In the fall of 1999, Dan teamed with Aimee Zerla and Mark Glasper of the American Ceramics Society and Lisa Huelskamp of Westerville City Schools to move the event from pilot to program status and recruited more schools and judges to participate. Mark Farrell was also there to help lead the way.
The program has grown in popularity with Ohio often enrolling the record number of school registrations for the nation. A strongly committed Steering Committee collaborating with highly motivated and dedicated students, teachers, and engineer mentors lead the way to future successes.
In 2005, we received a special honor. See press release below:
2005 Organization of the Year Award
as selected by
Environmental Education Council of Ohio (ECCO)
In addition to exhibiting at two
Environmental Education Council of Ohio (EECO) conferences, the Future City
Competition - Ohio Region received the 2005 Organization Award at EECO’s annual
awards ceremony March 19, 2005 in Marietta.
This award and information about the Future City Competition is being
publicized in the EECO newsletter that reaches 1800 school contacts and 400 nonformal environmental educators around the state. In addition, Ohio Region competition dates
and deadlines are featured in EECO’s statewide online searchable database of
environmental education resources and calendar of events, at http://www.eeco-online.org/calendar.html

Lisa Huelskamp accepts the Environmental Education Council of Ohio’s 2005 Organization Award from Carolyn Watkins.
In 2007-08, our Ohio team helped us celebrate
our 10th anniversary by earning first place at the National Finals
in DC. It was a very proud moment for all of us and speaks to the level of
dedication of our teachers, students, families, schools, engineers, and
committee members. The following year, Ohio made national history as the first
Region where the students earned 1st place at nationals two
consecutive years in a row!
In April of 2010, Peggy Panagopoulos- Flaherty, Direct
Account Manager at ITT Industries, Inc., took the reigns as the Ohio Regional
Coordinator and leads the way to another successful Future City chapter.