Take a Look Back at Best Practices and Innovations in CTE Conferences
Best Practices & Innovations 2023
Sept. 27-29, 2023
Salt Lake City, Utah
Signature event for secondary and postsecondary CTE Administrators.
Hotels
Hyatt House Salt Lake City Downtown
Address: 140 S 300 W, Salt Lake City, UT 84101
Phone: (801) 359-4020
Rate: $209 plus 13.82% tax (Includes breakfast)
Reservation Deadline: Tuesday, September 5, 2023
To make your reservation, please click here.
Please note, this hotel is approximately 3 blocks from the Hilton Salt Lake City Center. Therefore, there will not be a shuttle between the two hotels.
Keynote Speakers
Thursday Opening
Sponsored by Microburst
Dave Davlin
“The Game-Winning 3”–Making It Count …In Business And In Life
Whether it comes in creating a better product, helping to relieve someone’s stress or pain, bringing someone laughter or joy or helping someone get more out of their life, success is always about serving. This being the case, the key to success in any business lies not only in the development of great products and services, but more importantly in the development of great people. In this insightful presentation, Dave Davlin shares three essentials developing a purpose-driven mentality to achieve a fulfilling career and balanced life. This presentation is an hour of interaction, humor participation mixed with a powerful message. It is a roller coaster ride of emotion that will find the audience engaged in hilarious laughter one moment and brought to tears the next. The audience will be challenged to make the most of every moment in order to develop themselves personally and professionally while creating value and making a difference in the lives of others.
Thursday Lunch
Sponsored by Navigate 360 
Katherine Schweit
The Violence Landscape
Slowing firearms violence in the United States begins with understanding more than just numbers and percentages. Here we’ll break down the violence landscape to better understand where and how these deaths are occurring. We’ll discuss our most violent shooters and what triggers them to act. And finally, we’ll explore some of the most promising prevention efforts underway and how to harden your target and protect those in charge when other efforts fail.
Friday Closing
Sponsored by Schoolinks
Corey Flournoy
Making Real Change and Transformation through DEI
Many conversations and initiatives connected to diversity, equity and inclusion lead to transactional changes, if any, that fail to make the needed progress required to shift the culture of an organization or system. Corey Flournoy brings 30+ plus years of experience working in DEI with global corporations, non-profit organizations and educational institutions that has shaped his philosophies and practices to make transformative, lasting change for individuals and organizations. During this session, Corey will share his story of being the first Black and urban president of the National FFA Organization that has led him to develop valuable lessons that can help build individual cultural competencies and empathy and expand the support, appeal, and engagement of diverse students within career and technical education — ultimately leading more qualified candidates to careers in the growing fields of DEI.
Workshops & Tours
Workshops
Attract and Retain the Right Students, Staff & Stakeholders—Right Now!
Speaker: Mark Perna
Date: Wednesday, September 27
Time: 1:00 – 5:00 pm
Cost: $150
Kick off your conference experience with game-changing insight from generational and education expert Mark C. Perna! In a fast-changing world, student retention and completion are vital. Mark, who works daily with organizations nationwide, has evolved a cohesive framework to maximize retention, completion, and success rates with Generation Z. Discover how you can shift them from a passive class-taking mindset to a passionate program completion mindset—moving them from just showing up to being all-in on the value they receive every day. Mark will also shed fresh light on employee retention and the steps to become a proactive first choice not just for students, but also staff. Join Mark for the real strategies to make your organization a magnetic force for everyone: top talent, community leaders, and of course, the Gen Z students and families you serve!
Educating for an AI-Driven Future: Transforming Career Pathways through Innovative AI-Informed Education
Speaker: Rachael Mann
Date: Wednesday, September 27
Time: 8:00 am-12:00 pm
Fee: $150
One of the major technology trends shaping the landscape of all industries is Artificial Intelligence (AI). The use of AI in every industry is becoming increasingly prevalent, and it’s essential that we educate our CTE staff and students for an AI-driven future. AI will have a significant impact on the types of jobs that are available in the workforce, how we train people to do these jobs, and how we will need to work with students to prepare them for their future.
How, where, when, and even why we work is transforming with these advances in artificial intelligence. How is education transforming to keep up with the changes? How will AI impact the career pathways that we are equipping students to enter? Why is AI-informed education important to ensuring that every student is future ready? What are ethical issues that need to be addressed?
