FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Updated October 10, 2019

Contact: Jarrod Nagurka
jnagurka@acteonline.org, 703-683-9312

ACTE Announces 2020 National Award Finalists

ALEXANDRIA, VA—Today, the Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE) announced its 2020 national finalists in eight different award categories. Finalists were announced for Teacher of the Year, Postsecondary Teacher of the Year, Administrator of the Year, New Teacher of the Year, Teacher Educator of the Year, Career Guidance, Lifetime Achievement and Carl Perkins Community Service Awards.

The national winner will be announced at the ACTE Awards Gala, a dinner and award presentation recognizing the best CTE educators in the country. The event will take place on Wednesday evening, December 4, during ACTE’s CareerTech VISION 2019 in Anaheim, CA. The Awards Gala is sponsored by Express Employment Professionals, Goodheart-Willcox, CareerSafe, and Stratasys. For more information about the ACTE Excellence Awards, visit our webpage.

Teacher of the Year Award

• Aaron Geiman—Westminster, MD—Region I
• Kimberly Wilson—Alexandria, VA—Region II
• Neil Pearson—Willmar, MN—Region III
• Michael Lindley—Wetumka, OK—Region IV
• Kristine Spath—Waverly, NE—Region V

Postsecondary Teacher of the Year Award

• Jan Held Woodworth—Oswego, NY—Region I
• Elizabeth Andress—Athens, GA—Region II
• Robert Clark—Glen Ellyn, IL—Region III
• Josie Scott—Oklahoma City, OK—Region IV
• Jo Wu—Fullerton, CA—Region V

Administrator of the Year Award

• Debra Miller—Portage, MI—Region I
• Laura Arnold—Frankfurt, KY—Region II
• Kathryn Kittel—St. Paul, MN—Region III
• Rex Buckhaults—Laurel, MS—Region IV
• Robert Weir—Cottonwood, AZ—Region V

New Teacher of the Year Award

• Jenny Allen—Newton, NJ—Region I
• Beth Brumley—Tuscumbia, AL—Region II
• Katherine Lechleitner—Shakopee, MN—Region III
• Jason Clary—Madisonville, TX—Region IV
• Aubry Weigel—Wichita, KS—Region V

Teacher Educator of the Year Award

• Doris Sikora—Bowling Green, KY—Region II
• Chris Merrill—Normal, IL—Region III
• Deborah Handy—Pullman, WA—Region V

Career Guidance Award

• Camille Greening—Mt. Pleasant, MI—Region I
• Jessica Galati—Goose Creek, SC—Region II
• Julie Hill—Thorntown, IN—Region III
• Candace McGowan—Grapevine, TX—Region IV
• Lori Luzier—Surprise, AZ—Region V

Lifetime Achievement Award

• Thomas Applegate—Westerville, OH—Region I
• Cindy McConnell—Attalla, AL—Region II
• Ginny Karbowski—Shoreview, MN—Region III
• Don Roberts—Enid, OK—Region IV
• Wayne Kutzer—Bismarck, ND—Region V

Carl Perkins Community Service Award

• Barbara Comer—Shenandoah, VA—Region II
• Jessica Daberkow—Sherburn, MN—Region III
• Sandra Patocka—Enid, OK—Region IV
• Cheryl Uceny—Kittitas, WA—Region V

Note: National finalists from Region II will be announced after the Region II conference on October 4-5.

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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.

 

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 16, 2019

Media Contact: Jarrod Nagurka
703-683-9312; jnagurka@acteonline.org

New Hampshire Student Wins ACTE National Student Trophy Design Contest
Recent Graduate of Seacoast School of Technology Wins National Award

Alexandria, VA – Today, the Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE) announced Seacoast School of Technology recent graduate Kathleen Terwilliger as the national student trophy design winner in its fourth annual student trophy design contest. Kathleen graduated from the Seacoast School of Technology in Exeter, New Hampshire in the spring of 2019. She was taught by Vaso Partinoudi, a Pre-Engineering educator at Seacoast School of Technology. The contest was sponsored by ACTE and Stratasys, Ltd., a manufacturer of 3D printers and production systems.

Since 1954, ACTE has awarded those who have made exemplary contributions in the field of career and technical education (CTE). The student trophy design contest is a competition for students to design the 3D trophy to be used to award the national winners at the association’s annual VISION conference. This year’s conference will be held in Anaheim, California with over 4,000 educators, administrators and CTE industry stakeholders in attendance. Kathleen’s submission was selected by ACTE’s Board of Directors out of 428 entries from students all across the country. In addition to having her design used to create this year’s trophies, Kathleen will receive a $1,000 scholarship and Seacoast School of Technology will receive a free one-year lease of a 3D printer, courtesy of Stratasys, Ltd. ACTE will also provide Kathleen and Samantha Tukey, Recruitment & Retention specialist at Seacoast School of Technology, with a trip to Anaheim to be honored at the awards banquet.

