Moraine Park Technical College has been selected to participate in the National Applied AI Consortium’s (NAAIC) 2025-26 Mentorship Program, a national initiative connecting community colleges, industry leaders and faculty to build a strong AI talent pipeline.
The program, led by Miami Dade College, Houston Community College and Maricopa Community Colleges, works to democratize AI education by bringing cutting-edge, industry-informed teaching to the undergraduate level. Moraine Park will join a select group of colleges nationwide receiving priority access to training, resources and industry support.
“This is a great opportunity to build out our program and get access to resources that will help us create excellent content that will serve our students very well,” Joe Desiderio, dean of business, IT and AI innovation at Moraine Park said. “It also provides networking opportunities with other colleges that are going through the same process.”
Through the mentorship, Moraine Park will receive:
- Priority access to faculty development activities
- Travel stipend for NAAIC’s annual AI Summit
- Assistance to develop a local Business and Industry Leadership Team (BILT)
- Access to a repository of AI content and resources
- Direct support from industry partners for curriculum implementation
- Guidance to recruit students for the AI program
- Access to materials from Google, Microsoft and Amazon Web Services
Desiderio and Moraine Park IT instructor Ben Blacklock will represent the College in the program. They have already been paired with a mentor and will meet monthly throughout the academic year.
Learn more about Moraine Park’s AI Data Specialist program.