Darek Potter

Dr. Darek W. Potter has served as Director of the Millard Oakley STEM Center at Tennessee Tech University since 2018. He leads initiatives that expand STEM learning opportunities for students, educators, and communities across the Upper Cumberland region through outreach, educational programs, and collaborative partnerships. He also serves as an Associate Professor in the Department of Exercise Science, teaching undergraduate research methods and doctoral-level quantitative inquiry.

Potter's work draws on extensive experience in engineering, education, and research. His engineering career spanned more than 20 years and included founding and leading an engineering firm in Pennsylvania, which he later sold. He has taught engineering at Penn State and York College, as well as high school science, mathematics, and engineering in rural Upper Cumberland school districts. He has served as principal investigator or co-principal investigator on more than 25 externally funded awards, including a $9.55 million U.S. Department of Education GEAR UP grant to expand college access and readiness for students in the Upper Cumberland region.

Dr. Potter earned his Ph.D. in Exceptional Learning, with a concentration in Program Planning and Evaluation, from Tennessee Tech University. He also holds master’s degrees in STEM Education and Exercise Science from Tennessee Tech and a master’s degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering from Vanderbilt University. His research interests include STEM education, artificial intelligence, exercise science, and improving educational opportunities and outcomes for rural populations.

Degrees and Certifications

• PhD, Program Planning and Evaluation, Tennessee Tech University
• MS, Civil Engineering, Vanderbilt University
• MA, STEM Education, Tennessee Tech University
• MA, Exercise Science, Tennessee Tech University