About The Director Luversa Sullivan
Luversa Sullivan is an active woman involved in bridging the digital divide. Luversa founded her first afterschool program for youth in 1993, which has created job and educational opportunities for over 500 youth. The organizations were formed specifically to impact the lives of youth who have lost interest in the traditional educational system. Luversa is a multimedia specialist who uses robots, video, audio, and 3D animation to motivate youth to improve their skills in reading, writing, math, science and engineering. Luversa showcases the youth’s skills in annual presentations and programs at local schools.
When computers were new on the market, Luversa was experimenting with media literacy, multimedia technology, and virtual reality. She is also a Network Analyst for major businesses and schools, has taught and designed systems and curriculum for many community organizations.
Luversa is currently working on a Doctorate degree from the University of Phoenix in Educational Technology. She passionate about the constructivist and constructionist theories of Jean Piaget and Seymour Papert who are philosophers in teaching and learning. Her designed-based pedagogy allows the youth to get involved in creating meaningful artifacts for the community to learn from. Luversa is a virtual institute traveling from universities, colleges, elementary and high schools and community centers in King and Pierce counties, Chicago, New York, and Ghana West Africa. She is currently creating a new Institute in Tacoma … The Clever Discovery Center.
For over 30 years Luversa has trained people to: create digital video movies and public services announcements aired on major TV stations in the Seattle area; Build robots that compete in First Lego competitions; create interactive instructional CD ROMs and DVDs; create multimedia WebPages; to install networks (wired and wireless); use applications and programming languages; and to become leaders. She has received many awards for leadership in technology; the most recent hero award came from Senator Maria Cantwell and Hillary Clinton (Women of Valor Award).
Reporters have recognized her at the News Tribune, Seattle Times, Sunday February 27, 2000 "New Definition of Leadership". She has received numerous other awards such as the prestigious Dorothy Bullet Award for Outstanding Community Service, as well as recognition from several newspapers in coverage of her innovative children's program, which operates as a school to work program sending youth to work for Microsoft, ABCnews.com, Digital Harmony, Intel, Reliacom, City of Seattle and the City of Tacoma. Above all she is known for her model after school program The Intel Computer Clubhouse, which schools, communities and Information Technology firms such as Seattle Public Schools, Seattle Central Community College, Occupational Skills Center, Boeing, NASA (National Science Foundation), Northwest Center for Emerging Technologies (BCC), City of Seattle and the Department of Commerce Economic Development (EDA) have funded her to replicate. Partnering with the Tacoma School District her robotics peer mentoring program is now in three middle and three high schools.
Luversa explores ways in which Interactive Distance Learning can be globally accomplished, to promote equal access to learning over the Internet using satellites and telephone connections. She is currently designing a Computer Clubhouse in Ghana West Africa. The many successes of her youth is a testament to the success of her programs.
