COP 2023--CTECS' 50th Anniversary
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Agenda
September 13–15, 2023
Atlanta, Georgia
The American Hotel, a DoubleTree by Hilton
Atlanta Downtown
160 Ted Turner Drive, N.W.
Atlanta, GA 30303 | 678-686-3324
Wednesday, September 13: 8:30 a.m.–4:00 p.m.
- “Building the Talent Pipeline,” Welcome, Introductions, Meeting Purpose & CTECS Overview: 8:30–9:15 a.m.
- Keynote Speaker Introduction, Ken Potthoff
- “CTE Today,” Keynote, Dr. Alexia Rolle, Dean, CTE, Miami Dade College: 9:15–10:00 a.m.
- “Nevada Initiatives,” Craig Statucki and Huda Hassan, NDOE: 10:00–10:30 a.m.
- “South Carolina Initiatives,” Dana Depew, SCDE: 10:45–11:00 a.m.
- “South Carolina DIRECT Teacher Training Program,” Dr. Zoraida Haigler, Program Coordinator, SCDE: 11:00–11:45 a.m.
- “The Virginia Project and WRS Curriculum,” Kevin Reilly, VA, and Darren Morris, CTECS: 12:45–1:15 p.m.
- “Mater East Middle and High School (Nevada) Success with WRS,” Gabi Torres and Eduardo Flores, NV: 1:15–1:45 p.m.
- “Georgia Supply Chain Accelerator,” Richard Andrews, Exec. Dir. of Advanced Manufacturing, Georgia Piedmont Technical College (GPTC): 1:45–2:15 p.m.
- “Maine Initiatives,” Joe Haney, MDOE: 2:30–2:45 p.m.
- “A Little CTECS History,” Dr. Ron McCage, CTECS Emeritus: 2:45–3:30 p.m.
6:00–9:00 p.m. the CTECS 50th Anniversary Celebration
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Thursday, September 14: 8:15 a.m.–5:00 p.m.
- “Kentucky Initiatives,” Dr. Beth Hargis, Mary Taylor, and Tom Thompson, KDOE: 8:30–9:15 a.m.
- “Navigating the Technical College System of Georgia,” Dr. Kathryn Hornsby, TCSG: 9:15–9:45 a.m.
- “Idaho Initiatives,” Clay Long, Chet Andes, and Heather Luchte, IDCTE: 9:45–10:30 a.m.
- “New States’ Matters,” Panel: Marci Johnson, IL, Ruth Durkee, VT, Breezy Guiterrez, NM: 10:45–11:45 a.m.
- “TVET Linkages with VTECS/CTECS,” David Fretwell: 12:15–12:45 p.m. (lunch presentation)
- “First Steps: Understanding the World of Work,” Amy Brown and Tyler Garcia, West Ada Middle School, ID: 12:45–1:15 p.m.
- “2951 Reasons for Chesterfield County’s Renewed Focus on Workplace Readiness Skills,” Chad Maclin and Georgia Kasper, CCPS, VA: 1:15–1:45 p.m.
- “Closing the Academic–CTE Gap,” Gene Bottoms, 1:45–2:30 p.m.
- “Key Challenges,” Panel: Dr. Alexia Rolle, Mary Taylor, Tiffany Townsend, and Chad Maclin: 2:45–3:45 p.m.
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Friday, September 15: 8:00 a.m.–2:00 p.m.
Tour: National Center for Civil and Human Rights
- “Making a Workforce Difference,” Katrina Hawkins, DJH Express, and Tiffany Townsend, Ship Black, TX: 11:00–11:45 a.m.
- “Adult Education,” Melissa Zervos, Manhattan Strategy Group, MD: 12:00–12:45 p.m. (lunch presentation)
- “Recap and Closing Remarks,” CTECS: 12:45–1:00 p.m.
List of Participants
- Chet Andes, M. Ed., Assistant Director of Program Quality, Idaho Division of Career Technical Education, has over 20 years of experience in education as a teacher and administrator. He has worked at a variety of levels, including middle school, high school, community college and a state agency.
- Richard Andrews is Executive Director of Advanced Manufacturing Partnerships at Georgia Piedmont Technical College. With over 7 years of experience in the technical college system, he specializes in Industrial System controls and Industry 4.0 and works hard to provide top level training to manufacturing companies.
