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Five years ago, we set out to build something bold: a national center that could connect students, educators, industry, and community colleges nationwide in the name of micro- and nanotechnology workforce development.
We didn’t know exactly where it would take us—but we knew it had to begin with students, with skilled faculty, and with a belief that community colleges could lead the way. That belief wasn’t just a hypothesis. It’s a reality we have helped shape—and one we plan to build on over the next five years.
Photo Caption: This photo is from the J ATE annual meeting, but it has so many of our team and partners that we decided to use it for today’s final (for this cycle) Director’s Message.
Lifting Others Up
From our earliest days, MNT-EC has been about elevating others. We’ve helped students access internships, apprenticeships, research opportunities, and real-world experiences that open doors and build confidence. Programs like AT3, MNT-CURN, and the Talking Technicians podcast have given students a platform and a pathway. We’ve also worked with educators—through mentor programs, curriculum development, and community building—to create a national ecosystem of teaching and training that supports technician education at its highest level.
Our Student Success series, launched in recent years, highlighted what we’ve always known: When you listen to students and share their voices, you validate their efforts and inspire all of us.
Let’s say that one more time for the folks in the back…
When you listen to students and share their voices, you validate their efforts and inspire all of us.
-MNT Leadership Team
A Partnership from the Start
As Billie writes:
“I received several calls back in 2019—Jared had reached out about building this center, and before I knew it, six years later, we were running it side by side.”
That first call turned into a full partnership. And what grounded us was a shared philosophy: do the real work, keep it student-centered, and make sure what we build can last. We’ve had little patience for anything less than genuine effort. When something didn’t work, we pivoted—with transparency, urgency, and a focus on what would serve our mission.
And we showed up. Whether it was lab workshops, grant deadlines, student video editing sessions, or early morning check-ins, we were committed because we believed in what we were building.
Acknowledging the Work—and the People Behind It
This progress hasn’t happened in isolation. It’s happened because of people. We want to thank the Co-Principal Investigators who helped shape this vision from day one: Mel Cossette, Peter Kazarinoff, Neda Habibi, and Greg Kepner. You can read their short bios linked just below.
To our external evaluation teams—The Allison Group and MUME Collective—thank you for helping us reflect, adapt, and grow stronger. They won an award for their amazing evaluation work: MNT-EC Evaluators Recognized Nationally.
To our partners across education and industry—your belief in technician education and your willingness to invest time, insight, and energy have made the difference. You deserve and have our deepest gratitude and appreciation.
Thank you, SEMI Foundation, Natcast, and NIICA, for your collaboration and commitment to building training pipelines that serve real workforce needs.
We’re also in awe and so completely grateful to the hundreds of community college faculty, students, and industry leaders who helped shape this center.
You can meet many of them here:
Looking Ahead
Our mission remains clear as we enter the next five-year chapter: strengthen technician education, create equitable access to opportunity, and ensure community colleges are front and center in the nation’s workforce development conversation.
- To the students: Keep applying. Keep asking questions. Keep showing up.
- To the educators: Your mentorship echoes far beyond your classroom.
- To our partners: Let’s keep building—boldly, together.
We’re just getting started.
— Jared Ashcroft, Principal Investigator
— Billie Copley, Center Manager
P.S. (from Billie) If you want to get a more profound sense of Jared’s commitment and, well, his competitiveness (Ax champion? And a link to the “Alligator story” on our MNT-EC LinkedIn page/community), read this Spotlight profile: Center Manager Notes — Partner Spotlight: Dr. Jared Ashcroft.
