ACTE Announces Arizona Program Director as National Award Finalist
ALEXANDRIA, VA—Today, the Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE) announced Tina Gudvangen, Program Director at Cochise Technology District in Willcox, AZ, as the 2026 ACTE Region V Administrator of the Year. This award recognizes administrative career and technical education (CTE) professionals at the school, district, county, state or federal level who have demonstrated leadership in ensuring teacher and student success and have made significant contributions toward innovative, unique and effective career and technical education programs.
With a lifelong passion for hands-on learning and career readiness, Tina Gudvangen has dedicated her career to expanding access to high-quality Career and Technical Education (CTE), particularly in rural communities. From her roots on a farm in North Dakota to her current role as Program Director for the Cochise Technology District (CTD) in southeastern Arizona, Gudvangen’s leadership has transformed opportunities for students across the region.
Gudvangen’s journey into CTE began in high school with a bookkeeping class that sparked her interest in business. This led to a 20+ year teaching career, during which she taught accounting, marketing, economics, and technology. As an FBLA advisor, she empowered students to become leaders, serve their communities, and achieve success at regional, state, and national levels.
Later, as a district-level CTE Director, Gudvangen provided leadership across 10 CTE programs—managing budgets, driving professional development, and using data to strengthen program effectiveness.
Since 2013, Gudvangen has served as Program Director for CTD, where she has dramatically expanded CTE programming across 11-member high schools. Under her leadership, the district has grown from offering just one program to 11, including pathways in patient care tech, behavioral health, cybersecurity, law enforcement, welding, HVAC, and automotive technology. She also launched an annual event to strengthen collaboration between school counselors and CTE directors, recognizing the key role both play in helping students prepare for meaningful careers.
Gudvangen’s commitment to early career exposure led her to launch a middle school initiative, recruiting “CTE Champions” and implementing career exploration curriculum across 15 feeder schools in the county—ensuring students begin thinking about their futures long before high school.
A 13-year charter member of the ACTE Arizona Premier Series Team, Gudvangen continues to train and mentor educators statewide in instructional best practices, program management, advisory councils, and CTSO development. Her work is opening doors for students across Arizona—and setting a standard for leadership in CTE.
Gudvangen is one of five finalists for the 2026 national title. The national winner will be announced at the ACTE Awards Gala, an award presentation recognizing the best CTE educators in the country. The event will take place on December 9, 2025, at 7:00 p.m. The Awards Gala is sponsored by Goodheart-Willcox, The Army, and Stratasys. For more information about the ACTE Excellence Awards, visit our webpage.
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About ACTE
The Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE) is the nation’s largest not-for-profit association committed to the advancement of education that prepares youth and adults for successful careers. ACTE represents the community of CTE professionals, including educators, administrators, researchers, school counselors, guidance and career development professionals and others at all levels of education. ACTE is committed to excellence in providing advocacy, public awareness and access to resources, professional development and leadership opportunities.