How can AI create efficiencies in your work and lessen the time-consuming tasks for teachers? Attend this pre-conference workshop to find out answers to these questions and more. Attendees will leave with a toolkit of resources to use with teachers and staff.
Tours
SLCC Jordan Campus and Jordan Academy for Technology and Careers Tour
Date: Wednesday, September 27
Time: 8:30 – 11:30 AM
Cost: $60
Come visit the Jordan Academy for Technology and Career and Jordan Campus at Salt Lake Community College. We will start at Salt Lake Community College and have the opportunity to explore Mortuary Science, Occupational and Physical Therapy, Dental Assisting, Surgical Technician and many more programs. We will then go to our Jordan Academy and Technology and Career South campus where we will explore how we turned a neighborhood nursery into a school. The programs will include, welding, nail technician, horticulture, criminal justice, fire science and more. This tour will visit both the high school and college programs and discuss the collaboration between the school district and our local college partners.
SLCC Westpointe Campus Tour
Date: Wednesday, September 27
Time: 1:00 – 4:00 PM
Cost $60
Come visit the Westpointe Campus at Salt Lake Community College. This campus focuses on heavy industry and advanced manufacturing. From a 3-acre truck driving range to a nearly 10,000 square foot welding lab, Salt Lake Community College is a shining example of Career and Technical Education in the state of Utah. Programs that will be viewed are injection molding, composites, machining, welding, diesel, and professional truck driving.
Special Event
Special Event: A Celebration of the Old West of Salt Lake City (Fee Required)
Join us for a visit to what Salt Lake City was like in the 1840’s. The Henry J. Wheeler Farm is a farmstead in the Salt Lake City area that is one of the few remaining late 19th century farmsteads in the Salt Lake Valley that has not been lost to expanding housing developments of metropolitan Salt Lake City. Wheeler Farm is a working farm and public park with 75 acres of natural landscape, park, trails, and backwoods area. A historic farm house, activity barn, stables, gardens, old-fashioned shop, pavilions, playground fort, and an outdoor education center are a few of the amenities available for our attendees to enjoy, at their leisure.
Transportation and a full dinner will be provided to registrants.
Thursday, Sept. 28 from 6:00-8:00 p.m.
2022
Thrive Through the Five: Leading Through Challenging Times
These past two years, in the midst of a global pandemic, have brought about some of the most challenging work in education – whether in leading through shifting and complex information or in teaching in a multitude of ever-changing learning environments. While the work we do as leaders is incredible, it is not without cost. Dr. Jill Siler, former superintendent and author of Thrive Through the Five: Practical Truths to Powerfully Lead through Challenging Times will share strategies to not just survive difficult seasons, but to truly thrive!
Dr. Jill Siler
Opening General Session Speaker
Dr. Jill Siler served as the Superintendent of Gunter ISD for nearly ten years and now serves as the Deputy Executive Director for Professional Learning for the Texas Association of School Administrators (TASA). Jill grew up in Rochester & Buffalo, NY and completed her undergraduate work at the University of Pittsburgh where she was a collegiate swimmer. She was a teacher and coach in Pflugerville ISD and began her administrative career in Marble Falls ISD. In 2004, Jill went to Lake Travis ISD where she served as a campus and district leader for 8 years. During that time, she completed her doctorate at the University of Texas.
In her first months as a superintendent, Jill faced financial crisis along with many other challenges that leadership brings. In 2015, her school board was named a TASA Honor Board as one of the top 5 school boards in the state and one of her campuses was named a 2017 National Blue Ribbon School. Jill served as the Chair of the Future-Ready Superintendent Leadership Network (FRSLN) Design Team where innovative leaders across Texas gather to learn, share and grow together.
Jill has a passion for helping others reach their goals and is the leader of Texas’ Aspiring Superintendent Academy and leads Texas’ First Time Superintendents Academy. Jill speaks at leadership and teacher conferences across the country. In 2020, Jill released her first book, Thrive Through The Five: Practical Truths to Powerfully Lead through Challenging Times, which was the #1 Bestselling New Release for Education Administration books and has hit the Top 10 Education Leadership books multiple times since its release. In 2021, Thrive Through the Five was honored with four Eric Hoffer Awards including Reference Category Winner and Montaigne Medal finalist.
