Posts Tagged ‘Advance CTE State Director’

Innovating State Systems through CTE Without Limits

Thursday, June 1st, 2023

Without Limits: A Shared Vision for the Future of Career Technical Education (CTE Without Limits) was released in March 2020 with the support of over 40 national organizations. In October 2021, Advance CTE launched a technical assistance opportunity called Advancing CTE Without  Limits, which sought to support states in a project to coordinate systems, improve equity goals, strengthen policy or otherwise align with a CTE Without Limits principle. The year-long Advancing CTE Without Limits project ran from March 2022 to March 2023. This blog series shares the details, outcomes and lessons learned from projects across the three participating Pushing the Limits state teams – Colorado, Nebraska and South Carolina. 

Over the past year, three states – Colorado, Nebraska and South Carolina – leveraged CTE Without Limits in their states to improve Career Technical Education (CTE) practice through technical assistance and strategic planning. Each state took a different approach and focused on a different CTE Without Limits principle, but ultimately each state centered its project around leveraging tools and resources already at its disposal to realign and refocus state practice for all CTE learners. All three states took an innovative approach to revitalizing existing policy and strategy and the alignment work vital to their year-long projects is already paying dividends. For more information about each state’s project check out the previous posts in this blog series.

This year, Advance CTE is continuing to help states innovate their state systems through CTE Without Limits. Earlier this year, we opened an application for technical assistance to help states specifically interested in strategic planning and alignment support. Four states – Indiana, Nevada, Oregon and Rhode Island – are working with Advance CTE and Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE) coaches to build strategic goals, centered around a statewide theory of action, or revamp state plans for the Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act (Perkins V). The initiative, Innovating State Systems through CTE Without Limits, will run from June 2023 to June 2024.

While previous technical assistance efforts were focused on individual state projects, this year’s project builds specifically on the strategic planning process. Each state will create a 12-month action plan and will have opportunities to begin to pilot some of the initiatives embedded in their new strategic plans. Each state will build a statewide team made of stakeholders within and outside of their CTE agency to ensure their strategic goals meet the needs of learners, families, educators and administrators statewide. Participating state team members will also engage in quarterly cross-state sharing sessions to discuss insights and lessons learned. 

Advance CTE Senior Advisor and project lead Eliza Fabillar hopes the value of this technical assistance opportunity will be clear: “The Innovating State Systems initiative will help participating states develop and implement strategic priorities to strengthen the career preparation ecosystem for all learners, which will lay the groundwork for continued quality implementation after the project period. Advance CTE members will also benefit from lessons learned, which will be shared with the CTE community.”

Kickoff meetings with each state’s State CTE Director have already started and progress will continue throughout the next year. Stay tuned for future updates about this project. 

For more information about CTE Without Limits, visit https://careertech.org/without-limits. To begin processes like this in your own state or locality, view our CTE Without Limits roadmaps and view this resource recap to see how to use these tools step-by-step. 

Dan Hinderliter, Senior Policy Associate

By Jodi Langellotti in CTE Without Limits
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Welcome Dr. Monique Faulkner as the new State Director of Career Technical and Adult Education for the US Virgin Islands!

Wednesday, May 24th, 2023

The US Virgin Islands (USVI) Department of Education has recently named Virgin Islands native Dr. Monique Faulkner as the State Director of Career Technical and Adult Education. The Department oversees the development and execution of Career, Technical and Adult Education programs in the Territory’s public education system, in alignment with the Strengthening Career Technical Education for the 21st Century Act (Perkins V) and the Adult Education Family and Literacy Act (AEFLA).

Monique discovered CTE like many do as a path to reskill after an economic shift. After the mortgage industry collapse in 2007, Monique was forced to redirect her career path from a financial-focused background as a Mortgage Residential Underwriter to education. Monique went back to school and earned a Bachelor of Science in Education.

While pursuing a master’s degree in Education Administration with a concentration in Adult Education, Monique accepted a position as a Program Manager at the USVI Department of Education’s State Office of Career, Technical & Adult Education. Monique shared, “It was [there] that my full passion emerged, as I began to see a vision for how the two programs certainly complemented each other and if integrated correctly, could change the lives of individuals (secondary students and adult learners).”

