Bob Funk Named 2017 ACTE Business Leader of the Year
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date: August 16, 2016
Contact: Alisha Hyslop
ahyslop@acteonline.org, (703) 683-9331
Bob Funk Named 2017 ACTE Business Leader of the Year
ALEXANDRIA, VA – The Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE) and its Board of Directors announce the 2017 ACTE Business Leader of the Year: Bob Funk of Express Employment Professionals. The ACTE Business Leader of the Year award celebrates the contributions and achievements of an executive from the business community who has demonstrated a solid and sustained commitment to improving career and technical education (CTE).
Funk is co-founder, chairman and chief executive officer of Express Employment Professionals. With international headquarters located in Oklahoma City, it is one of the largest staffing companies in North America. Under Funk’s leadership, Express has put more than 6 million people to work worldwide and has grown to more than 770 franchises in the United States, Canada and South Africa. Funk’s passion for CTE comes from years of fulfilling staffing needs for client companies that consistently acknowledge the growing need for skilled workers. Identifying a need for greater understanding of job market opportunities between educators and students, Express developed the free “Job Genius” educational video series to offer insights to job seekers and students on where and how to find gainful employment. Seeking to further empower the next generation to make knowledgeable education and career decisions, Express partnered with CEV Multimedia to develop online Career Preparedness and Business Office Technology Certifications.
Funk advocates that CTE not only offers the technical and workplace skills needed to succeed in a 21st-century workforce, but it also leads to a rich variety of fulfilling careers. In 2014, he commissioned a white paper that explores the return on investment of traditional academic higher-education degrees compared to CTE alternatives.
Under Funk’s leadership, Express began sponsoring the ACTE Excellence Awards in 2014 as a gesture of support for the work of CTE educators across the nation. Personal financial support and that of Express has exceeded $5 million in student scholarships and teacher professional development grants to CTE, as well as to numerous youth and agricultural organizations. Funk served as the Chairman of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City and was also the Chairman of the Conference of Chairmen of the Federal Reserve. Former Oklahoma Gov. Frank Keating says, “Bob Funk is a man of great character and integrity. He is a leader in both business and the community, yet always manages to find time to ‘do more.'”
Funk will be recognized alongside other national ACTE award winners on Nov. 30 at the annual ACTE Awards Banquet during ACTE’s CareerTech VISION 2016 in Las Vegas, Nevada. VISION is ACTE’s signature event, with more than 3,000 attendees, career and CTE professionals from across the country. For more information on the Excellence Awards and the Awards Banquet, visit www.acteonline.org/awards.
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, guidance counselors 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.
About Express Employment Professionals
Express Employment Professionals puts people to work.It generated $3.02 billion in sales and employed a record 500,002 people in 2015. Its long-term goal is to put a million people to work annually. For more information, visit ExpressPros.com.