Longtime Oklahoma
educator and innovator, Freda Deskin, Ph.D., has been named the 2010 Career
Achievement honoree by the University of Oklahoma Jeannine Rainbolt College of
Education. Dr. Deskin will be honored this Friday night during the college’s
annual “Celebration of Education in Oklahoma.”
During the course of her education, Dr.
Deskin proved herself a genuine Sooner. She earned a bachelor’s degree in
Elementary Education, master’s degree in Secondary Education and doctoral
degree in Curriculum and Instruction, all from the University of Central Oklahoma,
where she was a National Collegiate Scholastic All-American. She also holds a
certificate in Strategic Management from Harvard University.
As a leader in education for more than 35
years, Dr. Deskin taught for 15 years at the pre-collegiate level and nine
years at the university level. She served for six years as a university dean
until founding ASTEC in 2000. She has been honored numerous times at every
level for her teaching skills and for her community commitment.
In 1978, Dr. Deskin established the Oklahoma
Odyssey of the Mind, an international program that teaches and rewards creative
problem solving. In 1985, she was selected as a finalist in NASA’s Teacher in
Space project, becoming one of only 100 individuals in the world with the
official title of U.S. Space Ambassador. In 1986, Dr. Deskin began the state’s
first aerospace summer camps. Under her leadership, the program has grown to
include outreach programs and teacher training programs throughout the state
and nation. Over the past 22 years these programs have reached tens of
thousands of participants.
Dr. Deskin is the founder and Chief Executive
Officer of the award-winning Advanced Science and Technology Education Center
(ASTEC) of Oklahoma, which boasts the first start-up charter school in the
state. ASTEC has more than 1,000 students in grades 6 through 12.
A host of education and business leaders have
recognized Dr. Deskin with awards and citations for her outstanding
contributions. She has been listed in Who’s Who in American Education, Who’s
Who in the World, Outstanding Women in America, Notable Women in
the U.S., and International Who’s Who of Professional Educators. She
was named Woman of the Year for Oklahoma by the Girl Scouts of
America and named as one of the 50 Women Making a Difference in Oklahoma.
Dr. Deskin received the Frank G. Brewer award for the Southwest Region
for outstanding contributions in aerospace education and the prestigious Byliner
award by the Oklahoma City Professional Chapter of the Association for Women in
Communication.
Dr. Deskin has been honored by numerous
organizations, including the Boy Scouts of America, Girl Scouts of America and
American Institute of Architects. She has developed programs, curriculum guides
and books for national educational organizations such as the Challenger Center
for Space Science Education, NASA, Disney’s EPCOT Center and the Experimental
Aircraft Association (EAA). Dr. Deskin has been featured in a number of
national publications including, Education Week. She has been widely
published, both in print and video.
Dr. Deskin is a member of the national and
state Women Presidents’ Organization and the International Women’s Forum. She
serves on the state’s Individuals with Disabilities Education Act Advisory
Panel. Dr. Deskin is a graduate of Leadership Norman and Leadership Oklahoma.
Recently, she was inducted into the Women in Aerospace Hall of Fame in
Washington, D.C. Past Career Achievement honorees have included the late Paul
F. Sharp, former president of the University of Oklahoma; renowned civil rights
leader and native Oklahoman, Clara Luper; and Ernest Holloway, former president
of Langston University.
Also being honored this
year are State Superintendent of Public Instruction Sandy Garrett (Award of
Distinction), the Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence (Meritorious Service),
Linda Everett, Southern Nazarene Associate Professor of Education (Outstanding
Educator) and Elgin High School English and Reading for Pleasure Teacher Janise
McIntyre (Young Educator).