Special thanks to Microburst for sponsoring the Opening General Session
CTE and the Pursuit of a More Perfect Union
We live in challenging times, times that call for a more robust education system suited to providing all learners with the skills they need in order to pursue the careers they want. CTE can and must play a more prominent role in American education. It is only by doing so that we can address long standing issues of inequality and poverty. The answer to much of what ails society, in general, and education, in particular, is an education system focused on careers.
Dr. John Mulcahy
Thursday, Sept. 29 Lunch Keynote Speaker
John is passionate about telling the story of the value and importance of CTE. His presentations include a strong helping of educational statistics mixed with humor and inspiration. Audiences love the fact that he provides them with the facts they need to “make the case” for expanding access and opportunity in CTE. He makes a strong case for ensuring that all learners in America have access to quality CTE programs.
Special thanks to MBA Research for sponsoring the Lunch Session.
The Future of Work is Human
We are living in extraordinary times. As the world gets more digitalized, it also gets more complicated. Learning can happen faster today than at any time in history, and this is both exciting and critically important to get right. The idea of “lifelong learning” has been around for a generation, but we haven’t ever really put it into practice to make this idea a reality. Today, not only do we have the tools and technology to bring this idea to life, workers will not survive the future without the ability to learn new skills continually. The most important skills we will need are human skills.
Jaime Casap, Education Evangelist
Friday, Sept. 30 General Session Speaker
Jaime Casap served as the Chief Education Evangelist at Google for 15 years and was the second member of the Google for Education team. In that time, Jaime launched Google’s GSuite tools into higher education and K12. He also launched Chromebooks into education and was the creator of the Google for Education Transformation Framework, a holistic approach to education transformation.
Now Jaime is partnering and collaborating with higher education institutions, school systems, and businesses around the world, helping them build transformational policies and practices to elevate education and bring equity, diversity, and inclusion into their policies and practices.
Jaime serves as an advisor to dozens of organizations focused on learning, skill development, and the future of work. He is the coauthor of “Our First Talk About Poverty,” as a way to talk to children about poverty. He is currently working on his next book.
He speaks on education, digitalization, diversity and inclusion, generation z, and the future of work at events around the world. You can follow and reach him on Twitter at @jcasap and watch his YouTube career advice videos at www.youtube.com/jaimecasap.
Special thanks for School Links for sponsoring the General Session.
Workshops
Addressing the Rise in Concerning Student Behaviors: How to prevent harm to self and others
Presenter: Thom Jones, Senior Vice President, Threat Assessment, Navigate 360
Date: Sept. 28, 2022
Time: 8:30 – 11:30 am
Fee: $150
Reports of concerning student behavior have significantly increased over the past two years. The reasons for these behaviors can range from the impacts of COVID-19 – isolation, depression, anxiety and aggression – to bullying, cyberbullying, substance abuse and lack of coping skills. Educational leadership programs don’t prepare teachers and administrators to help students cope with mental health issues, yet you are in schools every day with students who have experienced trauma and are in despair. You have the opportunity — and the obligation — to help them.
This session will address how multidisciplinary teams can identify, address and manage threats of harm to self and others within their schools.
Maximizing Completers: How to Grow Recruitment, Performance & Community Buy-In
Presenter: Mark Perna
Date: Sept. 28, 2022
Time: 1:00 – 4:30 pm
Fee: $150
In a changing world, we have a pivotal opportunity to shift the paradigm with students, parents, community leaders, legislators, boards, districts, and other stakeholders. Join bestselling author Mark C. Perna to discover the latest tools, tactics, and truths to attract more of the right students, in the right programs, for the right reasons—and help them complete. More people need to know how CTE empowers students with the academic knowledge, technical competency, and professional skills that the modern workforce demands. Across North America, countless administrators, teachers, and support staff are using Mark’s acclaimed best practices to spread the word, build community buy-in, and significantly improve program completion. Now, it’s your turn. Start shifting the CTE paradigm, engaging your community, and maximizing completers like never before!
Opening Doors: Post-Secondary CTE Access & Equity
Presenter: Michelle Conrad
Date: Sept. 28, 2022
Time: 8:30 – 11:30 am
Fee: $150
This workshop will explore challenges for special populations in post-secondary CTE programs and develop plans to address these challenges. The presenters will share their experience in the development of a new initiative to open doors for students with disabilities in a community college in rural Missouri. Through this example, however, participants will also identify their own challenges working with special populations and collaborate to develop a plan to address these.
Tours
Cape Cod Regional Technical High School
Date: Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2022
Time: 1:00-4:00 p.m.