In order to increase her exposure and gain additional knowledge of Career and Technical Education (CTE) and Adult Education, Monique relocated to Georgia where she served as the Adult Education Dean at Atlanta Technical College. In this role, Monique gained hands-on experience with building sustainable programs that bridged learners from Adult Education into CTE pathways. In collaboration with the technical program deans, Monique created accelerated Career, Technical and Adult Education (CTAE) training programs for students, which focused on stackable credentialing. 

The experience Monique gained working directly with learners and educators fueled her passion for CTE and led to a federal position at the  U.S. Department of Education, Office of Career, Technical and Adult Education (OCTAE), while dually pursuing her doctorate in Education. Her dissertation, A Change Management Plan: Expanding the Knowledge of Adult Education to Improve Program Performance, incorporated the rigor of academics with the relevance of technical education.  

In her new role as the State Director of CTAE, Monique is excited about CTE’s ability to not only build real-world skills but to change the trajectory of one’s future: “I am passionate about CTE because CTE is shaping the future. It is the foundation on which the world stands, economies are sustained, crime and recidivism are reduced drastically and strong communities thrive.  CTE is the driving force behind business and industry and economically self-sufficient communities.  When all of the aforementioned happens in a community, businesses are attracted like a magnet, the economy begins to blossom and greater levels of self-sufficiency among adults in that community are attained.”

For the year ahead, Monique’s priorities for CTE systems in the USVI are to create stronger connections between state and local CTE leaders given the territory’s unique structure of one state education agency and just two local education agencies.  

Monique shared that the concentrated team efforts for the next year are:

Another priority is changing the mindset around CTE from the “old voc-ed” mentality to a better understanding of the benefits of modern CTE with a culturally responsive lens. Due to the geographically separated nature of the islands, it can be challenging to share and spread information. Monique emphasizes that The ability to change mindsets through informing and engaging adults of and in changes … requires a concerted, bottom-up effort that is deeply rooted in … the cultural norms of communication to gain a receptive and motivated audience that … can become an integral part of the change.”

A published poet and writer, outside of the office Monique also enjoys creating unique jewelry (“wrist candy”) and “delicious 100 percent natural juices.”

Welcome Monique to Advance CTE!

By Jodi Langellotti in Uncategorized
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Welcome Kyllie Freeman as the new State CTE Director in Connecticut!

Wednesday, May 17th, 2023

The Connecticut State Department of Education has named Kyllie Freeman as the State Director of Career Technical Education. The Department oversees all secondary and postsecondary Career Technical Education (CTE) programs as well as CTE for justice-connected individuals and youth and pre-apprenticeship programs.

Kyllie discovered her passion for CTE in the classroom as a culinary instructor of 15 years and fondly recalls seeing her high school learners’ “faces [light up] when they made something” as they gained valuable skills in her classes. “Some [learners] hadn’t even washed a dish before.”

Originally a nutritionist major in college, Kyllie switched to culinary arts to continue a career connected to food and nutrition without the intense focus on math and science. During her teaching tenure, Kyllie worked on her district’s grant for the Strengthening Career Technical Education for the 21st Century Act (Perkins V) which led to her taking a Perkins Grant Manager role at the state level. Kyllie oversaw the Hospitality and Tourism and the Information Technology, Education and Training Clusters®, explaining “I wanted to keep supporting Perkins but in a different role. ”

In her new role as State Director, Kyllie is excited to increase partnerships, aligning school districts, community colleges and industry partners to increase accessibility to high-quality CTE and success for learners across Connecticut.

In the year ahead, Kyllie is focused on supporting districts by remapping CTE School Courses for the Exchange of Data (SCED) codes to better align with the National Career Clusters Framework®, giving districts more flexibility in how they award credit. Kyllie is excited to offer technical assistance to district administrators to facilitate this process.

Kyllie is also focused on helping learners know more about the college and career opportunities available to them through CTE. She plans to accomplish this by better aligning course selection with learner interests. Kyllie will also support learners by updating the Student Success Plan and embedding CTE into the plan for better alignment with the opportunities available to learners.

One of the biggest challenges for CTE in Connecticut, teacher recruitment and retention, is not unique to the state; it is a national issue. The availability of qualified teachers in a particular pathway dictates where certain courses can be offered, thereby limiting course offerings for learners where teachers are in short supply.

