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Alumni Entrepreneurs
Lydotta Taylor
For many, earning a degree in education is an opportunity to give back and the beginning of a career rooted in selflessness and compassion. For Dr. Lydotta Taylor, it was also the start to a great career as a business owner.
Taylor, a Preston County, W.Va., native, always wanted to be a math teacher. Now a three-time graduate of CEHS, her first degree led her to a teaching career in mathematics at Morgantown High School. Three years into her teaching career, Taylor was asked to teach computer science, leading her back to WVU for the second time, where she obtained her master’s in secondary education with a focus in computer science.
“I enjoyed the opportunity to take on leadership positions at Morgantown High, which quickly led to additional opportunities,” Taylor said. “I eventually became the technology coordinator for the school and was invited to work part-time with IBM as an educational instructional specialist.”
The opportunities didn’t stop there. In 1995, Taylor became the technology coordinator for Monongalia County. A year later, she was offered a position at the High-Technology Consortium in Fairmont, W.Va., as the vice president for education and workforce. Through this position, Taylor, her team and many partners developed $12 million worth of educational technology courses for the state of West Virginia.
“I loved being a teacher and seeing the impact that a teacher can have on her students, classroom and school,” Taylor said. “When the opportunity arose to make the classroom bigger, I took a leap of faith. That change has provided me with numerous opportunities to work with individuals and organizations to educate, inspire and elevate. I remain a teacher at heart and enjoy helping others learn, change and grow. This journey has been a most fulfilling experience and I continue to be passionate about helping others.”
In 2001, the consortium was refocusing and Taylor took that opportunity to stick with her true passion for education and helping others grow. Taylor knew she wanted to continue to make an impact on K-12 education in the state, so with lots of support, she gathered her team and started The EdVenture Group.
The team’s first federal grant, with Monongalia County Schools as the lead, created and supported Technology Opportunity Centers (TOCs) throughout the state of West Virginia. These centers trained residents on the technology skills necessary to be competitive in the workplace. After completing this project, Taylor knew the organization needed to expand.
Part of that expansion involved gaining expertise in corporate- and small-business-focused education. In 2009, Taylor completed the Life Success Coaching Certification. She has used this skill set with a variety of groups and corporations, and in her teaching at the collegiate level. Taylor has also taught courses in curriculum and instruction at CEHS, in leadership studies at the Eberly College of Arts & Sciences, and in the MBA, eMBA and MSIR programs at the WVU College of Business & Economics.
In 2010, Taylor expanded her work and created L-Evation in response to a growing need for customized and innovative personal and professional coaching for business. L-Evation is a Women Business Certified company and has worked with a number of corporate organizations. The company specializes in leadership, generational leadership, strategic planning, change management and organizational culture.
In addition to expanding her professional resume, Taylor began seeking innovative methods to expand The EdVenture Group’s educational reach.
“In our first few years, The EdVenture Group really focused on technology training,” Taylor said. “As skill sets grew in the technology area we needed to transition and expand our offerings to remain relevant. This is why I came back to CEHS for a third time to get my doctorate.”
Taylor graduated with her doctorate in curriculum and instruction in 2011 with a minor in STEM Professional Development. She focused her dissertation research on change-management and school culture, with the idea it would help The EdVenture Group expand its offerings and address a real need in education.
The first program following her degree was called “Who Took My Chalk?”TM (WTMCTM) and focused on ways to change and improve school culture. Taylor co-authored a book on the program with Jill Fratto titled, “Transforming Learning through 21st Century Skills: The Who Took My Chalk?™ Model for Engaging You and Your Students.” This model has been used in numerous schools and has a proven track record of success in developing administrators, teachers, and staff to promote student achievement and success.
Since its founding 16 years ago, The Edventure Group has impacted more than 20,000 students and implemented more than 5,000 workshops for students, teachers and the community.
The group continues to drive cutting-edge innovation into education environments. In 2016, The EdVenture Group received one of only 29 international Google RISE awards to bring computer science education to West Virginia’s female students. The program teaches young girls in grades 3-8 skills in coding and game design, experiences with emerging technologies such as augmented and virtual reality, and features powerful women role models in the technology industry.
“I attribute our success to our ability to remain relevant and meet the needs of multiple organizations,” Taylor said. “We remain willing to learn which has allowed us to continue to provide services to educate and help students, teachers, administrators and schools across much of the country.”