Cost: $50
Cape Cod Regional Technical High is conveniently located in Harwich, Massachusetts a quarter of a mile from exit 82 off Route 6 at 351 Pleasant Lake Avenue. Established in 1975, the district recently entered their new facility at the same location for the 2020-2021 school year. The new Cape Cod Tech was designed around an academy model to serve 650 students within five academies: Freshmen,Transportation, Construction, S.T.E.A.M., and Hospitality, Health & Human Services. Students have the following fifteen programs to choose from: Auto Technology, Marine Services Technology, Auto Collision & Repair, HVAC, Plumbing, Carpentry, Electrical, Horticulture, Information Technology, Engineering Technology, Design & Visual Communication, Culinary Arts, Cosmetology. Health Technologies, and Dental Assisting. The new project enhanced the campus as well with two new fields, bleacher/ pressbox, concession building, and new track. In partnership with the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA), Cape Cod Regional Technical High School has been equipped to deliver twenty-first century technical education to students from Provincetown to Mashpee for the next fifty years and beyond.
2021
Sept. 29-Oct. 1, 2021
Signature event for secondary and postsecondary CTE Administrators.
Download Session & Roundtable Descriptions
Keynote Speakers
Josh Davies
Josh Davies is passionate about helping others make a difference in their lives, jobs, and community. Through his work as a speaker and trainer, he has engaged and encouraged professionals across North America, the Middle East, and Asia. His engaging and connecting speaking style combined with relevant content make him an in-demand speaker, giving more than 75 keynote presentations and workshops to education, workforce, and corporate events annually. For the 2008 Democratic National Convention, Josh led the training for all 10,000 volunteers and more than 4,000 local service professionals for the event. Training Magazine named him as one of the top 10 trainers under 40 in America and the Denver Business Journal tapped him as one of Denver’s 40 Under 40.
Davies is currently the CEO of The Center for Work Ethic Development, an organization committed to developing workplace skills in the global workforce. Partnering with organizations in 49 states and 6 countries, they equip trainers and teachers to build the workforce of the 21st Century. A graduate of American University, Josh has been awarded the Mile High Energy Award by Visit Denver, and an honorary Doctorate of Foodservice by the North American Food Equipment Manufacturers Association for his contributions to the industry. He finished serving his second term on the Executive Board of the Colorado Workforce Development Council, where he chaired the State Education and Training Steering Committee. He also led the P-Tech Selection Committee for Colorado and served on the board of the Colorado Opportunity Scholarship Initiative. In addition to his work in the public sector, Josh also served on the Board of Directors for the National Association of Workforce Development Professionals, was President of the Council of Hotel and Restaurant Trainers (CHART) and co-chaired the Colorado State Youth Council.
Rachael Mann
Rachael Mann is passionate about all things related to education, technology, and CTE. She is an “edufuturist” who believes in the importance of shaping the educational philosophies and spaces of today by looking toward the innovations of tomorrow. Rachael is a frequent keynote speaker at conferences and events across the country, and she speaks and writes about disruptive technology, education and careers. She is the author of The CTSO Competition Companion, The Spaces You Will Go, and coauthor of Martians in Your Classroom, an educational title about integrating STEM into the classroom utilizing space-related initiatives.
Rachael holds an MA in educational leadership and has 14 years of classroom teaching experience as a career and technical education instructor. Rachael’s experience includes her work as the Network to Transform Teaching State Director, the Professional Learning Director of STEM, and the Arizona State Director for Educators Rising. She is a founding member of the Council on the Future of Education, the director of member engagement for NCLA, and vice-president of New and Related Services for ACTE.
From professional growth to motivational talks to workshops, Rachael loves to inspire audiences to think bigger and dream beyond.
Joyce Malyn-Smith
Joyce Malyn-Smith is a national expert on STEM career development and workforce education. She leads a body of work that explores how to enhance STEM learning and support people in using their STEM skills, knowledge, and dispositions to pursue productive and rewarding careers. Her projects develop industry/education connections in computational thinking, big data, artificial intelligence (AI), and other advanced technologies.
Malyn-Smith’s research focuses on the future of work and its implications for lifelong learning. She investigates the dispositions humans will need as they partner with machines in problem solving, what it means to be human in the age of AI, and the foundational skills K–20 students need to prepare for work at the Human-Technology Frontier.