Last year, at Seacoast School of Technology, Kathleen focused her classes on Pre Engineering. Taking this class exposed her to a number of valuable skills she has been able to use to further her passion and future career as an engineer. She has practiced coding and building with VEX Robotics and built several models using different material and CAD. Her class’s study of CAD was primarily through the Autodesk’s program, Inventor. In her exploration of CAD she found how incredibly useful it can be and has become fascinated by its capabilities and uses in the real world, “It saves so much time instead of drawing parts on paper and makes modeling a much easier process. It also makes the parts more understandable as it is possible to turn them and view them from all angles. This aids in better communication and information sharing as more can be seen from a model than a drawing. I really enjoy using CAD programs and creating my own parts. This competition has been a privilege to participate in as it has been a great opportunity to use my new skills.” Kathleen is currently attending the University of New Hampshire and majoring in Computer Science.

“The Student Trophy Design Contest has successfully helped promote over 1500 CTE students across the country through their involvement in the design contest. The contest applicants promote and drive the next generation of American innovators, entrepreneurs, engineers, and more,” said ACTE Executive Director LeAnn Wilson. “Kathleen’s outstanding achievements, and her passion for CTE, are further evidence of the critical role high-quality CTE plays in maintaining and growing America’s role in the global economy. We are so proud of Kathleen and her accomplishments, and we are honored to have her as a public ambassador for all that today’s CTE has to offer.”

Jesse Roitenberg, Stratasys National Education Manager shared his thoughts on the contest over the years, “Stratasys is pleased to partner again with ACTE to create this contest for the students. We love to hear success stories of students like Kathleen who are taking the design skills they learned in high school and going beyond in college.  Career and Technical Education along with Additive Manufacturing and Computer Aided Drafting is helping to build not only trophies but a stronger future.  The trophy entries we have judged over the past four years are expertly designed and showcase the customization that is a hallmark of the additive manufacturing process alone.”

Kathleen, ACTE and Stratasys are available for interviews upon request.

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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.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 16, 2019

Media Contacts:
Jarrod Nagurka, ACTE
jnagurka@acteonline.org; 703-683-9312

Nicole Reitz-Larsen Named ACTE Champion for CTE

ALEXANDRIA, VA – The Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE) and its Board of Directors are pleased to announce Nicole Reitz-Larsen, educator at Salt Lake City School District in Salt Lake City, Utah, as the ACTE Champion for CTE. The ACTE Champion for CTE award recognizes education leaders, business and industry executives, celebrities and thought leaders who support and champion career and technical education (CTE) programs as a vital part of developing a prepared, adaptable and competitive workforce.

Nicole Reitz-Larsen is both a local and national teacher leader. In Utah, she leads week-long teacher workshops where she not only models best teaching practices for computer science, but also introduces computer science in a way that teachers new to computer science feel comfortable taking new courses and experienced teachers expand their knowledge base and toolkits of strategies. On a national level, Ms. Reitz-Larsen travels the nation facilitating workshops around computer science with an inquiry based approach that is culturally relevant and makes connections to real world experiences and careers.

Ms. Reitz-Larsen also focused on policy and change as an outreach member of Code.org, where she traveled state-by-state talking with superintendents, district leaders, administrators, counselors and teachers about the importance of computer science and how vital it is to provide all students the opportunity to have it as part of their schedules. Ms. Reitz-Larsen believes computer science is a foundation for everything in our daily lives including health, agriculture, medicine, weather, fashion, art, entertainment and business. Ms. Reitz-Larsen has also served on several local and national boards that promote computer science curriculum standards and frameworks.

Ms. Reitz-Larsen will be recognized alongside other national ACTE award winners on Dec. 4, 2019, at the annual ACTE Awards Gala during ACTE’s CareerTech VISION 2019 in Anaheim, CA. VISION is ACTE’s signature event, with more than 4,000 CTE professionals from across the country in attendance. For more information on the Excellence Awards and the Awards Gala, visit https://www.acteonline.org/awards.

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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.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 30, 2019

Media Contacts:
Jarrod Nagurka, ACTE; 703-683-9312; jnagurka@acteonline.org
Katie Fitzgerald, Advance CTE; 301-588-9630; kfitzgerald@careertech.org 

House Labor-H Appropriations Bill Shortchanges CTE

Alexandria, VA – ACTE and Advance CTE released the following joint statement in response to funding for career and technical education (CTE) in the Fiscal Year (FY) 2020 appropriations bill from the House Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Subcommittee.

“While the Subcommittee made important investments in many education programs, the investment in CTE fell short. In the context of an over 6% increase to federal education programs, the increase to the Perkins Basic State Grant program of less than 3% shortchanges CTE and fails to recognize the critical role it plays for students and employers across the country.

