Meet Krista Paul

Krista PaulACTE CTE For All Vice President
Email: vp_cte4all@iamcte.com
Region: III
Division: CTE For All
Occupation: High School Special Education Teacher

Employment History
Special Education Teacher, High School District 214, 2019-present, and 2003-2008; Assistant Director of Career and Technical Education, High School District 214, 2015-2019; District Internship Coordinator, High School District 214, 2008-2015; Special Education Teacher, NSSEO, 2002-2003; Special Education Teacher, Deerfield Public Schools, 2001-2002

Education
CTE Endorsement, 2022; Director of Special Education Endorsement, Aurora University, 2015; CTE Co-op courses, 2014; MAEL, Aurora University, 2007; M.A. in Reading, Northeastern Illinois University, 2003; B.A. in Special Education, Northeastern Illinois University, 2000

National ACTE Involvement
ACTE CTE for All Division Vice President, 2025-present; ACTE conference proposal reviewer 2025; ACTE CTE for All Section Lead, 2024-2025; ACTE’s CareerTech VISION presenter: 2024, 2023, 2022, 2017, 2015, 2014; ACTE’s CareerTech VISION attendee: 2024, 2023, 2022, 2017, 2015, 2014, 2012, 2011; ACTE’s National WBL Conference presenter: 2023; ACTE’s National WBL Conference attendee: 2024, 2023; ACTE Career Guidance Award Finalist, 2019

Regional ACTE Involvement
ACTE Region III Award of Merit, 2022; ACTE Region III Career Guidance Award, 2019; ACTE’s Region III Conference attendee: 2019

Divisional ACTE Involvement
ACTE CTE for All Division Vice President, 2025-present; ACTE CTE for All conference proposal reviewer 2025; ACTE CTE for All Section Lead, 2024-2025

State ACTE Involvement
Illinois Association of Career and Technical Education (IACTE), Work-Based Learning Division (WBLD) Immediate Past-President, 2024-2025; IACTE WBLD, President, 2023-2024; IACTE, WBLD Section Lead, 2022-2023; IACTE, Immediate Past-President, Board Member, Awards Chair, 2021-2022; IACTE, President, 2020-2021; IACTE, 1st Vice President, Board Member, Conference Chair, 2019-2020; IACTE, 2nd Vice President, Board Member, 2018-2019; Illinois ACTE Career Guidance Award, 2019; Member, IACTE, 2009-present

Platform Statement
CTE for All is built on the belief that every student deserves access to high-quality Career and Technical Education, regardless of background, ability, or future plans. It represents a unified vision to transform career-connected learning by fostering national collaboration, advancing innovative practices, and removing systemic barriers. Our mission is to ensure all learners, including those from historically underserved or overlooked groups, have meaningful opportunities to explore, grow, and succeed through personalized, relevant, and engaging CTE experiences. We are dedicated to creating systems that support lifelong opportunity and empower every student to be equipped to thrive. By strengthening collaboration across schools, communities, and industries, CTE for All aims to build pathways that prepare students for success in both life and career. Together, we are working toward a future where every learner is supported, empowered, and able to reach their full potential.

Bio
Krista Paul is an educator in High School District 214, where her work has focused on elevating Career and Technical Education (CTE) to ensure that all students have access to meaningful, enriching learning experiences that prepare them for post-secondary career success. Ms. Paul has extensive experience working with culturally diverse populations, consulting with educators on intervention models for least restrictive environments, and collaborating with teams to design explicit, specially designed instruction. As the district’s former Assistant Director of CTE, she was the founding leader of both the district’s formalized Internship Program and the Center for Career Discovery, initiatives aimed at providing students with authentic work-based learning and career development experiences. Her leadership in professional organizations includes serving as Section Lead for “CTE for All” within the Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE), Past President of the Work-Based Learning Division of the Illinois Association for Career and Technical Education (IACTE), and Past President of IACTE itself. Ms. Paul’s contributions have been recognized with several honors, including the 2022 ACTE Region III Award of Merit, selection as one of five national finalists for the 2019 ACTE Career Guidance Award, as well as the 2019 ACTE Region III and Illinois Career Guidance Awards. She holds a Master’s Degree in Educational Leadership and a Director of Special Education endorsement from Aurora University, a Master’s Degree in Reading from Northeastern Illinois University, and a Bachelor’s Degree in Special Education from the same institution.