Malyn-Smith collaborates with community colleges to advance knowledge of the expertise needed in emerging occupations and in occupations that are changing dramatically due to new technologies. She also develops standards-based tools and resources to ensure schools align their programs and curricula with changing industry demand.
2020
The annual conference co-hosted by the NCLA and the Administration Division of the Association for Career and Technical Education® (ACTE®) is specifically focused on the professional development for administrators of both secondary and postsecondary career and technical education programs and institutions.
Workshops
Elite Training to Achieve Significant Enrollment, Retention, and Performance Results
Speaker: Mark Perna
Fee: $100
10:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Supercharge your conference experience with this intensive, fast-moving bootcamp with education and performance expert Mark C. Perna. You’ll discover the advanced strategies and best practices that are shifting the education paradigm nationwide. Find out how to use CTE’s exclusive competitive advantage to engage your students with the relevance, motivation, and passion to perform at a higher level. Mark’s insights and best practices have helped thousands of educators nationwide connect more meaningfully with the younger generations, leveraging proprietary tools like the Three Pillars, Education with Purpose®, the Career Tree®, and many others. Now, your team can join the thousands of high school, adult education, and college administrators, teachers, and staff who are using these cutting-edge best practices to make a bigger difference. It’s time to achieve elite enrollment, retention, and performance results — motivating students like never before with proven strategies you can put into action immediately!
Recognizing and Supporting Students’ Mental Health Needs Across School Settings
Speaker: Shannon Barry
Fee: $100
10:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
This session will focus on supporting students’ mental health needs within and across all school settings. It will include common warning signs of and behaviors related to prevalent mental health conditions (e.g. depression, anxiety, ADHD, trauma, oppositional/defiant behaviors), and ways for all school staff to respond to such signs, as well as informally assess the need for more intervention. It will also discuss strategies, best practices, and systems for school staff to implement so as to create supportive school environments for the mental health and social-emotional-behavioral needs of all students. The main focus of this session will be the role of administrators in creating and maintaining systems that address mental health supports in schools.
Keynote Speakers
Peyton Holland
Peyton Holland has dedicated his career to helping bridge education, industry, and communities together so that our schools and colleges are preparing the next generation for leadership in the workforce.
Peyton currently serves as the Executive Director of the National Technical Honor Society, a national non-profit dedicated to celebrating and empowering students in all areas of Career and Technical Education. For nearly a decade prior, he served as the Executive Director of SkillsUSA North Carolina, a non-profit leading efforts to prepare students for the workforce through the development personal, workplace and technical skills.
Peyton has been a proud member of ACTE throughout his career and has served on the NC ACTE Board of Directors. He has also served on variety of other state and national boards and committees including: NC Construction Education Advisory Committee, NC Farm Bureau Young Famers and Ranchers Committee, Chatham County Board of Adjustments, SkillsUSA Sate Director’s Association Board, and NCCER Workforce Development Committee.
Peyton has been speaking professionally since the age of 18, when he started his leadership development company. From Fortune 500 companies to small-town rural schools, Peyton has helped thousands of people craft a vision for their future and develop the tools they need to make that vision a reality.
Having grown up in rural North Carolina, Peyton learned the value of hard work and skill early in life. The lessons he learned on the farm and at the family sawmill were formative.
That foundation, combined with the experiences he gained traveling internationally, acquiring a Master’s Degree in Business Administration (Aix-Marseille Graduate School of Management) and a Master’s Degree Global Innovation Management (N.C. State University), allows Peyton to bring truly unique perspective to the conversation of education, workforce development, and economic growth.
Ken Shelton
Ken currently holds an M.A. in Education with a specialization in Educational Technology as well as New Media Design and Production. He has worked as an Educator for over 20 years and most recently taught technology at the Middle School level. As a part of his active involvement within the Educational Technology community, Ken is an Apple Distinguished Educator and a Google Certified Innovator. Ken has worked extensively at the policy level advising several State Departments of Education, Ministries of Education, and was named to the California State Superintendent’s Education Technology Task Force. Ken regularly gives keynotes, presentations, advises, and leads workshops, covering a wide variety of Educational Technology, Equity and Inclusion, Multimedia Literacy, Cultural Relevance, Visual Storytelling, and Instructional Design topics. Ken is the ISTE Digital Equity PLN 2018 Excellence Award winner.