In addition to addressing the top challenge of CTE instructor recruitment and retention, an issue facing CTE programs nationwide, Kyllie would also like to help change the perception of who should be participating in CTE. This shift would raise awareness that learners should be focused on college and career readiness, not just readiness for college. “CTE is huge and so many [skills] are transferrable.”

Coming from a long line of restaurant owners, Kyllie loves cooking outside of her State Director role. While she will “cook anything,” Kyllie enjoys cooking Italian food the most. Outside of the kitchen, Kyllie enjoys kayaking.

Welcome Kyllie to Advance CTE!

Jodi Langellotti, Communications Associate

By Jodi Langellotti in Uncategorized
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Welcome Brent Haken State CTE Director of Oklahoma CareerTech

Monday, May 1st, 2023

As a lifelong educator, Brent Haken, who began his role as the new State CTE Director of Oklahoma CareerTech in January 2023, has a deeply rooted passion for Career Technical Education (CTE).

“I come from a CTE family,” Brent explains, noting that his grandfather was an industrial arts instructor, his wife began her career in event planning and restaurant administration, and they showed livestock growing up in the FFA program.

Brent began his career as an agricultural educator, teaching for eight years. He then transitioned into school administration roles, serving as an elementary school assistant principal, high school principal and superintendent. It was in the superintendent role that he reconnected with the administration of CTE programs, which eventually led to being offered the State CTE Director role.

In Oklahoma, CareerTech is a separate state agency that oversees the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act (Perkins) and the state’s robust investment in CTE that includes 29 technology center districts, 395 comprehensive school district with CTE programs, and 15 locations for 42 Skills Centers programs that deliver programs for incarcerated learners. Brent’s top priorities for this role are twofold: to increase awareness of CTE among learners and families, and to increase CTE’s presence at the state policymaking table. “My platform for this job is providing people – from young children to adults – an opportunity for a better life,” he explained.

He is excited about the increasing interest among families for more educational options that can lead to a career and believes the state has a major role in educating families about opportunities through CTE. Brent also takes seriously the role in educating and “selling the CTE story” to policymakers given that there is 25 percent turnover of state legislative members each year. Central to meeting Brent’s goal of keeping CTE at the forefront is ensuring CTE operates as a truly connected system of adult education centers, technical centers, and comprehensive high schools that collaborate and learn from each other.

At the programmatic level, Brent looks forward to securing and maintaining resources to fulfill the state’s CTE mission for learners to its full potential. This includes improving program alignment and fostering collaborative innovation with the Oklahoma State Department of Education and Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education. 

When Brent is not at his day job, he is at home at his family farm raising and caring for cattle with his wife and three children. Fun fact: in addition to being handy on the land, he also knows how to sew, having learned from his mother and grandmother!

Please join us in welcoming Brent to his new role, and to Advance CTE!

Stacy Whitehouse, Communications Manager

By Jodi Langellotti in Uncategorized
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Welcome Beth Hargis as the new State Career Technical Education Director for Kentucky!

Monday, April 17th, 2023

Beth Hargis was named the Kentucky Department of Education’s Associate Commissioner in the Office of Career and Technical Education and State CTE Director last year. In Kentucky, Career Technical Education (CTE) is housed in the Kentucky Department of Education, where the Office oversees middle grades and secondary CTE, youth and registered apprenticeships and the area technical center system.

Beth began her career in industry and is especially interested in supporting state and local leaders and instructors in designing and aligning Career Technical Education (CTE) programs to industry needs. After years of working as a staff accountant and CFO of a non-profit, Beth started teaching business at the secondary level and earned two master’s degrees and a doctoral degree in secondary education and educational leadership. After a few years in the classroom, Beth became a principal of an area technical center, where she had the opportunity to take a deep dive into all aspects of CTE. That role then eventually led to being named State CTE Director.

Beth’s postsecondary endeavors have focused on program alignment and meeting industry and community needs, and she is excited to apply that background in her current role to help have the skills and support to stay in their communities to live and work. 

