In a profession that sees a lot of fast turnover and high private-sector salaries, Jim Adams has been a dedicated public employee for much of his professional life. As a technical sales representative, he installed some of the first microcomputer labs in Fayette County Schools, and after a stint with Lexington/Fayette Urban County Government, he joined the FCPS Department of Technology in 1993, when that department was quite small. Jim left to manage the computer networks for Saint Joseph's Hospital in 1996, but returned the following year, and became the first school LAN Service Technician (for Paul Laurence Dunbar High School), serving as a model for the creation of that position in the other high schools two years later. Although now site based, his extensive abilities cause him to be tapped regularly as a primary source for technical knowledge and advice for the rest of the district.

Despite his technical responsibilities, Mr. Adams is also very involved in the students at Paul Laurence Dunbar. He is a co-sponsor of the Student Technology Leadership Program (STLP), where he has been an advocate for inclusive membership in STLP across academic and ability barriers. He regularly brings students to the annual Kentucky Teaching and Learning Conference (KTLC) in Louisville, where they frequently provide key computer network and technology support. Under his tutelage, Dunbar's STLP chapter became the first in Fayette County to be recognized by the state Department of Education as an STLP Gold School.

Jim, a Lexington native, lives in town with his wife of 18 years, Laura Brooks Adams.

Cathy is one of the veterans of the Instructional arm of the Office of Technology. Her focus has recently been the use of on-line resources and technology in the support of literacy, and to that end developed and manages the TALK and Literary Book Club pages, two important Fayette County web resources. She also coordinates on-line professional development through the Kentucky Virtual High School system, and supports the use of technology at The Academy at Lexington.

Ms. Brandt is a former Hoosier, born and raised in the small town of Bright, Indiana, and graduating from East Central High School there. She holds a Bachelors in Bible and Deaf Education from The Cincinnati Bible College, and a Masters in Special Education from the University of Cincinnati. She taught the hearing impaired for 12 years in Fayette County, first at Ashland Elementary, then at Rosa Parks Elementary, joining the Technology Office staff in 1998. She also teaches classes for Connected University, a division of Classroom Connect, a commercial site offering classroom support and professional development for teachers. Cathy has spoken and presented at an impressive list of workshops and conferences across and beyond the state, including workshops and sessions at the Kentucky Teaching and Learning Conference.

Cathy's family includes two sets of parents (one home in Indiana, the other here in Wildcat Country - "It takes more than one set to raise me!"), a sister, a brother-in-law, two nieces, two great nephews, and one great niece. Besides watching sports, she enjoys bridge and spades, which she plays on line as well as "live." Ms. Brandt lives in Lexington with her dog Sashay.