2019
September 25-27, 2019
The Westin La Paloma Resort & Spa
Tucson, Arizona
Keynote Speakers
Thursday Opening Speaker
Dr. Kevin Fleming
Producer of the viral animation video “Success in the New Economy,” and author of the bestseller, “(Re)Defining the Goal,” Dr. Fleming is a passionate advocate for ensuring all students enter the labor market with a competitive advantage. After analyzing workforce needs and providing customized geospatial labor market research for the largest higher education system in the world (the California Community Colleges) he supported and advocated for over 40 career & technical education programs as a CTE Dean of Instruction for eight years. He currently advances education to transform lives and society as the Vice President of Strategic Development at Norco College (part of Riverside Community College District, California). He is also an Adjunct faculty member, Executive Vice President of Future N Focus Enterprises, and CEO of Telos Educational Services.
Dr. Fleming is a first-generation college student, national speaker, and recovering academic elitist. A true life-long learner, he has earned two Bachelor’s degrees from Loyola Marymount University (Psychology & Philosophy); a Master of Arts from The Ohio State University (Educational Policy & Leadership), a MBA from the University of Redlands, and a Ph.D. in Education from Claremont Graduate University…but it was his CTE industry certification in geographical information systems (GIS) that lifted him out of working poverty. He is a proud eagle scout, father, Buckeye, has completed five marathons, and won a spelling bee in the third grade.
Thursday Luncheon Speaker
Cynthia Marble
Assessing Threats to Your School
Session sponsor: NaviGate Prepared
Cynthia Marble, Senior Consultant with SIGMA Threat Management Associates,is a nationally recognized leader in the fields of threat management, national security, executive protection and global security operations. Before joining SIGMA, Marble served for more than 25 years with the U.S. Secret Service, most recently as the Special Agent in Charge for the U.S. Secret Service Houston Field Office, where she supervised all operations for the Secret Service offices in Houston and Austin, Texas as well as in Mexico City. Marble will provide an overview of the federal model for school threat assessment developed by the U.S. Secret Service and the U.S. Department of Education. Attendees will learn proven strategies on how to identify, investigate, assess, and manage threatening and potentially dangerous behavior in school.
Friday Closing Speaker
Dr. Jason Scales
Dr. Jason Scales is the Business Manager, Education for Lincoln Electric. In this recently created role, he is responsible for strategic planning and the management of the company’s education team and product portfolio to attain growth in revenue and profits.
Recently, he and his team completed construction of the Lincoln Electric in the Welding Technology & Training Center. The mission of the Center is to maintain and grow the company’s capacity of providing professional development for educators, engineers and professional welders as well as those seeking a career in the skilled trades. The Center also serves as a laboratory for the development of teaching methods and materials on advancing technologies for fabrication.
Dr. Scales serves on a number of boards and has participated in numerous speaking engagements, panels and bylined articles on the subject of the changing face of technical education and paths for addressing the current ‘skills gap’ in manufacturing and construction.
Before joining Lincoln Electric, Jason served on the staff at the University of Central Missouri as an Associate Professor of Agriculture following a career in agricultural education. He earned his Doctor of Philosophy in Agricultural Education at the University of Missouri.
Workshops
Elite Training to Achieve Significant Enrollment, Retention, and Performance Results
*Additional fee required
Presenter: Mark Perna
Take your conference experience to the next level with this intensive, fast-moving boot camp with education and performance expert Mark C. Perna. You’ll discover the advanced strategies and best practices that are transforming the CTE narrative nationwide—and you’ll also have the opportunity to work through these powerful concepts with some planning and implementation time built into this advanced session. Find out how to use CTE’s exclusive competitive advantage to engage your students with the relevance, motivation, and passion to perform at a higher level. Mark’s insights and best practices have helped thousands of educators nationwide connect more meaningfully with the younger generations, leveraging proprietary tools like the Three Pillars, Education with Purpose®, the Career Tree®, and many others. Now, your team can join the thousands of high school, adult education, and college administrators, teachers, and staff who are using these cutting-edge best practices to make a bigger difference. It’s time to achieve elite enrollment, retention, and performance results — motivating students like never before with proven strategies you can put into action immediately!
Attendees who register for this workshop before Sept. 6 will receive a copy of Mark Perna’s award winning book Answering Why
Asking the Right Questions to Facilitate Student Success (includes lunch)
*Additional fee required
Presenter: Kevin Fleming
We all know a 4-year degree may lead to economic prosperity and opens many doors for our students. However, we also know that the transfer pathway isn’t for everyone. Technical skills are the new currency in the 21st century and they make all students more
competitive. But how do we balance preparing students for both college and the workforce? Dr. Kevin Fleming will present data and a new animated video in a way that
both invigorates and challenges the evolution of career readiness, counseling, and skills based educational planning. It is time to reexamine what questions we should be asking of our students, and of ourselves, to maximize student success.