“If total Perkins funding to states from FY 2004, its highest recent level, had merely kept pace with inflation, Perkins Basic State Grant funding today would be $1.75B, yet the proposed marginal increase to total Perkins funding falls approximately $450M below this level. Further, last year Congress prioritized CTE with the unanimous reauthorization of the Perkins CTE Act, recognizing the growing need for high-quality CTE programs across the country. The reauthorization included new requirements for states and local CTE providers like community and technical colleges and local school districts, but this bill falls woefully short in providing the resources needed for programs to fully implement the new priorities in the law.

“Additionally, earlier this year a bipartisan coalition of 162 House Members signed a letter urging the Appropriations Committee to appropriate “robust funding” for Perkins, and the marginal increase in the bill does not meet this objective. We are extremely disappointed that the Subcommittee’s bill does not reflect the bipartisan view of more than one-third of House Members who understand the importance of making significant investments in CTE.

“To address the growing skills gap and ensure that all learners have access to high-quality CTE programs that prepare them for both educational and career success, we urge the full Appropriations Committee to include a significant increase in funding for the Perkins CTE Basic State Grant program in its FY 2020 Labor, Health and Human Services and Education Appropriations bill.”

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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.

About Advance CTE
Advance CTE: State Leaders Connecting Learning to Work is the longest-standing national non-profit that represents State Directors and state leaders responsible for secondary, postsecondary and adult Career Technical Education (CTE) across all 50 states and U.S. territories. Established in 1920, Advance CTE supports visionary state leadership, cultivates best practices and speaks with a collective voice on national policy to promote academic and technical excellence that ensures a career-ready workforce.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 21, 2019

Contact: Jarrod Nagurka
703-683-9312, jnagurka@acteonline.org

ACTE Announces 2019 Postsecondary Leadership Success Program Fellows

Alexandria, VA—Today the Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE) announced its inaugural class of fellows for its 2019 Postsecondary Leadership Success Program at ACTE – Sponsored by the ECMC Foundation (PLSP-ECMCF). The program’s Advisory Committee selected 20 participants for the 2019-2020 cohort.  The PLSP-ECMCF will support current and aspiring leaders in career and technical education (CTE). The goal is to provide professional and career growth opportunities to the next generation of leaders at nonprofits and postsecondary institutions offering CTE programs.

The 2019-2020 cohort includes the following individuals. Individual press releases describing the fellows’ biographies can be accessed by clicking on their names below:

• Rachel Andre—Seattle Colleges
• Torrie Costantino—Utah Valley University
• Dominique Footes—University of the District of Columbia Community College
• Andrea Golden-Pogue—Oklahoma University Health Sciences Center
• Jeff Henderson—Indian Hills Community College
• Sharnee Hobbs—Bishop State Community College
• Brandon Hudson—Tennessee College of Applied Technology
• Jacob Kassuba—Zenith Education Group
• Diana LaBelle—SUNY Broome Community College
• Crystal Latham-Alford—SkillsUSA Texas Postsecondary
• DeAnna Little—Meridian Technology Center
• Lynne McCoy—Bossier Parish Community College
• Bryanne Peterson—Virginia Tech
• Frank Polen—Buckeye Career Center
• Georgia Reagan—Emily Griffith Technical College
• Hahli Rogers—Lower Columbia College
• Carrie Scheiderer—Central Ohio Technical College
• Rosario Torres—MDRC
• Claire Van der Plas—Colorado Mountain College
• Nzingha Williams—Central Piedmont Community College

ACTE will engage two successive cohorts of 20 CTE postsecondary professionals in leadership development activities. These activities include creating a personal development plan, attending virtual and in-person professional development sessions, sharing best practices with the field and engaging with a mentor. The goal of the program is to help participants develop and refine their skills in CTE organizational leadership and management; build critical skills in communication, collaboration, networking, problem solving and use of time/resources; and hone their ability to facilitate institutional change. The PLSP-ECMCF also includes a research study to help determine what efforts best contribute to leadership development among postsecondary CTE professionals and the creation of resources that can be widely distributed to support others in the field.

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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.

About ECMC Foundation
ECMC Foundation is a Los Angeles-based, nationally focused foundation whose mission is to inspire and to facilitate improvements that affect educational outcomes—especially among underserved populations—through evidence-based innovation. It is one of several affiliates under the ECMC Group enterprise based in Minneapolis. ECMC Foundation makes investments in two focus areas: College Success and Career Readiness; and uses a spectrum of funding structures, including strategic grantmaking and program-related investments, to invest in both nonprofit and for-profit ventures. Working with grantees, partners and peers, ECMC Foundation’s vision is for all learners to unlock their fullest potential. Learn more about ECMC Foundation by visiting ecmcfoundation.org and ECMC Group by visiting ecmcgroup.org.