Meet Shakari Fraser (PLSP-ECMC Foundation fellow)
Meet Shakari Fraser, senior manager of the Earn and Learn Career Pathway Program at Cowen Institute: Tulane University. Fraser’s interview appears as part of a spotlight series on 2020–21 fellows in the Postsecondary Leadership Success Program at ACTE – Sponsored by ECMC Foundation.
What leadership skills do you hope to develop as part of the Postsecondary Leadership Success Program at ACTE – Sponsored by ECMC Foundation?
As a fellow of the Postsecondary Leadership Success Program at ACTE – Sponsored by ECMC Foundation, I hope to:
- Gain an understanding of strategies used to engage and build partnerships with business and industry, the community and other education leaders.
- Acquire more knowledge about the challenges in access and equity for underserved populations in CTE.
- Develop strategies for building an inclusive culture.
- Improve my written and public speaking communication skills.
How do you anticipate your participation in the program will better equip you to support career and technical education (CTE) students, particularly underserved groups, toward career success?
In 2018, I read an article in Forbes about artificial intelligence, titled, “You Don’t Know What You Don’t Know.” Humans have gaps in their knowledge, and we fill these gaps with experiences. Participation in PLSP–ECMC Foundation will allow me to fill my knowledge base through experiences in workshops, conferences and thoughtful dialogue around key CTE-related topics. I anticipate that — through each of these experiences — I will learn something new that I can share with staff and program participants to improve and sustain programming.
In your opinion, what are the most important elements of professional development for postsecondary leaders?
The most important elements of professional development for postsecondary leaders are the practical elements. It is important to provide space to share models of effective practice, thus challenging others to adopt or consider these patterns while also providing space for reflection. I tell the young adults in my program, every individual has a core skill they do well. What would the world look like if we all recognized our skills and shared them with others? This is what we need in postsecondary development, a space to share best practices and ideas, and to build off the strengths of one another.
Learn more about the PLSP–ECMC Foundation.
The Postsecondary Leadership Success Program at ACTE – Sponsored by ECMC Foundation presents a yearlong professional development experience. The program is intended to develop the organizational leadership and management skills of postsecondary CTE professionals, with an emphasis on addressing the needs of underserved populations. Applications for the third cohort open Oct. 1.
