ACTE Announces Alabama Program Chair as 2019 National Winner

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 28, 2018

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

ACTE Announces Alabama Program Chair as 2019 National Winner

ALEXANDRIA, VA Today, the Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE) announced Kim Holdbrooks Townsel, CTE Teacher Education Program Chair at Jacksonville State University in Jacksonville, Alabama as the 2019 National ACTE Postsecondary Teacher of the Year. This award recognizes the finest career and technical teachers at the postsecondary level who have demonstrated innovation in the classroom, commitment to their students and dedication to the improvement of CTE in their institutions and communities. The Postsecondary Teacher of the Year Award is sponsored by Goodheart-Willcox.

Holdbrook Townsel chairs the CTE teacher education program at Jacksonville State University (JSU). It is Holdbrooks Townsel’s responsibility to align all six graduate programs to both Council of the Accreditation of Teacher Preparation (CAEP) and Alabama standards.

Holdbrooks Townsel’s program at JSU is the only secondary education program to admit preservice teachers into cohorts. The cohort structure maximizes use of faculty time as each cohort class is only taught once a year. The innovative cohort structure was shared at the ACTE/NCLA Best Practices & Innovations in CTE Conference. Graduation rates have soared with the implementation of the cohort structure, which promotes bonding with the members and motivation to graduate with the group.

As Alabama moves toward edTPA for teacher certification, it is worth noting that one of Holdbrooks Townsel’s students in the family and consumer sciences program was the first JSU student to complete edTPA and pass.

“As a proud sponsor of the ACTE Excellence Awards, Goodheart-Willcox is excited to honor the 2019 recipients and recognize their outstanding achievements,” said Todd Scheffers, Chief Sales and Marketing Officer for Goodheart-Willcox. “This partnership with ACTE reinforces our longstanding commitment to preparing students for success in college and the workplace. Thank you to all of the finalists for sharing your talents and leadership with students across the nation. Together, we build careers.”

Holdbrooks Townsel was one of five finalists for the 2019 national title. The national winner was announced at the ACTE Awards Banquet, a dinner and award presentation recognizing the best CTE educators in the country. The event took place on Wednesday evening, November 28, during ACTE’s CareerTech VISION 2018 in San Antonio, Texas. The Awards Banquet was sponsored by Express Employment Professionals, the US Army, CareerSafe, Goodheart-Willcox, and Stratasys. For more information about the ACTE Excellence Awards, visit our webpage.

###

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.