TAB Education Partners

11/02/2026

This is our co-founder doing what she loves. On a side note….Toby was an early developer of the Sea Perch program in K-12 education. She led her first workshop in 2007.

24/01/2026

Meet our Co-Founder....Toby Bothel

Executive Vice-President for Engineering and Digital Fabrication

Toby graduated in 1979 with a Bachelor’s degree in Physics from Cornell University, and joined the staff of the Naval Surface Warfare Center in Carderock, Maryland, the U.S. Navy’s prime experimental facility for testing the hydrodynamic designs of ship and submarine models. She received her Master’s Degree in Ocean Engineering from the George Washington University in 1987. For the 34 years, she led model-scale and full-scale experiments aimed at measuring the flow around surface ships and submarines. From 2007-2014, Toby directed the National Defense Education Program’s K-12 STEM Outreach effort at Carderock, engaging fifty lab STEM professionals in bringing authentic engineering projects to local school districts.

Toby retired from the Naval Surface Warfare Center in 2014 and joined TIES where she leads a Digital Fabrication team of Fab Lab designers and installers, Fab content developers, and educator professional development trainers. Toby also leads TIES’ work with the Defense STEM Education Consortium, including the deployment of a Mobile STEM-on-the-Go Digital Fabrication Van.

Toby and her husband Bob live near Tarcoles, Costa Rica. When she is not working, she loves ocean kayaking, birdwatching, exploring the biodiversity of Costa Rica, and spending time with her two grandchildren.

I Bet You Didn’t Know
Toby is a dragon boat paddler. She has paddled on two breast cancer survivor teams in Washington, DC and Akron, Ohio, and has created Costa Rica’s first dragon boat team for breast cancer survivors and survivors of other cancers.

What I Love About My Job
I love working for TIES because I have the chance to collaborate with an amazing team of colleagues and to work closely with teachers who care deeply about their profession and want to share their passion for teaching with their students.

A Transforming Moment
During the last seven years of her time at the Naval Surface Warfare Center, Toby served as Carderock’s STEM Outreach Coordinator, leading a team of engineers and scientists to bring authentic engineering experiences to K-12 students in the local community. Now working with TIES, a STEM partner in the Defense STEM Education Consortium, Toby is co-leading a Community of Practice for STEM Outreach Coordinators, working with some of the same Coordinators as she collaborated with seventeen years ago!

13/05/2022

This is an amazing opportunity to bring a transdisciplinary, standards-based STEM programs to schools and communities!
Please comment if you would like more information.

08/03/2021

Co-Founder of TAB Education Partners.

Interested in a next-gen job with a Cybersecurity career? Need to fill high-impact, specialized positions. Chart your course - here!

17/12/2020

TAB Education Partners founder, Toby Ratcliffe Bothel.

Toby Bothel is the director of engineering, design and fabrication at TIES, a STEM education consultancy. In that role she helps students develop essential STEM skills for success.

23/09/2020

Congratulations to Lisa Minnick.

The Society of Women Engineers is just one of many organizations to adjust plans for their annual conference in the wake of the spread of Coronavirus.Normally, there is an awards banquet to honor the

25/08/2020

Join Toby and others for this exciting event. Register for free by following the link.

🎶 Learn the math behind today's biggest radio songs so you can play them! Join us for our Back to School STEM Adventure on Sept. 10. https://www.nms.org/families?utm_source=social&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=Summer%20STEM%20Adventure

18/03/2020

TIES announces the launch of STEM@Home™, a virtual collection of resources, webinars and workshops intended to support families with maintaining learning for their children while schools and out-of-school programs and activities are suspended. Read more here. Webinar #1: Cabin Fever Math! Thursday...