Staff Bios

Traci J. Buckner, the Instructional Leader, is charged with implementing the vision of The National Inventors Hall of Fame School (NIHF) Center for STEM Learning. With over 10 years of experience as an educator, six years of marketing and sales experience, and a firm belief that children must always come first, she is uniquely prepared to fulfill this mission.

Before beginning her career in the Akron Public School system, Mrs. Buckner worked in corporate America as a marketing and sales representative. Her ability to get things done in efficient and thrilling ways has always been one of her greatest strengths. After gaining valuable skills in the business world, Mrs. Buckner felt compelled to use her strengths to impact what she saw as a more meaningful bottom line – the education of young people.

Upon completing her Master’s degree in education from John Carroll University, Mrs. Buckner went to work in a language arts classroom at Innes Middle School. It did not take long for educational leaders to recognize her talent for teaching and motivating young people; she was quickly promoted to an administrative position.

Mrs. Buckner served as dean of students at Innes and assistant principal at Litchfield and Perkins middle schools before becoming the building principal at Riedinger Middle School. While at Riedinger, her leadership efforts have resulted in the establishment of numerous new community partnerships, as well as in Riedinger’s local report card improvement in 2006 from Academic Watch to Continuous Improvement.

Mrs. Buckner sits on several district committees including the Local Professional Development Committee, the Educational Management Information System team, and the Standards and Appraisal Committee. She has also represented the district at local and national conferences, presenting recently on strategies for strengthening intra-school system collaboration.

In addition to her Master’s degree, Mrs. Buckner holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication with an emphasis on Marketing from The Ohio State University and an instructional leadership administrative certificate from Ashland University.

Mrs. Buckner has a heart for public service. She is an active member of the Arlington Church of God where she serves on the Leadership Council and of Delta Sigma Theta, a public service sorority. Through the Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, she has helped facilitate programs that expose teenage girls to career and cultural activities.

Mrs. Buckner is married to Tobin Buckner, an Akron native and graduate of the Akron Public Schools. They have two sons.

Maryann Wolowiec, Project Manager, is managing the creation of the National Inventors Hall of Fame School... Center for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Learning with a vision to:
Provide the highest quality education experience for students that ensures creativity and inventive thinking through a focus on science, mathematics and technology.

Mrs. Wolowiec’s experience is drawn from work in private and public sectors. She began her career as a teacher and then took her interests to the pharmaceutical industry where she worked as a chemical information scientist and consultant for a pharmaceutical company. 

She returned to education because of her passion for children and public education. Mrs. Wolowiec pursued a graduate degree in curriculum and instruction becoming a math specialist. During her studies, she focused on how people learn mathematics and changed her teaching practices to a focus on student learning. She put that focus into practice teaching high school science and with her university undergraduate and graduate teaching. She served ten years as an administrator, including the superintendency, at a high achieving PreK-12 public school district. She also led a local P-16 initiative that focused on increasing the number of students pursuing college and/or post secondary training.

During her years as an educator and administrator, Mrs. Wolowiec led and participated in many curricular and leadership initiatives. An elementary math curriculum change process, led by Mrs. Wolowiec, was recognized by COMAP, the Consortium for Mathematics and Its Application, a National Science Foundation supported organization.  Recent leadership initiatives included work with Case Western Reserve University Weatherhead School of Management on Teacher Leadership Academies.

Mrs. Wolowiec earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Chemistry from St. Mary’s College, Notre Dame, and a Masters Degree from Kent State University in Curriculum and Instruction, Math Specialist, along with further graduate studies in mathematics, science and leadership.

Mrs. Wolowiec believes that we have the responsibility to assure all students aspire, have access and attain the education that prepares them with the knowledge and experiences needed to make choices for their futures.