Arizona’s Amanda Shively Moves on to Nationals!

The Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE) announced Amanda Shively, the CTE Director for Glendale Union High School District in Glendale, Arizona, as the 2014 ACTE Region V Administrator of the Year. The ACTE Administrator of the Year award recognizes CTE administrators, program specialists/coordinators, and other CTE personnel who have made significant contributions toward innovative, unique and effective career and technical programs.

After serving as a teacher in the Glendale Union High School District for 19 years, Amanda Shively became the first director of career and technical education in the district in 2011. The district serves approximately 15,000 students, with about 5,000 enrolled in CTE programs. There are approximately 65 CTE teachers, nine career center specialists and nine liaison counselors in Glendale district that Shively works with directly. Since becoming the director, she has ensured that all CTE programs are of the highest quality for students. Further, she determined the need for new CTE programs to be introduced, many of which now have a STEM focus. Shively budgets for and works with the CTE curriculum coordinator to plan and deliver district professional development activities with all CTE staff members.

In the Glendale district, Shively developed and implemented the first CTE programs approved to award core academic credit using CTE as the delivery method. Currently, there are four such programs. She also oversees the Joint Technical Education District (JTED) budget, the CTE Federal Perkins grant budget and the Arizona Priority Grant Budget. Shively presents at workshops and conferences within her district and JTED, and has presented at several state and national conferences. Additionally, Shively has been active in leadership roles within her state association and has presented at various national and state conferences. CTE Curriculum Coordinator Maryellen Coburn says of Shively: “Amanda is an outstanding representative and advocate for CTE among her colleagues and exemplifies the best characteristics of CTE.”

Shively is one of four finalists for the 2015 national title. The national winner will be announced at the ACTE Awards Banquet, a dinner and award presentation recognizing the best CTE educators in the country. The event will take place on Wednesday evening, November 19, during ACTE’s CareerTech VISION 2014 in Nashville, Tennessee. The Awards Banquet is sponsored by Kuder, Certiport, and Stratasys. For more information about the ACTE Excellence Awards, visit their webpage.

In addition, ACTE will be promoting Ms. Shively and all national finalists on twitter at #BestInCTE in October-November and encourage you to follow them!