Summary
Lea Smith is an experienced STEM educator and community-focused maker who has led Essex High School’s STEM Academy for over a decade, designing programs that connected 145 students and 13 faculty with local industry and hands-on learning. With a background in physics (MS, UC Irvine) and early-career process engineering at semiconductor firms, she brings deep technical roots to K–12 curriculum, including mobile app and internship courses that introduce students to real-world tech careers. Currently she pairs waterfront work as Sage Staff at Lake Champlain Community Sailing Center with freelance sports and regatta photography, blending technical instruction, mentorship, and creative practice. Known for running a Flutter workshop series for high schoolers, she translates modern development tools into accessible learning experiences. Her career reflects an unusual combination of lab-grade process rigor, classroom leadership, and outdoor teaching that consistently furthers community partnerships and student opportunity.
10 years of coding experience
10 years of employment as a software developer
BS, Physics, BS, Physics at University at Albany
MS, Physics, MS, Physics at University of California, Irvine
German