“The willingness of NCLA members to share their best practices and their willingness to host visitation teams was the launching pad for our grant application. It allowed us to visualize what it could be for us in our region. Seeing high-quality CTE centers in other areas across the nation was a very important step in getting our application developed and approved.” Eric Ripley

Eric Ripley has 23 years of professional experience in Career and Technical Education (CTE) including his current roles as the Executive Director of CTE & Technology for the Grand Forks Public Schools (North Dakota) and CTE Director of the virtual Grand Forks Area Career & Technology Center. A graduate of the University of North Dakota, Eric’s educational background includes a Bachelor's Degree in Business Education and a Master's Degree in Career & Technical Education/Educational Leadership. Before his current administrative positions, Eric taught as a middle school CTE computer teacher and high school information technology instructor.

As a proud CTE Advocate, Eric was elected to serve on the Association for Career & Technical Education (ACTE) national board as the Administration Division Vice President. Eric previously has served as the President of NCLA, President of the North Dakota Association for Career & Technical Education (NDACTE), and on the ACTE Region V Policy Committee.  Eric is passionate about the importance of Career and Technical Education within public education and expanding opportunities for all students to partake in CTE. Eric is married to Sadie, and has three sons, Toby, Grady, and Ethan.