Phyllis Newbill
Associate Director of Educational Networks
Dr. Phyllis Newbill is the Associate Director of Educational Networks in the Center for Educational Networks and Impacts (CENI). She has been with CENI and its predecessors since 2007. Her background includes undergraduate degrees in English and geology, a master’s in environmental and engineering geosciences, and a PhD in instructional design, plus extensive experience in a rental tool store, scout camps, and community theatre. This wide range of disciplinary backgrounds helps her facilitate transdisciplinary and trans-organizational conversations. Since 2016, Phyllis has served as the liaison between Virginia Tech and the Science Museum of Western Virginia. Her liaison work at the Science Museum of Western Virginia resulted in four new exhibits of research by Virginia Tech faculty that were unveiled June 1. Research funding supported exhibit design and construction, putting Virginia Tech research and branding in front of the museum’s 60,000 annual visitors in downtown Roanoke. In her new role, Phyllis will oversee CENI’s Educator Liaison Network and grow the 4VA Statewide STEM Network, as well as continue to chair the Virginia Tech Science Festival.
Finding ways to give learners of all ages the time, space, and permission to grow.
