Lillie Baker Small, Ed.S

 Lillie Baker Small, Ed.S., completed her Education Specialist degree in Educational Leadership Graduate Education at Liberty University and is currently writing her first book, “ Theory to Practice: STEM Project-Based Learning in the Classroom.” Ms. Small is currently researching the national epidemic of underrepresented minorities in STEM careers in the administration and supervision doctoral program at Liberty University. She is a former science teacher of 6 years at Martinsville City Public Schools and employed as a STEM lead teacher and mentor for 3 years at the 2nd largest school district in the State of Florida before becoming a National Educational Consultant. She has been a licensed educator in the State of North Carolina, Virginia, and Florida for a total of 18 years. She is the founder of Elite Entrepreneur Empowerment Foundation, Incorporated since August, 2022. Elite Entrepreneur Empowerment Foundation, Incorporated’s mission is to empower entrepreneurs to build an uncommon company and encourage the mindset of entrepreneurship. Her vision as CEO and President is to encourage school systems to embrace maker spaces for young entrepreneurs.

Ms. Small was chosen from an administrative panel in the Broward County, FL school system where she taught for 3 years to write an engineering program for a 4th/5th grade split utilizing "Engineering is Elementary” a curriculum developed by the Museum of Science, Boston. She also incorporated other engineering programs such as “A World in Motion” and NASA Vex Robotics, in the elementary and middle school arena. As a national consultant, she is a differentiated instruction and classroom management national trainer at the Center for Teacher Effectiveness (CTE). She emphasizes the 5 E's of project-based learning: engage, evaluate, explore, explain and elaborate as key components for teachers to practice as instructional teaching strategies. In November, 2017, Ms. Small was the Danville Pittsylvania County Chamber of Commerce Foundation recipient of the 2017-2018 Teacher Creativity Grant in which she launched Danville Engineering Experience Partnership (D.E.E.P). Engineering summer camps were held at the Institute of Advanced Learning and Research (I.A.L.R) in Danville, Virginia for K-12 students in the Danville, Pittsylvania County and Caswell County area. 

     Elite Educator, LLC Institute of Research and Development was launched on January 2, 2013, after completion of the entrepreneurship program at the Martinsville Chamber of Commerce and Martinsville and Henry County Economic Development Center. Ms. Small currently writes grants and assists small businesses with organizational development and strategic advisory and analysis services. She has also successfully assisted teachers with classroom strategies to improve student mastery. She is currently preparing for journal publication with the Public Library of Science journal, the manuscript is titled, “The Importance of Participating in STEM Undergraduate Research Experience Programs for Underrepresented Minorities: A Literature Review."