Jerry Farley Named ACTE Champion for CTE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 25, 2023
Contact:
Dominique Frascoia, ACTE
dfrascoia@acteonline.org
Jerry Farley Named ACTE Champion for CTE
ALEXANDRIA, VA - The Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE) and its Board of Directors are pleased to announce the ACTE Champion for CTE: Dr. Jerry Farley, Vice President of Career and Technical Education at Oakmont Education in Akron, OH. 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.
Dr. Jerry Farley is a trained special educator with more than 35 years of experience, including roles as a direct care worker, classroom teacher, building administrator, and school superintendent. He unites comprehensive support, industry credentialing, and hands-on job experience, Jerry develops programs that provide students with the opportunity to realize their unique “life after high school” dreams while ensuring the ability to earn a sustainable living wage.
Dr. Farley has spent his career advocating for the students who are “forgotten about” in public education as he designs and builds CTE Credentialing Programs for students that can be adaptable to the lives of those students. This has been his life’s work and his life’s journey. The students he serves have a variety of non-traditional as well as typical life setbacks and barriers. These include homeless students, teen parents, mentally/emotionally struggling youth, economically challenged as well as disabled students, etc. Dr. Farley not only builds programs that provide these students with a future sustainable career but also has the forethought to design additional services that are required for his students to be successful.
Dr. Jerry Farley has moved mountains at the forefront of education on a state and national level by continually working as an advocate for dropout recovery students. The work he has done has changed the face of career tech education for all non-traditional and underserved students in Ohio. Recently Dr. Farley and his counterpart, Cris Gullacy-Worrell have received national recognition as top award recipients of the Yazz Prize. This prize awards over $20 million annually, the Yass Prize rewards education providers who best deliver an education that is Sustainable, Transformational, Outstanding, and Permissionless. He holds a Doctor of Education from East Tennessee State University with a focus in educational leadership and policy analysis and a B.A. and M.A. in special education from Belmont Abbey College in North Carolina.
Dr. Jerry Farley will be recognized alongside other national ACTE award winners at the Awards Gala on November 29 at 7:00 p.m. For more information on the Excellence Awards and the Awards Gala, visit http://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.