Craig Statucki had a most unusual first day as the State CTE Director in Nevada. March 16, 2020, was the state’s first day of school closures due to the COVID-19 (Coronavirus) pandemic. He spent his first couple of weeks on the job gaining an understanding of what school building closures would mean for Career Technical Education (CTE) delivery across his state, especially as some school years were scheduled to end as early as Memorial Day weekend. Craig is proud to report that many CTE programs donated their personal protective equipment (PPE), among other supports provided to frontline workers including those in healthcare, transportation distribution and logistics, and more. He believes this will encourage continued connections between CTE programs and communities and is an action that proves the strong link between high-quality CTE programs and flourishing communities.
As Craig moves beyond the immediate pandemic response, he is celebrating the completion and submission of Nevada’s Perkins V plan. He is also exploring solutions to the new and widely shared challenge of remote completion of work-based learning requirements, especially as the largest number of internships for learners in Nevada are in healthcare settings.
Craig has lived in Nevada for thirty years and most recently served as the Executive Director of Nevada’s Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE) chapter for five years, an organization he has been part of since the late 2000s. In his new role as State Director, Craig is excited to lean on his experience building relationships between state and local CTE stakeholders to lead Nevada through change. “I always said, ‘I wish the Department of Education would do x, y or z,’ and now I have the opportunity to make x, y and z happen,” Craig said.
In his free time, Craig listens to podcasts about technology, innovation, leadership and entrepreneurship and enjoys spending time outdoors.