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 Richard Katt, Region VII representative. Region VII encompasses Iowa, Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska.
Richard Katt is a graduate of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln with degrees in Career and Technical Education and Adult Education. Rich is currently an Administrator with the Curriculum and Instruction Innovation Team in the Nebraska Department of Education. He serves as State Director for Career Education, administers the Federal Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Improvement Act, and provides leadership in curriculum and instruction and school improvement for Nebraska schools and community colleges. His work currently involves creating a statewide career education system to help students PreK-12 explore career options and be both academically and technically prepared for the career of their choice.
Rich’s work involves extensive coordination of activities between workforce and economic development and education. He serves on the committee for Nebraska’s Essential Education Policy which details Nebraska’s vision for student success in PreK-16 education. He is the past chair of FutureForce Nebraska, a collaboration of PreK-12 education, postsecondary education, government agencies, workforce and economic development professionals and business and industry representatives.
He has been an educator for over 30 years as a teacher, Nebraska FFA Executive Director, and State Director for Agriculture Education prior to his current position. He is an adjunct faculty member at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Rich is Past President of the National Association of State Directors of Career and Technical Education Consortium and the National Association of Supervisors of Agricultural Education. He was named the 2001 and 2009 Manager of the year by the Nebraska Department of Education and has received the Distinguished Service Award from the Nebraska Department of Agriculture in recognition of his work with youth leadership development.
When asked for his goals as a Board Member, Rich said “One of my Gallup StrengthsFinder® strengths is Futuristic – the need and desire to think about and plan for the future. The NASDCTEc Board must provide leadership to position Career Technical Education for the future. Efforts around data quality, marketing and program improvement all help to position CTE for the future. We have a solid past, but we can’t rest on what CTE has always done, we need to build from that foundation to create the preferred future for CTE.
Another major goal is for our NASDCTEc Board to help our staff be the national voice of CTE. We are blessed to have outstanding individuals working for our association. It is the Board’s responsibility to provide the direction and resources needed for our staff to be effective in advocating for CTE. This also involves communicating with members, seeking input and providing the information needed for all of us to advocate for CTE.”
NASDCTEc is grateful to have Rich serve as a Representative. Rich Katt can be reached at [email protected].
Ramona Schescke, Member Services Manager