In order for our members to know the individuals who serve them at the national level, NASDCTEc is sharing a blog series called “Meet Your Board Members;†today we are featuring Dr. Lee Burket, Region III representative. Region III encompasses Delaware, District of Columbia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia.
Lee Burket is currently Director of the Bureau of Career and Technical Education, Office of Elementary Secondary Education, Pennsylvania Department of Education. The Bureau has over 30 staff who work with school districts, career and technical centers and postsecondary institutions that provide career and technical education. The Bureau works with the State Board of Vocational Education to administer the state’s accreditation process for career and technical centers, which allows the career and technical centers to offer quality adult technical education that is eligible for federal Title IV funds. Bureau activities include designing and offering a statewide Technical Assistance Program to assist secondary schools raise CTE student academic and technical achievement; design and implement state developed Programs of Study; review and approve secondary CTE programs; conduct approved CTE program evaluations; develop OBRA compliant Nurse Aide training curriculum and conduct approved Nurse Aide program evaluations; and develop partnerships with industry to align CTE program offerings with industry standards.
Shortly after completing her doctorate in Adult Education, Lee returned to Pennsylvania to work for the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) as the Tech Prep Coordinator. She then moved back to the local level to serve as the adult education coordinator and progressed through the administrative levels at a career and technical center. She returned to PDE as the Work-Based Learning Coordinator and has been serving as the State Director of CTE since 2005.
While working on her doctorate at the University of Georgia, Lee also worked full-time for the University. This work involved developing state technical program and curriculum standards for the then postsecondary technical institutes across the states. Lee earned her doctorate in Adult Education at the University of Georgia (UGA). She went to UGA on a Kellogg Fellowship. Her responsibilities focused on rural revitalization and evaluation of the revitalization efforts.
Prior to pursuing her doctorate, Lee taught at a career and technical center in Pennsylvania.
When asked for her goals as a Board Member, Lee said “My goal as a member of NASDCTEc Board is to use my knowledge and experience in career and technical education to represent Region III and to carry forward their unique needs as CTE is advanced nationally.†Another goal is “To assist in developing policies and strategies that lead the transformation of CTE.”
NASDCTEc appreciates Dr. Lee Burket’s service to the Board. She can be reached at lburket@pa.gov.
Ramona Schescke, Member Services Manager