- Gene Bottoms has been a teacher and principal in the Georgia Department of Education, Executive Director of ACTE, Senior VP of SREB, and is the author of the book, “Tomorrow’s High School,” which he uses with high schools to help connect CTE and academics. For doctoral students who share this focus, he established the Bottoms Family Support Fund at UGA.
- Amy Brown, CTE Curriculum Coordinator, West Ada School District, Idaho, started her career as a Family and Consumer Science high school teacher for twelve years, then spent time as an instructional coach in alternative secondary programs before transitioning to coaching for Grades 6-12 CTE teachers throughout the Ada School District.
- James R. (Bob) Couch, Ed.D., Former Chair of the CTECS Board, and President, Educational Innovation Group, Clemson, South Carolina, is a longtime educator, including within the K-20 system on the state, national, and international levels. His work includes building two model state and national secondary technical education centers. He serves as a member of the SC Education Oversight Committee.
- Dana Depew, Education Associate, Office of Career and Technical Education/Student Transitions Services, South Carolina Department of Education, is a former Business educator of 18 years and serves as the program manager for the Business, Finance, and Marketing Cluster Programs. She also facilitates and coordinates statewide technical skills assessments and works with her program team to develop or revise CTE course standards.
- Ruth Durkee, JD, State Director of Career Technical Education, Vermont Agency of Education (since 2020), worked for 15 years previously as a CTE center administrator and was the MOA and Civil Rights Coordinator at the Agency of Education.
- Eduardo Flores, CTE teacher specializing in Hospitality and Tourism, holds accreditation in the revised Hospitality and Tourism Standards applicable to the State of Nevada. Additionally, Eduardo has assumed the responsibilities of a Middle School and Elementary Athletic Director.
- David Fretwell, Ph.D., CEO Scarcliffe Associates—international workforce development—is a founding and current Board member of International Vocational Education and Training Association (IVETA) and the International Center for Career Development and Public Policy (ICCDPP).
- Tyler Garcia, CTE Instructional Consultant, West Ada School District, Idaho, has been an educator for seven years with a background of teaching ELA and CTE courses. He served on the task force to build Next Steps Idaho curriculum that helped Career Discovery 8th Grade become an Idaho requirement.
- Breezy Gutierrez, College and Career Readiness Bureau Director, New Mexico Public Education Department, holds a Masters and post-degree certification from Eastern New Mexico University, an Associate’s Degree from DACC/NMSU, and completed a Fellowship with Stanford University. She is very passionate about creating and providing opportunities for all students around New Mexico.
- Dr. Zoraida Haigler, PhD, DPC, NBCT, GCDF, is a consultant who assesses organizational needs to design and deliver training/workshops or special programs to meet the needs of businesses, educational stakeholders, and communities.
- Joe Haney is an Education Specialist with Maine Department of Education, Career and Technical Education.
- Beth Hargis, Ed.D., Associate Commissioner, Kentucky Department of Education, holds an M.A. in Teaching and Educational Leadership and an Ed.D. in Leadership. Hargis served as a Business and Marketing Teacher, Principal of an Area Technology Center (ATC), an ATC Regional Supervisor, and a KDE Division Director, now with 22 years in education.
- Huda Hassan is an Education Programs Professional at the Office of Career Readiness, Adult Learning and Education Options for the Nevada Department of Education.
- Katrina Hawkins, MBA, Founder/Director, DJH Express National Training Academy (www.djhexpresstraining.org), is an advocate for community engagement and workforce development. She is a lifelong learner and is currently pursuing a DBA in Organizational Leadership. She is an entrepreneur and Apprenticeship sponsor, dedicated to transforming the lives of individuals in underserved communities.
- Kathryn R. Hornsby, Ph.D., Assistant Commissioner of Technical Education for the Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG), provides leadership, guidance, and supervision in the areas of academic affairs, institutional effectiveness, Perkins grant management, and distance education, providing technical assistance to Georgia’s 22 public two-year technical colleges.
- Marci Johnson, Director, CTE Department, Illinois State Board of Education, has worked at the Illinois State Board of Education for 16 years and with Career and Technical Education for 6 ½ years.
