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In today's rapidly evolving technology landscape, it's crucial to prepare the next generation for the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead, especially in the field of electronics. Dr. Lisa Burns is the career and technical education (CTE) coordinator at Fremont Unified School District in California, where several middle and high schools are participating in Project Lead the Way, a specialized curriculum involving partnerships among schools, industry, and higher education.
Having a career in tech before moving into education, Lisa has maintained that passion as she now works with industry partners to integrate educational curriculum with hands-on projects, mentorships, and internships. Lisa and her colleagues are just one example of the work being done by many secondary schools across the United States to ignite passion, foster innovation, and open young minds to the myriad career possibilities in electronics.
Marcy LaRont: Lisa, it’s nice to meet you. Tell me about your background.
Lisa Burns: This will be my 20th year in education, but prior to that, I spent 20 years in business and industry, working in areas ranging from inside and outside sales to marketing communication, human resources, and mergers and acquisitions. My final years working in the tech industry were with multinational technology company, Smart Modular Technologies, which is now one of our partners.
LaRont: What prompted the move into education?
Burns: I had been employed by a Fremont chip manufacturer and OEM that downsized following Sept. 11, 2001. By the end of 2002, based on where I was positioned within the organization, I could see what the future held. I accepted an exit package during an early round of layoffs and used that funding to return to graduate school because I’d always wanted to be a teacher.
While in graduate school, I substituted in all subjects and grade levels, realizing high school was where I was most comfortable. I then landed a long-term assignment teaching marketing and entrepreneurship at a high school. I had been a member of the Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) when I was in high school and wasn’t aware that the program still existed. I found my home and never looked back. I was hired into the full-time position the following year.
LaRont: For 20 years, you have focused on preparing young people for their future work lives. Tell me about your current role.
Burns: A CTE coordinator works with state and federal funding sources, ensuring that what's being taught in the classroom is relevant, timely, and includes industry partners. The courses that we teach, like marketing, entrepreneurship, finance, engineering, etc., are not just one-off electives, but part of an articulated pathway leading to higher education and the workforce.
To read this entire conversation, which appeared in the January 2025 issue of PCB007 Magazine, click here.
