Stephen Portz is a nationally recognized leader in STEM Education and an Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellow. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Technology and Engineering Education from Brigham Young University, as well as a Master’s Degree in Vocational Programs Administration from the University of Central Florida. He is Nationally Board Certified in Career and Technical Education.

Steve gained his first industrial experience working as a thermal protection mechanic on the Space Shuttle Orbiter Columbia.  Since that time, Portz has kept his technical skills current by working for NASA and its various contractors performing engineering design work on various space flight systems.  He has engineering design experience working for Harris Corp, Rockwell, USBI, Lockheed Martin, United Space Alliance, Space Gateway Support, Johnson Controls, and Knights Armament Corp. 

Portz is a recipient of the FLATE Florida Advanced Technological Education Center’s Manufacturing Educator of the Year. In 2013, Portz was selected as an Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellow and placed at the National Science Foundation Computer Information and Engineering Directorate. In this capacity, he worked to stimulate innovative research in cybersecurity education, embedded systems, and to promote computer science K-12 educational initiatives.

In 2015, Steve worked on the NAEP (National Assessment of Educational Progress) Technology and Engineering Literacy Standard Setting Committee - Participating in the first national assessment in technology and engineering literacy.

In 2016, Portz started a robotics, engineering and mechatronics program at a private school located in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. While there, Steve provided engineering design support for the school’s CubeSat Program where their team successfully launched two different Satellites on Falcon 9 rockets.

Most recently, Mr. Portz was chosen to participate in the USTPO (United States Patent and Trademark Teacher Institute), in Washington, DC. Having developed an industrial design class at the middle school level, the only known program of its kind, Portz believes passionately in the democratization of product design and inventing, by giving students access to 3D design tools and printing and teaching inventive and innovative thought.

His most recent article, The Monkey on our Backs - Teaching Students to be Effective Problem Solvers in an Information on Demand Society published in the ITEEA (International Technology and Engineering Education Journal), was chosen as the best peer reviewed article of 2025.