NASDCTEc is glad to welcome its two newest staff members, State Policy Associate Andrea Zimmermann and Communications Associate Evan Williamson!
Andrea Zimmermann
Andrea’s path to Washington, DC, started in Illinois, wound through Eastern Europe and eventually ended here in the nation’s capital.
Hailing from southern Illinois, she pursued both her undergraduate and master’s degree in the Land of Lincoln and finished her graduate program at the University of Illinois-Springfield in 2008 with a specialty in political journalism that primarily focused on state government. After graduation, she worked as a journalist in Illinois covering local, state and national news.
Drawn to fulfill a lifelong dream to serve internationally, Andrea joined the Peace Corps shortly thereafter. For nearly three years, Andrea lived and worked in Ukraine, where she taught English, conducted teacher training and worked on local issues such as youth leadership and HIV/AIDS.
She discovered her passion for education while in Ukraine. Upon returning to the United States, she moved to Washington, DC, and worked for the U.S. Department of Education prior to joining NASDCTEc. Her own family’s close ties to Career Technical Education makes this position a perfect fit. Andrea will focus on state-level policies and trends in CTE.
Andrea says she loves living in Washington, though never misses a chance to return home to Illinois to see family and friends.
Evan Williamson
Evan joins NASDCTEc after two years working in communications on Capitol Hill. Evan’s prior experience includes stints working in environmental policy and communications, political and campaign volunteerism during the last four election cycles and work in the offices of U.S. Representatives Luis Gutierrez (IL-04) and Peter Visclosky (IN-01).
Evan is a native of Champaign, Illinois. He graduated Cum Laude from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with a B.A. in Political Science, minoring in Sustainability Studies. In the course of his undergraduate study, he uncovered his passion for political communications as an exchange student in Manchester, England, while studying the United Kingdom’s 2010 general election. Returning to the states, Evan outlined a path into the world of issue-oriented communications and advocacy that has culminated in his arrival at NASDCTEc.
With deep personal and professional connections to education, Evan is committed to raising the profile of CTE as a means to improve student outcomes, reduce youth and adult unemployment and promote American economic competitiveness. As communications associate, Evan will conduct media outreach on behalf of NASDCTEc, spearhead communications initiatives, publicize Association and Foundation events and manage the organization’s online presence.
Evan is soccer devotee, his playing career beginning as a kindergarten all-star in 1993 and continuing to the present. Expanding his profile, he has also coached for three consecutive seasons with the Arlington Aces soccer club. An avid sports fan as well as participant, he boasts having attended at least one Illinois basketball game every year since 1996 and, to less satisfying results, attending at least one game in each of the last 15 seasons of his beloved Chicago Cubs. He also attempts (with limited success) cooking, bass guitar, the New York Times Sunday Crossword and long-distance running in his spare time.
Ramona Schescke, Member Services Manager