Meet Our Board of Directors
Michelle Bigler, PhD
Michelle Bigler, PhD, is an enthusiastic educator with a deep passion for all aspects of teaching and learning. She began her career as a mathematics teacher in an alternative school, which led to roles in professional development where she supported two districts in effectively integrating technology to improve learning outcomes. Following her master’s degree in educational leadership, she served as a principal and found that witnessing students thrive under the guidance of dedicated educators is among her greatest joys. Driven by a commitment to continuous growth, she earned her doctorate in Education, Equity, and Transformation while serving as an instructor and mentoring future educators at Colorado State University. Michelle is enthusiastic about the opportunities Engineering Brightness offers students to participate in philanthropic engineering and is thrilled to support its mission to merge engineering with compassion to address authentic, real-world problems.
Tracey Winey
Tracey Winey is one of the original three co-founders of Engineering Brightness. She has led the way in establishing global connections and lantern distribution and research for the program. She is currently a secondary teacher of English and Engineer at Lincoln Middle School. Tracey has been named the Fort Collins Teacher of the Month by her peers, named the regional EntrepreNerd by local high school students, named the Tackle STEM Coach of the month by The Denver Broncos, received the Allen Distinguished Educator Award by her national community, and was named the Top Global Collaborator by the International Society for Technology in Education. Tracey is a Google Certified Teacher, a Flat Classrooms Certified Teacher and a SMART Exemplary Educator. She has presented and has been published at the local, state, national, and international level. Tracey is an active global contributor in fighting light poverty, providing authentic STEM opportunities and strengthening prospective and current educators.
Mark Waldo
Mark is a inventor, entrepreneur and retired farmer and is Vice President of Africa Mercy Partners. He is active with Liberia Mercy Partners and Serve 6.8. Mark hold patents for his farm equipment inventions and now serves in the non-profit sector in northern Colorado. He is a native of Indiana.
Bob Richburg, PhD
Dr. Richburg, emeritus professor of teacher education and staff development, served with the School of Education for more than 25 years. He is known throughout the state of Colorado as an exemplary teacher. His innovations in the classroom include the development of a nationally recognized program called Project Promise, an intensive, ten and one-half month program that taught mid-career professionals how to be effective teachers. Project Promise was designated a Program of Excellence by the Colorado Commission on Higher Education and awarded $565,000 between 1993 and 1998.
Richburg’s past awards for excellence in teaching and scholarship include the 2001 College of Applied Human Sciences Outstanding Teacher Award, the Best Teacher Award in 2000 and educational leadership and innovation awards from Phi Delta Kappa. He is a native of California.
Richard Smola
Richard is Director of Engineering at Ludlum Measurements and a graduate of Texas Tech University with a degree in Electrical Engineering. He serves as a board member for the Sweetwater Municipal Auditorium, Meals-on-Wheels and American Heart Association. Richard is a member of the IEEE, Chairman of the Texas Tech Industrial Advisory Board for the College of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Working Member of ANSI standards committee, 2014 Induction into Texas Tech ECE Academy. He is a native of Texas.
John Howe
John Howe is a retired educator and the founder and former Director of the STEM Institutes hosted by Poudre School District in Fort Collins. He is a co-founder of Engineering Brightness and was a Graduate Research Assistant at Colorado State University with a research focus on broadening participation in STEM. John was recognized by the Fort Collins Rotary Club as a Paul Harris Fellow for his dedication and commitment to furthering STEM education and was the Colorado Aerospace Education Teacher of the Year. John is a recipient of the Federal Aviation Administration CO-WY Award and is a pilot and active volunteer for the Experimental Aircraft Association. John was the McDonald’s NASSP Assistant Principal of the Year for Wyoming and was a mentor for Team America Rocketry Challenge. John has published and presented at the local, state, national and international level on STEM education. He is a native of South Dakota.
