Dr. Vicki Rainey is a native of Dyersburg, Tennessee. She received her B.S. in Secondary Education from the University of Tennessee– Martin (1968), an M.S. in Mathematics from the University of Mississippi (1970), a Ph.D. in Higher Education (mathematics concentration) at the University of Mississippi (1979), and an M.A. in Counseling from Amberton University (2001). In November of 1980, Dr. Rainey left West Tennessee to work as a software engineer for E-Systems, a small defense company in the suburbs of Dallas, Texas. In 22 years at the Texas location, including acquisition by the defense giant Raytheon, she rose to the rank of Director, Software Engineering responsible for the management and technical direction of up to 850 engineers. As Director, Software Engineering, Dr. Rainey worked with several universities to aid in the coordination of industrial needs and academic curricula. She was also active in the efforts to integrate engineering concepts into other academic areas through sponsoring of transdisciplinary education. Dr. Rainey presented her ideas through publications, national presentations, international presentations, and development of societies and academies to further these ideas After completing her counseling degree and “retiring” from Raytheon to return home, Dr. Rainey was hired as an instructor of developmental mathematics at Dyersburg State Community College.