Alka Tyle
STEM Program Development
Alka Tyle has extensive experience and demonstrated success in the development and management of STEM programs and projects for K-12 education. She is recognized as a real visionary for STEM education and as a strategically focused catalyst for change in STEM-based initiatives in schools. Her diverse background combines a strong technical skill set with the ability to motivate people and work effectively across all levels of an organization. She initiated and led community-wide grassroots STEM projects impacting several thousand individuals. Her proactive hands-on, culturally sensitive, global-based approach fosters active partnerships that enhance programs for the benefit of participants and community stakeholders. She delivers positive results for the organizations she supports.
Ms. Tyle is experienced in the planning, execution and evaluation of innovative K-12 STEM projects from inception to conclusion. She has demonstrated strong leadership and a strategic focus to foster real change in the education environment to prepare students for global success. She incorporates data-driven decision-making and real-time monitoring throughout implementation to maintain the essential focus on the desired performance objectives of the STEM program. She is a competent leader with experience in areas of hiring, training, delegating and applying strategies and methods to motivate team members. She is responsive to the needs of sponsors and is quick to build rapport with key stakeholders. She is always committed to involve stakeholders in each phase of a STEM initiative to achieve and maintain community-wide support for the program. In previous engagements, she led or supported programs described below.
She was the Founder and Chair of the Naperville, Illinois School District 204 STEM Project. She introduced STEM practices in schools at all levels. She established alliances with an extensive set of participating organizations (universities, colleges, corporations, etc.), service providers, and more than 50 volunteers. She is proficient in conducting assessments of the needs in STEM education and to design activities to address gaps in student knowledge and skills. She established a STEM 204 Parent Group and formed topical research clubs and pre-engineering programs in all high schools. Alka has developed many first-time STEM events for middle schools and high schools by leveraging volunteers, experts, services, and available funds, while working with teachers, administrators, and parent organizations. She has proven success in increasing access to informal STEM education, such as outside-school programs and internships.
Ms. Tyle served as Vice President of the Board of Education for Illinois Indian Prairie School District 204. Indian Prairie is the third largest district in Illinois with 29,000 students. In this capacity, she led a focus on 21st Century Skills for the district. She cultivated positive relationships with administrators and principals to gain their support for STEM programs. Alka demonstrates a continual commitment for communication with stakeholders about district successes, challenges, and the changing needs of students and educators.
Alka served as the Project Manager, for the Indian American Nonprofit Policy Organization of Carol Stream, Illinois. As Manager, she initiated and directed projects including a 5-month long initiative with 50 team members to gain community support for new innovative programs. She represented the nonprofit as a delegate for the first high-level U.S. congressional and business delegation to India.
Ms. Tyle was the past Director and School Board Liaison of the Indian Prairie Education Foundation from Aurora, Illinois. She served as the Vice-Chair for the Illinois Association of School Boards, DuPage County Division. Ms. Tyle holds a Master of Science in Computer Science from Rutgers University and a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from the University of Melbourne, Melbourne Australia.