In this episode, we are joined by Dr. Christopher Bonn to discuss the role of Career and Technical Education in getting failing schools out of trouble. Dr. Bonn is a highly accomplished educator and leader with over 32 years of experience in various roles, including as an educator, athletic coach, culinary arts teacher, special education teacher, principal, university faculty, mentor, and superintendent. He is the President and CEO of Bonfire Leadership Solutions, a renowned authority, and speaker on transforming failing schools and school districts using innovative and non-conventional practices. Throughout his career, Dr. Bonn has worked in Arizona, California, and New Mexico and has contributed his success to Career and Technical Education, Extra-Curricular Activities, and Classrooms without Walls. He firmly believes that Career and Technical Education is the future and will repair antiquated educational systems that are failing miserably. Dr. Bonn's extensive experience has equipped him with the knowledge and expertise to provide practical and effective solutions for schools and districts facing challenges. His passion for education and commitment to improving students' lives has made him a sought-after speaker and consultant.

Website:  www.bonfireleadershipsolutions.com

Email: [email protected]

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christopherbonn/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Bonnfire.L.S

Twitter: @azbuckshot

Free Professional Development Group for School Administrators https://www.facebook.com/groups/bonfireprinciples

In this episode, Dr. Sara Vande Kamp and Fawn Wilde discuss best practices in establishing and sustaining a successful statewide consortia model for stronger networking, collaboration, and greater use of Perkins funds. Learn more about this initiative in this podcast and by diving into the resources below:

Techniques Magazine

SD Governor's Office of Economic Development Magazine

Global CTE Podcast Episode

Fawn Wilde is the Western SD CTE Consortium Director, based out of Western Dakota Technical College in Rapid City, South Dakota, where she works with over 20 rural school districts’ CTE programs and educators. She is passionate about positively impacting the lives of others and bringing people together for the betterment of the group. She spends most of her non-working hours exploring new places, hiking, doing yoga, and engaging with her daughters. Connect with Fawn on LinkedIn.

Sara Vande Kamp, Ed.D., is the eastern Perkins consortium director at Southeast Technical College in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. She provides CTE vision and guidance to 27 school districts while closely working with the SD DOE. As a lifelong learner, Vande Kamp considers it a joy to work in the world of education. She also enjoys finding new coffee shops and spending time outdoors with her husband and two daughters. Connect with Dr. Vande Kamp on ⁠LinkedIn⁠.

In this episode, Rachael Mann and Dr. Ranucci discuss engaging students in future emerging technologies and the growing role that Academic Esports is playing in Career and Technical Education.

Meet Dr. Ranucci:

Dr. Jill Ranucci is a College and Career Readiness advocate and has an extensive

background in Career and Technical Education (CTE) as an administrator and teacher.

Dr. Ranucci has held district positions in CTE in Arizona and Texas, as well as, serving

as an Assistant Principal in Arizona. Additionally, Dr. Ranucci taught for 7 years at the

University of Northern Iowa and 3 years at the University of Akron. Recently, Dr.

Ranucci has been consulting for several CTE companies to help them align resources

to state standards, state initiatives, industry recognized credentials/certifications and

academic integration. Jill believes every CTE courses must provide premiere curricular

resources to promote successful student outcomes.

She earned a Ph.D. in Teaching and Teacher Education/Curriculum and Instruction and

Education Leadership from the University of Arizona, a MS in Sport Physiology and a

BS in Education with K-12 certifications in several core and CTE content areas.

Dr. Ranucci speaks and publishes nationally for educational organizations and has

been part of national CTE committees for school reform to endorse college and career

readiness curricular initiatives. Through her leadership, campuses have benefited from

rigorous and academically integrated CTE courses.

Learn more about academic esports here: https://www.acteonline.org/tech-academic-esports/

"One of my passions is changing the perception of all stakeholders that CTE students are “less than”  vs. “greater than.” As educators, we all know that there are many professions out there that make an  exorbitant amount of money in comparison to teaching. We also know that many of these professions  require far less formal college education, but yet, we still hesitate to promote these careers. Why? I’ve thought about this a lot over the last several years and I think the answer is simple. I think it is  lack of familiarity or knowledge of these career paths. Many educators I have seen support students  in choosing trade careers are those whose spouse is in that career, or their parent was in that type of  career, so they have a frame of reference and understanding. 

Unfortunately, we still live in a society where if I lined up 100 seniors and asked them what they  were going to do next school year, chances are all 100 would say “college” because that has become  the societal expectation for graduates. How do we change that perception and congratulate and  support the many students who chose an alternative post-secondary path?  

Postsecondary education will always be important, and I think every young professional needs to  continue their education; but this does not have to come in the traditional format of a two-year or  four-year university. There are so many more postsecondary options that students can take advantage  of if we as educators stop limiting them to only traditional paths. 

In Henrico County Public Schools, we have stated that we want our students to graduate “Triple E”,  meaning they need to be either enrolled, enlisted, and/or employed. This is our goal for every  graduate, every year." Continue reading and connect with Dr. Crowder here.

Bio: Dr. William J. Crowder, Jr. (B.J.) is the Assistant Director of Workforce & Career Development  (CTE) for Henrico County Public Schools in Henrico, Virginia. He has formerly served as a  building principal, associate principal, assistant principal, classroom teacher and athletic coach.  His desire is to assist students in finding their passion and directing them towards a career  pathway and for each student to graduate either enrolled, enlisted, and/or employed. Dr.  Crowder’s entire 19-year career has been surrounded by CTE from being a CTE teacher,  supervising CTE at the middle school level, a CTE building principal, and his current position of  Assistant Director of CTE. 

