unlimited, and no other program
offer these experiences. My desire is for all students to have the opportunity
to participate.
Ron
Raab-Long
–
Director
Magnolia, Delaware
Ron has been involved with the Odyssey of the Mind
since 1990, first as a parent, and then as a coach. After that, Ron moved
on to judging in Problem 5. He has since served in every judging position,
including state Problem Captain and World Finals judge. In 2005 he judged
at three state tournaments, as well as World Finals – along with his son Ben,
the now very large kid that got him involved with OotM in the first place!
Currently Ron serves as Association Co-Director for Delaware. When he
is forced to face reality Ron works as an IT manager for a transportation company
in Dover, Delaware, and is an adjunct instructor at Delaware Technical &
Community College.
Charlotte
Griner
–
Director
Jamestown, North Carolina
Working at NASA’s Goddard Space
Flight Center in Greenbelt, MD, Charlotte was responsible for NASA’s involvement
as sponsor of an Earth Science problem in Odyssey of the Mind’s annual competitions.
After becoming familiar with the team effort, problem solving, and “thinking
outside the box” skills promoted by OotM, qualities that are much needed and
so evident in NASA employees, she recognized OoTM as an avenue to interest young
kids in becoming NASA employees of the future. As manager of outreach for NASA’s
missions to study the Earth, she and her staff provided a booth with educational
materials in the form of posters, brochures, NASA Fact Sheets, etc. to the thousands
and thousands of kids who participated in World Finals over the years, as well
as the electronic theaters that brought NASA’s powerful imagery as an educational
tool to participants in OoTM’s World Finals. NASA is still sponsoring an Earth
Science problem, but Charlotte is now semi-retired and living in Jamestown,
NC.