Press Release - NASDCTEc 2005 Officer Begin Terms Today

July 01, 2004
For Immediate Release

Washington, D.C. (July 1, 2004) — Charged with providing leadership and direction to the national association representing the state and territorial agency heads of career technical education, the 2005 officers of the National Association of State Directors of Career Technical Education Consortium (NASDCTEc) begin their one-year term today. “Career and technical education’s contribution to our nation’s economic health is enormous, for employers need world class workers in order to compete successfully around the world,” said new President Ellen O’Brien Saunders. “It’s our job as leaders to be sure that Congress is fully informed about this contribution as it reauthorizes the Perkins Act, the federal investment in high quality skills education.”

Joining Ms. O’Brien Saunders, Executive Director, Washington State Workforce Training and Education Coordinating Board, on the executive committee are vice president John Foster, Director of Career and Technical Education in the Pennsylvania Department of Education; secretary/treasurer Milt Ericksen, Deputy Associate Superintendent and State Director of Career and Technical Education in the Arizona Department of Education; and immediate past president Mike Rush, Administrator, Division of Professional-Technical Education in Idaho.

President: Ms. Ellen O’Brien Saunders — As Executive Director of the Workforce Training and Education Coordinating Board since September of 1992, Ms. O’Brien Saunders is charged with planning, coordinating, evaluating, and performing policy analysis for the state’s workforce development system which comprises more than forty programs and $870 million in annual expenditures. Currently serving on Governor Gary Locke’s Joint Economic Vitality Cabinet, she previously served in the cabinet of Ohio Governor Richard F. Celeste from 1988-1991 and directed the Governor’s Employment and Training Office in Wisconsin in the mid-1980s.

Vice President: Dr. John Foster — Having previously served as a teacher educator for the Pennsylvania State University, and been involved in the Pennsylvania Economic Development Association, the Pennsylvania School Boards Association, the Employer Advisory Council, and various career link advisory boards, Dr. Foster has over thirty years of varied experience in career and technical education, workforce training, and tailored industrial training program development. He is also a member on the Governor’s Strategic Planning Committee for Workforce Development and has had varied work experience in the construction and computer networking fields.

Secretary/Treasurer: Mr. Milt Ericksen — Managing a staff of 60 in-house personnel and a state/federal budget that totals more than $36,500,000, Mr. Ericksen is responsible for directing policy, standards maintenance, state and federal accountability measures; developing new CTE programs, and providing maintenance and assistance to the more than 1,650 existing Career and Technical Education and Work-Force Development programs in secondary and post secondary public, charter and technical education campuses throughout Arizona. He previously served as Deputy Director/Vice President, Business Development for the Arizona Hotel and Lodging Association, and, in 200, was named “Business Person of the Year by both the Arizona Department of Education, and the Association of Career and Technical Education in Arizona.

Past President: Dr. Mike Rush — With an annual budget of over 50 million dollars, the agency Dr. Rush oversees is responsible for coordinating and funding secondary, college level, and adult professional-technical education across Idaho. Having previously served as the Director of Research for the State Division, had faculty positions in teacher education at Penn State University, Virginia Tech, and the University of Idaho, and taught high school agricultural education, Dr. Rush has published research articles, written curriculum guides, and has extensive experience at both the state and national level in research and accountability.

The NASDCTEc would like to thank Dr. Mike Rush for his excellent stewardship as President of the association. “Mike has provided knowledgeable, focused, and good-humored leadership during his term as president of our association, a time of tremendous challenge and opportunity,” said President Ellen O’Brien Saunders. “I look forward to his continued counsel and service during the year ahead,”

Founded in 1920, the National Association of State Directors of Career Technical Education Consortium is the Washington DC-based professional society of the state and territory agency heads responsible for career technical education. The state directors are committed to leadership and results. The association has a growing membership of over 200 members who share the State Directors’ commitment to quality education at the secondary, post secondary and adult levels.