Suzanne Baker, professor of Information Technology and Computer Science (IT & CS) at Lakeland, has been named a finalist for the "IT Educator of the Year" for the Greater Cleveland Partnership's (GCP) 2020 Tech Week Best of Tech Awards.

The Mentor resident has taught in the IT & CS department at Lakeland for over 27 years including five years as the department's chair. She brought over 10 years of information technology and business experience with her to Lakeland from various positions including senior systems analyst, IT consultant and IT sales manager. She received her Bachelor of Science degree in accounting from Robert Morris University, and her Master of Education degree in eLearning from the University of Illinois.

"Lakeland is proud to employ high-quality faculty who are experts in their field," said Lakeland Provost Laura Barnard. "Our community's up and coming skilled workers and career professionals are learning from the best! We congratulate Sue on this honor."

A team of 21 judges will review nominations provided by the Northeast Ohio tech community and announce and honor winners at a later date due to the postponement of the awards ceremony that was originally scheduled for April 23.

Launched and hosted by GCP Tech and a number of community partners in 2011, Tech Week is an annual initiative to support and engage the local tech community through education and networking. The Best of Tech Awards aims to increase awareness of the IT industry in Northeast Ohio and develop new partnerships to include programming that supports entrepreneurs, executives, students, educators and other stakeholders in the field.

By: Jessica Novak