Beth wants to take advantage of the increased spotlight on CTE in Kentucky and use it as an opportunity to “make sure our CTE is state of the art and what our learners and stakeholders need to keep Kentucky’s economy moving forward.” There are several initiatives in the works to move that vision forward, including supporting CTE instructors through a New Teacher Institute and updated pay structures; creating new formulas and processes to center data in determining program quality, need and ultimately funding; and expanding dual credit. Beth also strives to expand access to work-based learning through healthcare apprenticeship opportunities, increasing pre-apprenticeship programs and including co-ops as career-ready experiences.

When not championing CTE, Beth enjoys spending time with her family, especially her two grandchildren and is excited about a third on the way (‘everything you hear about crazy grandparents is absolutely true’), and being involved in her church.

Please join us in welcoming Beth to this new role!

Stacy Whitehouse, Communications Manager 

By Jodi Langellotti in Uncategorized
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Congratulations to Karl Ohrn, Minnesota’s New State CTE Director!

Monday, January 30th, 2023

The Minnesota State Board of Trustees recently named Karl Ohrn as the Systems Director of Career Technical Education for Minnesota State and the State Director for Career and Technical Education.

After struggling academically as an undergraduate at a liberal arts college and unsure of his future, Karl Ohrn joined the United States Air Force, ultimately serving 30 years. It was in the Air Force that Karl had his first exposure to Career Technical Education (CTE).

“I went through a course in logistics in the Air Force, and it made so much sense […] everything was focused toward performing a certain job or skill set. It all became very meaningful and useful and purposeful.” Karl’s experience with CTE through the Air Force made him feel more confident in his academic abilities and future. He shared, “[The] CTE environment really made more sense.”

Karl’s Air Force career provided him diverse experiences, ranging from medical logistics to a CTE program evaluator through the Community College of the Air Force to the Director of a Noncommissioned Officer’s (NCO) Academy. Karl retired from the Air Force in 2013 and became an Academic Coordinator with Northland Community and Technical College, where he evaluated CTE programs for their quality and viability. It was through his role at Northland that Karl first became involved with the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006 (Perkins IV).

Karl became a Perkins Consortium Coordinator at the postsecondary level where he worked with and got to know the state-level staff in Minnesota. In 2018 Karl was asked to become the Associate State Director of CTE and was appointed Interim State Director of CTE in 2021 after his predecessor retired. Karl was officially appointed Minnesota State Director of CTE in December 2022.

This year, Karl’s focus is determining whether Minnesota will update or create a new Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act (Perkins V) state plan; he is excited to get all of the stakeholders involved and hopeful for a successful outcome. Now that his position is permanent, Karl is also looking forward to strengthening connections among his state CTE team members and increasing professional development offerings.

Karl earned a bachelor’s degree in biology from Slippery Rock University and a master’s degree in strategic leadership from the University of Mary. He also completed an associate of applied science degree with the Community College of the Air Force in logistics management and technical instruction. In addition to his passion for CTE, Karl has extensive experience and knowledge of the consortium model and the integration of military personnel with civilian CTE.

When asked why he is passionate about CTE, Karl responded, “We’ve all seen students fail, whether [they are] in high school or college. You have to help people find their passion and sometimes what becomes their passion isn’t what it was when they started.”

Jodi Langellotti, Communications Associate

By Jodi Langellotti in Advance CTE State Director
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Welcome Milo McMinn as the New State CTE Director in New Mexico!

Tuesday, January 24th, 2023

The New Mexico Public Education Department recently named Milo McMinn as its new Director of College and Career Readiness.

Milo path to finding his career passion began with experiences that we hope for all Career Technical Education (CTE) learners —- career exploration, robust high school CTE classes and work-based learning that led to a decades-long passion for education and providing more opportunities for students.

With an initial interest in law enforcement in high school, Milo did a police chief ride-along in 10th grade “and immediately realized that Law Enforcement was not for me,” he explained. In high school, he took family and consumer science classes and then had the opportunity to intern in a kindergarten classroom, where he discovered his passion for teaching. After receiving his Bachelor of Science in Education and Master of Arts in Curriculum and Instruction through New Mexico State University, he returned to his hometown of Grants, New Mexico to teach American History and coach high school football and tennis.