The Future of Work for the Martians in Your Classroom
*Additional fee required
Presenter: Rachael Mann
The workplace of tomorrow is vastly different from what currently exists. How will globalization, the space race, and technological advances such as automation, virtual reality, and augmented reality impact the future world of work? Discover forecasted changes in the world around us and how educators can equip the Martians in our classrooms for careers that are both out of this world and down to Earth. Participants will leave with five big areas needed for success in the next economy. Workshop includes a copy of Rachel Mann’s book, The Martians in Your Classroom: STEM in Every Learning Space.
Tours
Desert View High School/ iSTEM Academy Manufacturing Tour
Join in a tour of the Desert View High School 2016 Advance CTE national award-winning iSTEM Advanced Manufacturing Program. Program is amazing and includes Engineering, Mechanical Drafting, Engineering, Precision Machining, Mechatronics, and Additive Manufacturing. Nearby is Universal Avionics, which is a great brief tour of where most (or all) of the world’s avionic “black boxes” are manufactured. There are also some other manufacturing plants that are interesting as well.
*Additional fee required
Please note: Closed toed shoes are required.
Pima Community College/ Tu Simple Tour
Join us on an exciting tour of the Aviation program for high school students. The Pima JTED (Joint Technical Education District) contracts with Pima Community College to offer this amazing program. The classroom has a hanger with a 737 inside! Tours include going into the interior of the plane to see where the students learn. The tour will include a visit to Tu Simple. Tu Simple is a company that is developing the technology and applications to create autonomous self-driving semi-trucks.
*Additional fee required
Please note: Closed toed shoes are required.
2018
Hyatt Regency Louisville
320 West Jefferson Street,
Louisville, Kentucky, 40202
Conference was held September 26-28, 2018 in Louisville, Kentucky, in conjunction with the ACTE Region II Conference and the Credential Summit, providing added professional development and networking opportunities. #BPCTE18
Thursday Opening Keynote Speaker
Mark Perna
President of TFS™
Thursday Luncheon Keynote Speaker
Bryan Albrecht
President Gateway
Technical College
Friday Closing Luncheon Keynote Speaker
Josh Davies
CEO, Center for Work Ethic Development
2017
Thursday Opening Keynote Speaker
Jaime Casap, Chief Education Evangelist, Google
Thursday Luncheon Keynote Speaker
Mike Hovan, Chief Operating Officer, Lauren International
Friday Closing Luncheon Keynote Speaker
Mick Normington,Director of Workforce Research, Lee College
2016
Thursday Opening Keynote Speaker
Kevin J. Fleming, Ph.D., CEO of Telos Educational Services and Dean of Instruction for CTE, Norco College
Thursday Luncheon Keynote
Jason Scales, Manager of Educational Services, Lincoln Electric
Friday Closing Luncheon Keynote
(Opening General Session for the Region II Conference)
Karen Cator, President and CEO, Digital Promise
2015
General Sessions and Keynote Speakers
Thursday, September 24
Michael Dorn
Executive Director, Safe Havens International
A leading expert on school safety, Michael Dorn has authored and co-authored 26 books on school safety and keynoted at hundreds of state, national and international conferences from Virginia to Vietnam. His work has taken him to Mexico, Canada, Central America, Europe, South Africa, Asia and the Middle East. Sought out as a neutral, accurate and qualified source, Mr. Dorn has been featured on 20/20, CNN, Good Morning America, MSNBC, ABC World News Tonight and has been interviewed by the BBC, The New York Times, Time Magazine, Tokyo Broadcasting and hundreds of other reputable media organizations.
Thursday, September 24
Paul Aiello
Director of Education, FANUC America Corporation
Leading the company’s Certified Education Training (CERT) segment that provides robotic and automation training to North American universities, community colleges, technical and K-12 schools, Paul Aiello also champions the company’s “Partners with Education” program and provides leadership, professionalism, and commitment to bringing industry, education, and advanced automation together to help correct the current skills gap and build a skilled workforce for the future. Prior to joining FANUC, Mr. Aiello held various sales and distribution roles, combined for more than 28 years of experience in advanced manufacturing.