- Susan L. Johnson, M.Ed. in Adult and Organizational Learning, is a current CTECS Consultant and former Director of Program Standards, Federal and Postsecondary Programs, Idaho Division of Career and Technical Education, Director of Dual Credit, College of Western Idaho, and Program Director at Boise State University, College of Applied Technology (retired).
- Georgia Kasper, Implementation Coordinator, CTE, Chesterfield County Public Schools, Virginia, has over 30 years of experience in CTE, school counseling, and educational leadership at the high school and elementary levels.
- James (Jim) Kendrick, VTECS/CTECS Coordinator (25 years), Alabama State Department of Vocational Education, was on the Member Planning Committee for VTECS/CTECS Concept and Development for a performance-based curriculum and task analysis. He helped CTECS progress from concept to reality in 25 states, including partnering with military programs.
- Clay Long, Ph.D., State Administrator, Idaho Division of Career Technical Education was formerly a secondary teacher and administrator and chief of staff for Boise, Idaho’s largest full-service city, and remains an active volunteer firefighter.
- Charles Losh, Ph.D. (retired) began working with VTECS/CTECS in 1978 and was appointed Director of the Automobile Mechanic Training Evaluation Project, now NATEF. In 1983, he left to work in State Vocational Education Departments: North Dakota, Utah, and Arizona, where he became State Director. He returned to VTECS/CTECS, where he led the Career Clusters Initiative.
- Heather Luchte, Chief Performance and Accountability Officer, Idaho Division of Career Technical Education, has worked with IDCTE for 10 years and oversees assessments, reporting, and SkillStack®, Idaho’s microcredentialing platform.
- Chad Maclin, Director, CTE, Chesterfield County Public Schools, Virginia, is a native of Virginia and has over 30 years of CTE teaching and administration experience at the local, district, and state levels.
- Ronald D. McCage, Ed. D., is the former President and Director of CTECS (retired), Decatur, Georgia.
- Pamela K. Moore, Kentucky Department of Education (retired), Frankfort, Kentucky, led the development and implementation of the Kentucky Occupational Skill Standards and Assessments, offered to measure the foundational academic, employability and technical skills needed to support successful transition. Pamela was the 2021 recipient of the Ronald D. McCage award.
- Dr. Jay Plasman is an assistant professor in the Workforce Development and Education in the College of Education and Human Ecology at the Ohio State University. His research focuses broadly on education policy and explores the pipeline of career and technical education.
- Kevin Reilly is the Director of Virginia’s CTE Resource Center in Henrico, Virginia.
- Dr. Alexia Q. Rolle, Ed.D., is a native of Miami, Florida (Homestead), with a Master’s in School Counseling and a Doctorate in Educational Leadership. Dr. Rolle currently serves as Dean of CTE and Chairperson of the Miami Dade College Apprenticeship Program, managing 20 apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship programs.
- Craig Statucki is the Director of the Office of Career Readiness, Adult Learning, and Education Options, Nevada Department of Education.
- Mary Taylor, Training and Development Specialist, manages the Tech Ready Apprentices for Careers in Kentucky (TRACK) Youth Apprenticeship program and has been in education for 25 years.
- Tom Thompson, Director of Student Transition and Career Readiness, Kentucky Department of Education, Office of Career and Technical Education, was a CTE student, teacher, administrator, and State Director of technical schools overseeing continuous improvement.
- Gabriela Torres, Teacher, was a head chef for four years in a Las Vegas restaurant before becoming an educator, teaching four years in middle school ELA, Science, Career Explorations, High School Math and Science Department Lead, and High School Culinary Arts in Nevada. Her teaching philosophy centers on personalized education and cultivating a love for lifelong learning.
- Tiffany Townsend, Educationalist, CEO, Ship Black Academy (www.shipblackuniverstiy.com), Texas, is a seasoned professional with a diverse background in postal operations, logistics, and community engagement. As Program Sponsor for three Apprenticeship and Pre-Apprenticeship programs, she fosters industry-based resources to bridge the gap between education and workforce development.
- Melissa Zervos, (She, Her, Hers), MA, Managing Consultant, STAR Deputy Director, Manhattan Strategy Group, Bethesda, Maryland, is a Technical Assistance Development Professional and an Adult Education & ESOL Specialist. Manhattan Strategy Group is part of the Banking industry.