An offer to serve as a district data analysis coordinator for the Central Consolidated School
district in Shiprock exposed him to the Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the
21st Century Act (Perkins V) funding and career pathways. That role led him to take on further leadership roles as founding principal and creator of Bond Wilson Technical Center, an Early College Academy CTE Center that worked to provide dual credit access for students with Navajo Technical University and local industry partners. Milo is passionate about building and expanding career pathways, industry relationships and programs of study across the state. Milo is particularly proud of his work in creating programs and experiences for districts in the state that have large Native populations and hopes to expand program offerings and funding streams to impact rural indigenous communities.

Through Milo’s new role as the State CTE Director, he hopes to expand and support CTE instructors and local leaders to help them leverage CTE to “do cool stuff for kids and create opportunities for engaging and relevant curricula.” His experience as a local administrator will be leveraged to remove barriers for more local education agencies (LEAs) and Native institutions to apply for Perkins V funding. Central to achieving both of these priorities is building more meaningful and trusting stakeholder engagement outside of the state plan process.

Finally, Milo strives for the ‘Land of Enchantment’ to lead the way on workforce and education and workforce innovation through CTE. One potential avenue is through his local and now state management of the Innovation Zone Grant, which funds professional development, guidance and technical assistance, and grant dollars to “re-imagine the high school experience” to include expanded work-based learning, project-based learning and CTE.

Outside of his role as State Director, Milo loves to play tennis with friends and family and be outdoors in New Mexico’s beautiful forests where he loves to camp and hunt each fall. Milo has two sons, an eighth grader, a fourth grader and two twin girls on the way expected in May. He jokes that he is very invested in New Mexico public education “as in four years he will have a senior in high school, a middle schooler, and two little girls in Pre-K.”

Please join us in welcoming Milo to his new role, and to Advance CTE!

Stacy Whitehouse, Communications Manager

By Jodi Langellotti in Advance CTE State Director
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Welcome Jon Wickert as the New State CTE Director in Delaware! 

Monday, September 19th, 2022

The Delaware Department of Education recently named Jon Wickert as its new Director, Career and Technical Education (CTE) and Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics  (STEM) Initiatives. His path to state CTE leadership reflects the power of career exploration and social capital that will sustain ‘The First State’s’ strong record of innovation and transformation of CTE systems. 

Jon’s wide-ranging career began working with justice-connected youth in outdoor programs for the Maryland Forest Service. After a year in procurement in the nuclear power industry, he pursued his passion for ecotourism and water-based recreation by launching and operating a kayaking  business. However, Jon missed working with learners and returned to the classroom as a high school social studies teacher. This led to his introduction to CTE through his support of Career Technical Student Organization (CTSO) competitions, volunteerism with Junior Achievement of Delaware, and supporting professional learning communities that allowed him to reconnect with his knowledge of natural systems and entrepreneurship. 

Jon’s desire to expand his impact led him to the Delaware State Park System, where he led public and private programs, nature centers and exhibits, the visitor and customer experiences. strategy. During this time, he remained connected to CTE through curriculum review and STEM program development. He joined the Delaware CTE team three years ago where he led postsecondary system development, work-based learning, and registered apprenticeship initiatives. 

Jon has been a very active member of Advance CTE prior to his promotion to State Director, participating in the Postsecondary Data Initiative, contributing to Advance CTE’s research on area technical centers and developing an environmental literacy framework through the Bay Watershed Education Training (BWET) initiative. He emphasized the immense value of Advance CTE’s support in helping him to “connect the dots” in his work and connect to leaders in other states. 

Jon is most enthusiastic about continuing current work to equitably update the statewide programs of study, which will focus on centering program requirements with labor market information and wage data, identifying metrics for credential recognition and alignment course mapping with Advanced Placement, dual enrollment courses, and other early postsecondary opportunities. Not surprisingly, Jon’s list of other priorities was quite extensive – internal role realignment, middle grade CTE standard development and a statewide framework for Credit for Prior Learning, among others- , and his enthusiasm for all of them is apparent. Jon is committed to ensuring each Delawean has access to high quality education that centers individual identity within a recession-resistant career, is efficient and affordable, and results in a wealth-generating wage.

