TSIN Welcomes Ben Di'Chiara as Relationship Manager

We are pleased to welcome Ben Di’Chiara, former CTE/STEM Director Trenton Special School District, as a Relationship Manager for the network. In this role, Di’Chiara will focus the Network’s initiatives furthering Career Exploration, Advising, and teacher externships for Workforce Development. Ben will also be the creative force behind the Statewide Design Challenge. Lastly, Di’Chiara will support the STEM Designation process, something he knows well after leading Peabody High School successfully through the designation process.

Ben began his career in education at North Side High School in Jackson, TN as a science teacher before taking a role at International Paper as a Lab Analyst. Following that, Ben spent 7 years with the Trenton Special School District (TSSD), growing in his roles as STEM grew across the district. Beginning as a Science teacher at Peabody High School (PHS), Ben soon found himself splitting his time as the PHS STEM teacher and the TSSD STEM Coordinator prior to moving into that role full time and adding Career and Technical Education (CTE) Director to his diverse list of experiences. 

While his time in the classroom certainly filled his schedule, he was also beginning a path that would spark a district-wide STEM initiative by leading PHS to STEM Designation in 2020. That is the same year he was recognized by TSIN as the Excellence in STEM Teaching award winner, a much-deserved acknowledgement. Di'Chiara spent all 7 years at PHS as an assistant football coach, with his team becoming State Champs 2018-2020.

Di’Chiara has a valuable perspective to the team by having supported network programming from the STEM Designation process to presenting at the STEM Summit to the Redesignation Task Force as a stakeholder. He reflected, “The energy, excitement, and expertise possessed by the TSIN team is contagious; it’s no wonder the impact they have had across Tennessee.” Bringing his experience from working with partnerships and his extensive knowledge of CTE, Di’Chiara offers a unique user perspective that will allow him to empathize with the educators exploring all the programs in his portfolio.

When asked about his passion for STEM education, Ben speaks to the impacts of STEM on a school’s culture. “My passion is to keep STEM learning meaningful to students and teachers,” states Di’Chiara. “STEM is a culture that is formed by the environment, people, and problem-solving mindsets we surround ourselves with.”

When he isn’t busy promoting STEM education, you can find Di’Chiara spending time with his loving wife and two creative children as they take care of their small farm animals. They are always on the go, between the gym, ball field, and living room concerts, and they always make time for a good meal together. We know that Ben is an enthusiastic advocate for STEM education and a powerful addition to the TSIN team.