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Summer Quarterly News Update

Greetings, Region III Members!

What a great summer! I am excited about getting started with the new school year, but looking back on the summer brings positive memories. Some of those memories include my new grandbabies (two within three days!), connecting with career and technical education (CTE) colleagues in Indiana at Region III, the SkillsUSA National Leadership and Skills Conference in Atlanta, Georgia, the ACTE Board of Directors meeting in Alexandria, Virginia, the Missouri ACTE Summer Conference, watching Caitlin Clark play in the WNBA while in Indiana, and wading in Lake Taneycomo in Branson, Missouri trying to catch a trophy trout (which I didn’t). Mix in some relaxation with family and it was definitely a summer to remember.

If you missed the Region III Conference this summer in Indianapolis, we missed you! Thankfully, you have another opportunity to connect with members from across Region III next summer. Please mark your calendar now for our Region III Conference from June 9–11 in Illinois. The details about the location are currently being finalized and we will let you know more about the conference later this fall through an e-blast and the next newsletter. We are behind with the location details this year because at our June Policy Committee meeting, our friends from Illinois agreed to host a year early so Wisconsin ACTE could have an extra year to plan to host you in 2026. What a great act of teamwork! So, please mark your calendars and we will fill in more details about the upcoming conference a little later this fall.

The Policy Committee is also seeking members across Region III to serve on three task forces approved at our June meeting. If you are interested in getting more involved in ACTE please consider serving on one of these task forces; Teacher Pipeline, Region III Conference, and Communication. The commitment would include participating in virtual meetings and consider other tasks that may come up as part of the work of the task force. If you are interested in serving, send me an email and identify which group you are interested in, and I will get you connected to the chair of the task force. Thanks for your consideration.

Have a great school year!

Brandon Russell

VP, ACTE Region III

Indiana

Indiana ACTE is gearing up for the Fall State CTE Conference, which will be happening Sept. 12–14. The focus this year is to "Push Beyond Excellence." Kathy Nimmer, the 2015 Indiana Teacher of the Year, will be providing the keynote presentation. Indiana has also welcomed 222 new Workplace Specialists teachers to CTE this school year. These teachers come directly from industry and Indiana ACTE is excited to welcome them to the Fall conference and help them through their first year of teaching. Indiana continues to discuss diploma changes and how CTE fits into these new changes. The final diploma changes should be voted on in December. Indiana ACTE is looking forward to another great year in CTE! 

Iowa

Iowa held its state conference on June 18 at the Prairie Meadows Conference Center in Altoona, Iowa. There were 84 attendees at the conference, which was moved from the fall to the summer to be more accessible for teachers and administrators, as coverage during the school year was becoming more of a struggle in Iowa. Director Mackenzie Snow from the Iowa Department of Education addressed the attendees about how she sees the value of CTE education and the opportunities our CTSOs have created for Iowa students.

One of Iowa's big initiatives in CTE right now is to develop embedded industry-recognized credentials in the high school setting. Twenty districts were awarded $2 million in Credentials to Careers grants and five additional districts were awarded grants to implement the Child Development Associate credential within their programs. More information is available at https://educate.iowa.gov/higher-ed/cte/irc.

Minnesota

Minnesota ACTE has elected new leadership and has recently gathered for the first time to kick off the new year. Board leadership includes current and former ACTE Board of Directors Vice Presidents. New leadership in Minnesota includes:

President: Holly Strand-Rysgaard

President-Elect: Sarah Shanley

Treasurer/Membership Secretary: Lavyne Rada

ACTE Region III Policy Committee Representative: Ethan Dado

Past President: Brent Ollinger

Missouri

Missouri ACTE recently held its summer conference and all divisions participated. The conference started with a keynote presentation featuring Chef Eduardo Garcia, and some all-division sessions. For the following two days, each division offered various engaging sessions for their members. The sessions provided all members with amazing professional development opportunities and networking to learn with their colleagues from around the state. In the evenings divisions provided numerous relaxing and fun opportunities, from an auction to awards recognitions to a field trip to the Midwest famous Buc-ee's convenience store. Over 1,000 members were in attendance!

