Professional Development Conference
Conference graphic created by Abel Lloyd, Mat-Su School District.
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2026 Professional Development Conference
Alaska’s CTE Pipeline: Pathways, Partnerships, and Future Workforce
October 4-7, 2026
October 4 - Pre-Conference
October 5 and 6 - Conference
October 7 - Post-Conference
2026 Keynote Speakers
Ella Ede (October 5th Keynote)
Ella is a respected leader with more than 25 years of experience in Alaska’s natural resource, workforce, and education sectors. Throughout her career, she has built strong partnerships among industry, education, government, and communities to expand career awareness and strengthen Alaska’s future workforce. Ella is passionate about helping students discover meaningful career pathways while connecting employers with the next generation of skilled professionals. Her leadership has advanced initiatives that promote career and technical education, workforce development, and economic opportunity across the state. As the keynote speaker for the 2026 Alaska ACTE Professional Development Conference, Ella will share her unique perspective on preparing Alaska’s workforce for the opportunities of tomorrow through collaboration, innovation, and education.
Dan Robinson (October 6th Keynote)
Dan is the Chief of Research and Analysis at the Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development. He writes frequently about the state’s economy and job market and his team at Research and Analysis produces much of the State’s key macroeconomic data. He has an economics degree from Utah State University and a law degree from Cornell. Dan will be the keynote speaker for Monday October 13th. He plans to talk about the most interesting trends for Alaskan projections and other economic data for Alaska with a CTE focus. As part of his address he plans to touch upon the new plan “Alaska’s Workforce Future” as part of the bigger picture for CTE.
2026 Conference Agenda
AK ACTE Professional Development Conference has gone mobile!
Click here to download the free app now.
Agenda
Pre Conference
October 4, 2026 Pre-Conference
- Industry Tours
- Alaska Joint Electrical Apprenticeship & Training Trust – Young Electricians Pathway
Main Conference
Day 1, October 5
Day 2, October 6
Post Conference
October 7, 2025 Post-Conference
- University of Alaska Anchorage Tour
- Alaska Workforce Alliance – Workforce Convening (this is a separate event – registration through Alaska Workforce Alliance required).
2026 Vendors & Partners
Interested in a Partnership with Alaska ACTE? Many of our Partnership Tiers include premium vendor space at the Conference. See our partnership information page!
If you are interested in being a vendor only at the Professional Development Conference (but not a partner) you can REGISTER online.
Thank You to our Alaska ACTE 2026 Partners & Vendors!
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