Jon encourages fellow new State Directors to be patient with themselves, especially with new work, and use it as an opportunity to facilitate collaboration: “You don’t need to have the answer right now. Start slowly so you can go faster later — this is an opportunity for more voices to be heard.” 

Jon earned a Doctorate of Education in curriculum, instruction and assessment from Walden University. He earned both a master’s degree in education and a bachelor’s degree in social science and secondary education from Frostburg University. Jon and his wife, Sinead, have a 10 year old son named Sean.  They love hiking, camping, kayaking, and enjoying the outdoors as much as possible.  Please join us in welcoming Jon to Advance CTE!

Stacy Whitehouse, Senior Associate Communications and State Engagement 

By Stacy Whitehouse in Advance CTE State Director
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Welcome Eric Gomez as the new State CTE Director in New Mexico!

Friday, July 1st, 2022

Sometimes, dynamic CTE teachers leap from the classroom into state-level leadership roles. That’s the path Eric Gomez took to become the new State CTE Director of New Mexico. 

The son of a Marine, Eric grew up in California and a number of other locations in the Southwest. As a high school student, he discovered a fondness for automotive technology, and made that his academic focus. He participated in SkillsUSA as well as a Ford-AAA competition where participants had 90 minutes to solve a complex automotive problem on an actual vehicle. He performed so well that he was offered a scholarship for further studies in Lubbock, Texas. 

Eric soon discovered that he had a true passion not just for automotive technology, but also for teaching others about it. He returned to his own high school in Dexter, New Mexico, to become a teacher, where he led the local chapter of Skills USA, and took students to the Ford-AAA competition that he had so successfully participated in as a student himself. He soon set his sights on becoming a principal, so he earned a graduate degree in educational administration. But instead of leading a school, he was recruited by the University of New Mexico to oversee not just automotive instruction, but all of the university’s transportation education programs. He found this to be a perfect balance of pushing an institution forward, while still spending time teaching students. 

Ten years later, Eric took what he described as a “long shot” and applied to be the State CTE Director for New Mexico. He was hired swiftly due to his experience and commitment to the field. Now on the job for a few months, he has had the following three major observations: 

Eric said, “This is now bigger than automotive technology; I get to help with all programs across the state of New Mexico,” and it’s easy to hear the excitement in his voice. 

Eric lives in Roswell, New Mexico, and is married with two children. Education is a priority for his family: his wife is a school counselor at a military boarding school, which his daughter will attend, and his teenage son is exploring paths in STEM and robotics. 

Please join us in welcoming Eric to his new role, and to Advance CTE!

Steve McFarland, Director of Communications and Membership

By Stacy Whitehouse in Uncategorized
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Welcoming Henry Mack as Florida’s Chancellor for Career, Technical and Adult Education

Thursday, March 12th, 2020

Henry Mack started as the Chancellor for Career, Technical and Adult Education in Florida in November 2019 and is approaching his new role with great thought and enthusiasm. Previously, Henry served as Vice President for Workforce Education and Innovation at Broward College in southeast Florida, ensuring alignment between the college’s academic programs and local market demands. Henry also taught undergraduate philosophy and religion at the University of Miami and at Florida International University, having studied philosophy and theology at The Catholic University of America in Washington, DC

The Florida Department of Education’s Division of Career and Adult Education is taking on a necessary but difficult task to ensure that learners, businesses, and the economy are benefiting from a robust Career Technical Education (CTE) system. They are in the midst of conducting an audit of its 1,200+ CTE programs to ensure they are aligned with high-growth, in-demand and high-wage employment opportunities. Using his background in liberal arts, however, Henry is looking forward to considering ways to better connect CTE with the traditional aims of a liberal arts education, such as education for democratic citizenship, cultural competence, critical thinking and mental agility. He is also looking forward to leveraging CTE as a means to address issues of access and economic and social inequities.

Looking ahead, Henry has big ideas for CTE in Florida. He’s excited to explore structural innovations in education, for example, considering different ways to integrate technical colleges into an education system, leverage technology to assist parents and learners in navigating potential career pathways, and promote practical and successful entrepreneurship across the state. Advance CTE is thrilled to support Henry in these endeavors! 

When he’s not on the job, Henry spends his time with his four-year-old daughter, two-year-old son and wife.

By admin in Advance CTE State Director, News
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