Dr. Crowder also serves as a doctoral capstone mentor and adjunct professor at the collegiate  level in educational leadership and curriculum and instruction.

About Dave Conelias: 

Dave jumped into entrepreneurship in the education industry running after school and summer camps, evolved into being a full-time classroom teacher, and is now a well-rounded STEM educator who loves sharing his experiences and teaching others. Before education, Dave worked in both large and small engineering companies holding a variety of positions including leadership level.  His career was cross-disciplinary in electrical, pneumatics, hydraulics, systems, design, and manufacturing.  Dave supported production, prototype and, development programs throughout his engineering career.

Stats:

https://www.milestonec.com/

https://stemwave.education/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-conelias/

https://www.linkedin.com/company/milestone-c/

https://www.facebook.com/milestonec

https://www.youtube.com/@milestonecstem2186

Bob DiPietro has dedicated his life to his calling as a fire fighter, and now to spreading that passion to young people as a Fire Science Instructor at Central Arizona Institute of Technology (CAVIT). 

Connect with Bob at [email protected] and follow his work on social media:

LinkedIn: rdipietro14

Twitter: dipietro1414

Books that Bob recommends in this podcast:

Leading Change: An Action Plan from The World's Foremost Expert 

Leadership on the Line: Staying Alive through the Dangers of Leading

We all deal with a small percentage of lives and work that is really hard. Sometimes it's 5% and sometimes it may feel much larger. In this episode of the NCLA podcast, Rachael Mann is joined by Dr. Jill Siler for a countdown of ideas to help you along your leadership journey and for tips on how to ensure that the percentage that is hard doesn't overshadow the purpose and portion that brings joy.  

Jill Siler, Ed.D is a leader, speaker and author. Dive deeper into Dr. Jill's work on practical truths to powerfully lead through challenging times:

Thrive Through the 5%: Blog Post

Teacher Morale and Wellness: The new lurking crisis on staffing requires diagnosis and action, not one-off appreciation gestures

Thrive Through the Five: Practical Truths to Powerfully Lead Through Challenging Times

Connect with Jill Siler: 

jillmsiler.com

[email protected]

512.917.8569

In this episode of the NCLA podcast, Evin Jarrett, aka The Dope Teacher shares his innovative approaches to teaching young minds. He is the Building Trades instructor at the Mayfair School. It’s the first and only Building trades program for Middle School Students in the Philadelphia School District. His program has been featured on: 

He also has an RV that he converted into a mobile shop. He offers free shop classes to the youth. His goal is to introduce more youth to the Trades and to encourage hands-on learning. Learn more about his work here: Dope Teacher Mobile Shop Class

Dr. Doug Darling has been President of Lake Region State College since May 2013. Dr. Darling has 34 years of experience in Higher Education, Career and Technical Education, Workforce Development and Work Force Training.  He has led the development of numerous CTE programs to meet industry employment needs in North Dakota. Dr. Darling believes strongly in the Community College mission and in providing access for all to education and training. Under his leadership, Lake Region State College has developed innovative models for distance delivery of degree programs.

Darling received his PhD in Education from North Dakota State University in 2012 and Master of Science in Vocational Education from the University of North Dakota in 1992.  Prior to coming to Lake Region State College as Instructional Services Vice President in 1998, Darling served as director of the Lake Area Vocational Technical Center in Devils Lake, as Continuing Education Director, Interactive Video Network Coordinator, Public Information Officer and Marketing/Management faculty at Lake Region State College.

Darling is active in many organizations both personally and professionally.  In 2016, Phi Theta Kappa awarded Doug the Shirley B. Gordon award for Community College Presidents. He currently serves as Board Chair for Forward Devils Lake Economic Development Corporation. He was named ND Career and Technical Education’s Administrator of the Year in 2011. He served on the Connect ND Executive Steering Committee from 2001-2005, the NDUS Information Technology Council, and the North Dakota University System Online Advisory Committee since 1999. In 2003 Darling attended Harvard Institutes for Higher Education, Management and Leadership in Education. He chaired the North Dakota Distance Education Strategic Advisory Committee from 1993 to 1995 and was named Young Marketing Educator of the Year Award in 1991.

https://www.apprenticeship.gov/

https://www.lrsc.edu/news/2020-08-24/department-labor-grant-will-enhance-apprenticeships-north-dakota

https://www.lrsc.edu/news/2021-11-12/longtime-career-option-revived-new-fields

https://www.ccdaily.com/2022/11/nursing-apprenticeships-in-rural-areas/

https://www.lrsc.edu/academics/programs/apprenticeship-program

Connect with Doug:

Twitter:  @Darlingd1

Facebook: Doug Darling

Instagram:  darlingd1

LinkedIn:  Doug Darling

Dr. Kevin Fleming is a CTE administrator, keynote speaker, CEO of Catapult, and author. He has dedicated over 20 years to advancing the dialogue around eliminating the skills gap and helping students secure a competitive advantage upon graduation.

He has produced multiple viral animation videos, including Success in the New Economy, and he has written four books, including the educational bestseller, (Re)Defining the Goal and the CTE children’s book, There’s a Hat for That!

Dr. Fleming has secured and managed over $80 Million in grants to advance economic & educational opportunities within the community college system having served as a business faculty member, CTE Dean, Workforce Development Vice President, and most recently as Vice President of Planning & Development. He currently serves as the Chief Innovation & Engagement Officer for the Los Angeles Regional Consortium, supporting 19 community college CTE Deans and their programs so that all learners can equip their purpose on purpose.

A few notes:

Additional Information:

Founder & CEO, Catapult

Vice President, Planning & Development, Norco College

Author of (Re)Defining the Goal and There’s A Hat For That!

Change Agent & Philomath, www.kevinjfleming.com