Friday, September 25
Dr. Steve Ritter
Chief Scientist, Carnegie Learning
Steve Ritter has been developing and evaluating educational systems for more than 15 years. He earned his Ph.D. in Cognitive Psychology at Carnegie Mellon University and helped to found Carnegie Learning in 1998. As a postdoctoral associate and research scientist at Carnegie Mellon, Dr. Ritter was instrumental in the development and evaluation of the Cognitive Tutors for mathematics. He is the author of numerous papers on the design, architecture and evaluation of Intelligent Tutoring Systems, and works to identify more effective models for using data to improve the effectiveness of educational software.
Friday, September 25
Nicholas Wyman
CEO, Institute for Workplace Skills and Innovation
Nicholas Wyman is an apprenticeship expert and CEO of the Institute for Workplace Skills and Innovation. He advises and develops programs for such companies as Nissan, Mercedes Benz, Citibank and Coca Cola on how to recruit, train, retain and “reskill” employees. A hands-on leader in the field, Mr. Wyman is dedicated to closing the gap between education and employment around the world. He began his career as an apprentice chef in a London restaurant and holds an MBA. He studied at the Harvard Business School and the Harvard Kennedy School. His book, Job U, is a practical roadmap exploring unconventional and affordable pathways to fulfilling and rewarding careers. Debunking the notion that a traditional college degree is the best or only path to wealth and success, his book is for anyone who wants to learn how to add value and be valued in tomorrow’s economy.
Breakout and Roundtable Session Highlights
- A Model of High Quality CTE at The Urban Assembly
- Diffusion of Innovation – Leading a Vision for Quality CTE
- Growing STEM Pathways in Scale and Quality
- Recruitment and Retention Experiences of Women Employed in a Non-Traditional Trade Occupation
- CTE, STEM, Common Core: Best Practices in Contextualized/Integrated Curriculum
- Teach Like TED
- Incubate 2 Innovate: How Teen Startups Flip Biz
- Team-Based Learning: Engaging Students in a “Flipped” Course Design
- CTE Program Opportunities: Middle School Through College and Career
- Public-Private Partnerships: Collaboration in the Service of Students
- Shaping the Next Generation Through Authentic Work-Based Learning Experiences
- Creating a Strategic Compensation Model in a CTE Setting
Pre-Conference Workshops
School Safety and Security – Everybody’s Concern
8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Daily, every school administrator is faced with the concern of school safety and security. The potential threats come from active shooters, internal and external, bombs and Mother Nature. Three experts in the field will present this school safety and security pre-conference and provide preventative and operational responses to myriad threats. Topics include best practices in school safety, technology-based responses and solutions and dealing with the ever-present threat.
How to Significantly Increase Enrollment, Retention and Performance-Now!
8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Presenter: Mark Perna
Join dynamic CTE expert Mark Perna as he shares national best practices for maximizing enrollment, retention and student performance. Learn how your organization can attract and retain more of the right students, in the right programs, for the right reasons. Get ready to develop a plan driven by the powerful “light at the end of the tunnel” strategy and create effective program copy points that get noticed. And finally, find out how you can overcome the most common objections and stigmas of CTE.
Pathways 101: What You Need to Help Design and Lead a Regional Pathways Partnership
1:00 p.m.-4:00 p.m.
Presenter: Hans Meeder
Pathways are all the rage in K-12 and postsecondary education, but what are they really, how do they build upon high quality CTE, and most importantly, how does a school or college get started? In this workshop, Hans Meeder, President of the National Center for College and Career Transitions and former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Education, will help participants understand the essentials of individual Pathway Programs, as well as the components of a comprehensive Pathways System (programs of study, career development, dynamic teaching and learning, and cross-sector partnerships). Participants will leave the workshop with the beginning of an implementation plan, and will identify specific next steps to move forward in pathways development.
Pre-Conference Tour
8:30 a.m.-12:00 p.m.
West-MEC CTE Center’s Central Campus
West-MEC (Western Maricopa Education Center) is a public school district dedicated to providing innovative CTE programs that will prepare students for economic independence. West-MEC programs empower students to enter the workforce and pursue continuing education. This tour will showcase West-MEC’s cutting-edge programs, students, educators and administrators!
Traditional Western Dinner
6:00 p.m.
Come join local culinary arts students as they prepare your hoedown meal at a nearby campus location!