The People Who Make IfEF Work

Founding Director Joe Iacuzzo has over 30 years experience as an advocate for professionals in industries as varied as medicine, banking and education. He is a co-author, working with congressional staff, of important legislation that established guidelines for assessing environmental issues in real estate transactions. As a director of the National Surgical Assistants Association, Joe helped define and implement a credentialing program for the thousands of members of that organization. His books and journal publications are widely used as guides in a number of professional fields. Joe also developed, while at Universal Pictures in the Strategic Partnership division, one of the most widely used on-line educational resources ever created with more than 22 million unique users including over 35,000 registered educators.
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Founding Director, Kathryn Dodson M.Ed., has been developing unique methodologies and programs for teaching adults and children for over 25 years. Her Contextual Foundation Learning methods are being taught to primary and secondary school educators around the United States. Kathryn developed a teaching program that has proven to be highly effective in underperforming schools. Some schools that have used this methodology have experienced academic growth as drastic as raising proficiency rates from 20% to 80% in math and reading in just two short years. Kathryn challenges preconceived concepts about education especially in underserved schools. She is an integral part of IfEF utilizing her expertise to develop educational mentorship programs for deserving children and adults. 
Founding Director Andrew Iacuzzo has been passionate about working with young people and promoting STEM learning for over two decades. He began writing about science for young people when he was a high school student, contributing to widely used web content and classroom tools. Following his time in the U.S. Navy, Andrew helped establish a school in one of the highest needs communities in the U.S. He not only spent time and energy working with the students, he helped build the classrooms for the school. Andrew has continued to follow his passion by helping guide the Alabama Science Festival.