Robert K. Branson is the Director of the Center for Performance Technology at Florida State University, a position he has held for over twenty years. His primary professional interest is in the design and development of large-scale technology based systems in education and training. He has been principally concerned with the implementation and institutionalization of technological products and systems in large organizations.

As Principal Investigator of the Florida Schoolyear 2000 Initiative (SY2000), Dr. Branson brought a wealth of directly related experience to the process of designing an alternative model of schooling for Florida. SY2000 was concerned with designing the future by providing a technology-based approach to schooling that incorporated research-based approaches to all major functions in education, from mission planning to curriculum, to assessment and evaluation.

Dr. Branson has managed many large projects and maintains an active consulting practice in industrial psychology, particularly in marketing, technical, trade, and service occupations. Before initiating SY2000, his most recent project was the design and development of the Job Skills Education Program, a computer-based functional basic skills curriculum, comprising some 300 hours of instruction, that prepares trainees in the basic skills they will need to realize full benefit from technical training. Prior to that, he conducted the largest law enforcement job and task analysis on record for the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. Earlier, he designed and implemented a new training model for all Army and Navy training schools.

Before joining the faculty at Florida State University, Dr. Branson was a Division Manager with Litton Industries' Education Group, serving as the Director of Parks Job Corps Center. Prior to joining Litton, he was a vice president of Ranchers Exploration and Development Corporation, a venture capital and mining firm.