Picture of Beth Gravett, K-12 technology integration specialist, Office of Education Technology. "Employees at KDE are fun to work with! They care about what they are doing because they care about the end result, which is the kids."

Beth Gravett has worked in state government most of her professional career.

Before she joined the Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) in 2011, she was the director of the Division of System Management for the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services.

Gravett is now one of two K-12 technology integration specialists in the Office of Education Technology. She retired as an operations manager for the Customer Service Center in July 2015, but then returned to her current position in 2016.

Gravett’s job is to provide strategies to introduce new technologies, facilitate adoption, drive ease of use and ensure supportability for education technologies for schools, districts and KDE.

“Essentially, my coworker, Regina Barrett, and I work behind the scenes introducing people to the technical tools that are available,” she said. “We take time to understand their needs and try to point them to the tool(s) that best meet their needs.”

Gravett said she prioritizes ensuring each resource given to an employee is the one best suited for them and their needs.

“Because we deal with such a wide number of offices and people, it is important that the technology that we expose employees to works for them as individuals,” she said.

Gravett also has had the opportunity to play a role in the lives of students through KDE’s Student Technology Leadership Program (STLP).

In the past, she has assisted with redesigning the awards and banners for STLP. She also helps run a state STLP activity called Robot World, where students have the opportunity to challenge themselves by working with a variety of robots.

Gravett’s favorite part about working at KDE is being surrounded by dedicated individuals.

“Employees at KDE are fun to work with! They care about what they are doing because they care about the end result, which is the kids,” she said. “And when you have a whole bunch of people are doing their best to help kids, the work is fun.”

When Gravett is not aiding in STLP events or helping other KDE employees find technology tools and strategies, she enjoys photography at her home in Versailles with her dog Lucy.