Andrew Whitmire

Presentation: Teaching Youth the Importance of Project Management

Abstract: Ever wonder what your life would have been like if you had learned project management as a kid? If your answer is yes, you’re not alone. We’ve wondered – if we learned Project Management skills as life skills early on, how would that have made an impact on our lives today?

Project management skills are more than just career skills – they are life skills and they should be taught to youth so that they can take advantage of what project management tools and techniques have to offer them at earlier ages. Taking it one step further, when we teach and learn project management skills alongside creativity and innovation skills (at any age) we are effectively adding rocket fuel to how we manage projects and get ahead.

Aimee Barbagallo, PMP, Board of Trustee member at Destination Imagination, Inc. and Program Manager at T. Rowe Price, and Andrew Whitmire, PMP, Director of Strategic Partnerships & Advancement at Destination Imagination, Inc. will first share how Destination Imagination is teaching youth project management as a life skill through the support of the Project Management Institute Educational Foundation and reflect on how working with youth allowed her to better embrace her creativity and become a more effective project manager.

Key Takeaways:

  • Project management skills are life skills
  • Project management is a creative process; embracing creativity will make you a more effective project manager
  • Teaching project management skills to youth creates problem solvers, critical thinkers and collaborative team members in tomorrow’s work force

This presentation is based on a presentation that was originally presented to the Project Management Institute Educational Foundation (PMIEF) in 2019 and has been viewed 36,000 times.

PMI Talent Triangle: Power Skills


Biography: With more than a decade of experience in the educational non-profit industry, Andrew has had the privilege of serving Destination Imagination, Inc. in a variety of capacities. As the Director of Strategic Partnerships & Advancement, Andrew applies his multi-faceted business and educational background to lead the development and strategic implementation of DI’s mission and vision as it relates to forging and deepening mutually beneficial relationships with corporations, foundations and individuals. In his previous role as Associate Director of Educational Experiences, Andrew led the development and execution of Destination Imagination’s educational programming. In that time, he also led the development of kid-focused learning programs and Challenges with well-known organizations including the Walt Disney Company, the United States Air Force, 3M, National Geographic Society, Mayo Clinic Center for Innovation, Ford Motor Company, Oracle Academy, Motorola Solutions Foundation, Velcro, Volvo and many others. Andrew has also traveled all over the world to help train educators, provide keynote presentations and present at educational conferences and events on the importance of experiential and project-based learning.

Andrew is a certified Project Management Professional through the Project Management Institute and an Eagle Scout through the Boy Scouts of America. He graduated from the College of William & Mary with a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Marketing with a concentration in Accounting.