ACTE Announces Arizona Retired Executive Director of Educational Programs as National Award Finalist

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 28, 2018

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

ACTE Announces Arizona Retired Executive Director of Educational Programs as National Award Finalist

ALEXANDRIA, VA—Today, the Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE) announced Meg Gianesello, retired Executive Director of Educational Programs at Chandler Unified School District in Chandler, Arizona, as the 2018 ACTE Region V Administrator of the Year Award. This award recognizes administrative CTE professionals at the school, district, county, state, or federal level who have demonstrated leadership in ensuring teacher and student success and have made significant contributions toward innovative, unique and effective career and technical education programs.

During Gianesello’s tenure as executive director of educational programs serving Chandler Unified School District, significant funds have been allotted to make improvements in CTE program classrooms. For popular programs like cabinetmaking, digital photography, agriculture plant systems and culinary arts, she solicited teacher input and shared it with the architects to remodel existing space or add special features. In other instances, new buildings were customized specifically for engineering, marketing, nursing and graphic design programs.

Gianesello is committed to staffing CTE programs with highly trained instructors—many with business and industry experience—with the technical and professional skills necessary to equip students for success. All teachers are CTE certified and receive CTE-specific professional development facilitated through a partnership with Arizona ACTE.

Additionally, she supports a curriculum writing project that unites CTE teachers by program area to review and revise curriculum, analyze program data from state CTE assessment results and embed industry certification standards. These professional development days allow teachers who, for the most part, are singleton instructors at their site to build collegial support with likeminded others and create districtwide curriculum and instructional expectations.

Gianesello is one of 5 finalists for the 2019 national title. The national winner will be announced at the ACTE Awards Banquet, a dinner and award presentation recognizing the best CTE educators in the country. The event will take place on Wednesday evening, November 28, during ACTE’s CareerTech VISION 2018 in San Antonio, TX. The Awards Banquet is sponsored by Express Employment Professionals, the US Army, CareerSafe, Stratasys, and International Baccalaureate. For more information about the ACTE Excellence Awards, visit our webpage.

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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.