In this post, Dr. Kevin R. Johnson Sr. shares his perspective on Advance CTE’s role in addressing postsecondary CTE leadership pipeline challenges at the state and national level. Dr. Johnson serves as the senior advisor at Advance CTE, National Fellowship lead, and New York In-State Fellowship coach.

This post is the first in a six-part blog series highlighting the New York Postsecondary State CTE Leaders Fellowship at Advance CTE sponsored by ECMCF (NY Fellowship). The series will share successes and challenges associated with the intentional creation of a postsecondary CTE ecosystem and leadership pipeline from both Advance CTE staff and the NYSACTE admin team’s point of view. The Postsecondary In-State Leaders Fellowship at Advance CTE provides CTE leaders with a framework by which to develop a CTE leadership pipeline to meet the needs of learners, industry, and education agencies and institutions.

Overview 

In November of 2021, Advance CTE launched the Postsecondary State CTE Leaders Fellowship at Advance CTE sponsored by ECMCF with 15 fellows from 13 states in an effort to address the shortage and high turnover rate of Career Technical Education (CTE) leaders. At the Spring 2022 Advance CTE Meeting for State Directors and state agency team members, a straw poll of the attendees revealed that a slight majority of the participants had less than three years of experience in their leadership roles. In the following years, as the Advance CTE staff has provided technical assistance to state teams, several state agencies experienced a 100% turnover of the CTE state agency team, a situation further complicated by the lack of qualified applicants to fill key positions.

Addressing the Need Nationally

The fellowship continues to support three cohorts of aspiring CTE leaders through an alumni network. The network was created to maintain the peer connections cultivated within the Fellowship and currently consists of fellows of the first two cohorts. 

Cohort three of the Fellowship launched in September of 2024 with 20 fellows from 17 states. This most recent cohort saw an increase in candidates selected as ECMCF and Advance CTE recognized the expanded need for CTE leadership development in a post-coronavirus pandemic era. The field at large has experienced an increased interest in CTE and workforce development as many Americans are seeking access at an accelerated pace to in-demand high-wage occupations – the after-effects from the coronavirus pandemic, coupled with industry’s increased focus on and need for a highly skilled workforce. 

Addressing the Need In-State

Another significant lesson learned through the administration of the Fellowship was the realization that fellows require access to state networks in postsecondary CTE to be effective in leading state agencies. Effective leaders require social capital to build buy-in among community and industry partners and to facilitate collaboration efforts to accurately identify and address gaps in learner interest and workforce skill requirements. The need for an in-state program was also supported by feedback from fellows in the Advance CTE (National)  Fellowship, collected in surveys and follow-up interviews through the alumni network: 

• Fellows reported the ability to reference national resources and networks including peers as the second highest rated benefit for Fellowship participation.
• Fellows also reported a desire to gain access to state networks with experienced leaders and state-specific resources similar to the national systems introduced during the fellowship.     

The lessons learned and the need for state-level social capital led to the creation of the Postsecondary In-State CTE Leaders Fellowship.

In-state Fellowship Launch

Advance CTE launched a national  application for the Postsecondary In-State CTE Leaders Fellowship in April 2024. The selected state received an $80,000 award to: 

• Partner with a state agency to develop and lead the fellowship (state agencies could also apply directly)  
• Select an advisory committee to design the fellowship using Advance CTE resources
• Select experienced CTE leaders as coaches to support fellows
• Design and execute an application process based on the Advance CTE model
• Develop an in-state curriculum 
• Connect fellows to key influencers in the state’s CTE ecosystem
• Facilitate the selection and completion of a real-world project to address state-identified challenges

The state of New York was announced as the recipient for the award to participate in a 18-month onboarding and Fellowship development. A six-month onboarding and fellowship launch process was initiated with the Advance CTE staff providing turn-key resources, communications support, and technical assistance. 

Key In-State Fellowship Partners 

The New York State Education Department partnered with the New York State Association for Career and Technical Education (NYSACTE) to administrate and facilitate the NY Fellowship drawing upon the expertise of staff members from the CTE Technical Assistance Center of New York. In the early phases of onboarding the NYSACTE admin team evaluated the state’s systems, recognized the opportunity to develop a postsecondary CTE ecosystem, and applied this approach during the selection process for the NY Fellowship advisory committee. The members of the NY advisory committee represent various aspects of postsecondary CTE: 

• Regional Workforce Agencies 
• Technical Colleges
• Community Colleges
• Four-Year Universities
• P-Tech and  Dual Enrollment Administrators

The NY Fellowship launched in January of 2025 with 15 fellows representing every region of the state and the postsecondary ecosystem. Joining the Fellows are 15 coaches matched to and invited to participate based on the NY Fellows’ areas of interest. To date the NY Fellowship has conducted two workshops and Fellows are developing real-world project proposals based on the challenges identified in their applications. 

If you are interested in launching a CTE leadership fellowship in your state you can contact Dr. Kevin R. Johnson Sr. at [email protected].