As the new school year begins, MoACTE is looking forward to continued opportunities for our divisions to work with their members to provide PD, networking, and other opportunities to grow in their profession.

Region III Conference

From ACTE

Don’t Miss the CTE Event of the Year!

Happening this Dec. 4–7 in San Antonio, Texas, ACTE’s CareerTech VISION is the must-attend event for CTE professionals!

• Gather with your peers and grow professionally.
• Learn via hundreds of concurrent high-quality CTE sessions that address the full range of issues facing CTE.
• Ignite your inspiration while you learn from innovative keynote speakers and leaders on our main stage.
• Explore the CareerTech Expo, which features hundreds of exhibits, workshops and demonstrations.
• Kick-start your event experience with pre-conference workshops and tours on focused CTE topics.
• Celebrate the extraordinary contributions of CTE professionals, programs and organizations at the ACTE Awards Gala.

Register by Oct. 13 to take advantage of discounted rates!

Extend Your VISION Experience with Catapult Masterclasses

Join us for a CareerTech VISION special offer! Gain transformative insights and increased support for your programs through Catapult’s masterclasses. Equipping you with the tools to advance career-connected learning and CTE, Catapult makes education relevant for your students. Choose from the following on-demand masterclasses and receive content access for five months. ACTE members who attend VISION will receive a 10% discount on each masterclass!

• Career Readiness
• Employer Partnerships
• Instructional Excellence
• Student Recruitment and Marketing
• Work-based learning

Click the button to learn more and sign up via CareerTech VISION registration.

Calling All Postsecondary CTE Professionals

Join us at ACTE’s Postsecondary CTE Summit, happening Sept. 18–20 in Chicago, Illinois, to address: promising practices and emerging technologies; building community partnerships; the future of teaching and learning in postsecondary CTE; data interpretation, and more! Don’t miss this must-attend event for postsecondary CTE professionals to ensure your students are successful in their educational journeys and beyond!

Boutique Event for CTE Administrators

Join us this Oct. 9–11 in Portland, Oregon, for the Best Practices and Innovations in CTE Conference, from ACTE and the National Council of Local Administrators. This event offers focused content on strengthening the field for CTE administrators of both secondary and postsecondary CTE programs and institutions. Check out the program lineup, including keynote speakers, pre-conference workshops and tours!

Deadline to Submit Applications for ACTE’s Leadership Programs

Apply by Sept. 30

ACTE’s premier leadership programs provide CTE professionals opportunities to enhance their leadership potential through the following three yearlong programs.

• ACTE National Leadership Fellowship: Fellows will receive a $1,500 stipend and complimentary registration to ACTE’s CareerTech VISION and National Policy Seminar.

• NextLevel Postsecondary CTE Fellowship: This nationally recognized program is now a registration-based initiative. Registration fees for accepted applicants will be $3,000 (not including lodging or travel for in-person events).

• IAED Mentorship Program, sponsored by IMAGO: Participants will receive complimentary registration to ACTE’s CareerTech VISION and free access to IMAGO’s intelligence learning platform content.

The deadline to apply for these leadership programs is Sept. 30.

Affinity Groups to Support You!

This fall, ACTE is launching a series of all-new affinity groups designed to support CTE professionals with common identities, interests or experiences in building community. It is our goal that these groups will serve as platforms on which members engage in mentoring relationships and have discussions aimed at personal and professional growth.

• Asian CTE Professionals
• Black CTE Professionals
• CTE Professionals w/Disabilities
• Hispanic CTE Professionals
• LGBTQ+ CTE Professionals
• Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) CTE Professionals
• Women in CTE Leadership
• Young CTE Professionals (Under 40)

To learn more, contact Candice Mott.