When you meet Dr. Erica Thieman, you quickly realize that Career Technical Education (CTE) isn’t just her profession—it’s her lifelong passion. Dr. Thieman currently serves as the Director for Career and Technical Education at the Illinois State Board of Education, a role she assumed in Spring 2025. Her CTE story began long before she stepped into state leadership.
A CTE Journey Rooted in Agriculture
Dr. Thieman’s journey started as a high school agricultural education student, where she also served four years as a Career Technical Student Organization (CTSO) officer. That early experience sparked a career dedicated to expanding opportunities for students. She began her professional career as a high school and adult education agriculture teacher at an Area Career Center in the Ozarks and later launched a new agriculture program in the suburbs of Kansas City. Her commitment to educator development then led her back to the University of Missouri (Mizzou) for a combined master’s and doctorate program focused on CTE educator preparation and multicultural education.
After completing her dissertation, she served as a CTE teacher educator at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign before transitioning to the Illinois State Board of Education as principal consultant overseeing Agricultural Education and serving as State FFA Advisor. Today, in addition to her state leadership role, she co-owns and operates Thieman Family Farms in Concordia, Missouri, keeping her deeply connected to the agricultural community and industry CTE serves.
Leading at the Systems Level
Dr. Thieman’s leadership impact extends well beyond a single program. As a state leader, she led the Standards and Instruction Department, guiding the development of Illinois’ Comprehensive Literacy Plan and an interactive learning standards navigator. She also oversaw the award of pandemic relief funding that provided a laptop and connectivity for every K–12 student in Illinois during remote learning—a monumental effort that ensured students remained connected to their education during an unprecedented time. In Spring 2025, she stepped into the role of Director of CTE, bringing with her experience from the classroom, higher education, agriculture, and state policy.
Top Priorities for Strengthening Illinois Career Technical Education
Dr. Thieman is focused on two key priorities to strengthen Illinois’ CTE system:
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Expanding Access to Career Pathways
Ensuring all students have access to a broad range of high-quality career pathways by expanding area career centers and regional program opportunities.
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Meaningful Workplace Experiences for Every Learner
Guaranteeing that all CTE students participate in meaningful, aligned workplace experiences connected directly to their career goals.
These priorities reflect her belief that CTE must be both accessible and experiential—opening doors while ensuring students gain real-world skills that matter.
Illinois has powerful momentum behind its CTE efforts. In the 2024–25 school year, approximately 50% of Illinois high school learners participated in CTE coursework. Participation rates have increased each year in recent history and now show full recovery from the pandemic’s negative impact even amid overall declines in high school enrollment. This milestone demonstrates both resilience and growing recognition of CTE as an essential component of learner success and workforce development in Illinois.
Strength Inside and Outside the Classroom
In her free time, Dr. Thieman is a competitive strength athlete. She competes in both powerlifting and the Scottish Highland Games. She doesn’t just compete, she dominates, holding state and national records in powerlifting.
Whether she’s leading statewide CTE strategy or stepping onto the lifting platform, Dr. Thieman brings strength, focus, and determination to everything she does. Illinois CTE is in capable hands with a leader who understands the student experience, values educators, champions innovation, and quite literally knows how to carry weight.
Advance CTE is committed to supporting state CTE leaders through timely and tailored policy guidance, professional learning, and technical assistance. State CTE Directors are critical actors in developing, leading, and innovating state CTE systems across secondary, postsecondary, and workforce partners to ensure every learner can access and succeed in high-quality CTE experiences. Visit our State CTE Directors page to meet and connect with our members.
