FAA Challenges

Amy McCluskey

National Institute of Aerospace, Program Coordinator

Amy McCluskey joins the NIA as a Program Coordinator, supporting the education and outreach team’s university level competitions. Amy holds a bachelor’s degree in communications with an emphasis on media studies & journalism and a minor in English from Virginia Wesleyan University. She has more than 20 years of experience in the fields of journalism, marketing, public relations and outreach. She worked at NASA Langley for 9 years, serving as a public relations lead for education and space exploration and as the outreach and communications manager for the agency’s Game Changing Development Program. She has received numerous awards and commendations for her work in print and in public affairs. In her free time, she does community theater and improv,

Stacy Dees

National Institute of Aerospace
Higher Education Programs Portfolio Manager

Stacy Dees is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP) currently serving as NIA’s Higher Education Challenges Portfolio Manager, administering several engineering design competitions for NASA, including RASC-AL, the Gateways to Blue Skies Competition, and the Breakthrough, Innovative, Game-Changing Idea Challenge. She has 20 years of experience managing federal education programs, spending a significant amount of that time administering minority-focused education programs for NASA.

Previous roles have included Acting Director of NASA’s Langley Aerospace Research Summer Scholars Program, Program Manager for the NASA RASC-AL Special Edition: Moon to Mars Ice & Prospecting Challenge, BIG Idea Challenge, Gateways to Blue Skies Competition, SMD’s FLOATing DRAGON Balloon Challenge, several FAA university challenges, and Program Manager for the NASA MAES Undergraduate Scholarship Program with the Society of Mexican American Engineers and Scientists.

In 2010, she came to NIA from the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers, where she served as the Director of External Affairs. Ms. Dees holds a Master of Arts in Christian Education from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and a Bachelor of Science Degree with honors in Industrial / Organizational Psychology from Christopher Newport University.

Shelley Spears

National Institute of Aerospace
Director, Education & Outreach

Shelley Spears is the Director of Education and Outreach at NIA. In this role, she leads program and business development, program management, and strategic initiatives and partnerships. NIA’s Education and Outreach department specializes in the development and execution of customized K-12 and university level initiatives with government, industry and academia at the national, region and state levels. She and her team are very proud and honored to administer NASA’s prestigious RASC-AL programs.

Shelley has 20 years of experience in high tech business and program management. Prior to joining NIA in 2009, she held senior management roles in with Nortel Networks, a global data networking and telecommunications corporation, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and served as a regional representative for U.S. Senator Charles S. Robb (VA). Ms. Spears is a proud alumna of James Madison University.

FAA Challenges

Challenge Finalists will be announced February 28, 2022!

Project Plan Proposals for the 2022 FAA Challenge are due on January 20, 2022.

Congratulations to the 2022 FAA Challenge Winners!

General Aviation Category

Hampton University

Emerging Operations Category

Purdue University

GRAND PRIZE WINNER

Purdue University