SILVER SPRING, MD – (October 28, 2021) Today, Advance CTE awarded the State Career Technical Education (CTE) Leadership Rising Star Award to Dr. Michelle Aldrich of Wyoming and Ms. Tiara Booker-Dwyer of Maryland during its bi-annual conference.
The State CTE Leadership Rising Star Award recognizes new CTE leaders – with no more than five years of service at the state level – who are actively engaged with and dedicated to advancing a vision for CTE that is committed to quality, equity and access within their state.
Advance CTE Executive Director Kimberly Green stated, “Advance CTE is pleased to recognize Dr. Aldrich and Ms. Booker-Dwyer as exceptional leaders not only in their respective states but also as emerging national leaders who are setting high expectations, inspiring the CTE community and their peers and driving systems change to ensure every learner has access to high-quality CTE, without limits.”
“I am honored to receive the CTE Leadership Rising Star Award in recognition for the achievements of my entire team to challenge ourselves to deliver a world-class CTE experience without limits for each learner, from expanding career pathway offerings to establishing systems that foster equitable access and learning experiences for all students,” stated Maryland State CTE Director Tiara Booker-Dwyer. “Advance CTE is a valuable resource for both leadership development and for setting a national standard for quality and equity, and I look forward to continuing to elevate CTE programs and expand CTE opportunities for students in Maryland.”
“As an educator for over two decades, supporting our CTE instructors and learners drives everything I do as a state leader,” stated Wyoming CTE Director Dr. Michelle Aldrich. “It means a lot to receive recognition from a national learner-centered organization such as Advance CTE for the significant progress Wyoming has made to advance quality and equity in our CTE systems, from a new “See Me Teach CTE” educator recruitment campaign to strengthening intra-agency and industry partnerships to expand support for special populations. CTE is an opportunity for each learner to not just make a living, but to make a life in Wyoming.”
Biographies
Dr. Michille Aldrich
Dr. Michelle Aldrich has served as the Wyoming State Director of Career & Technical Education (CTE) and Perkins Funding since March 2019. She has over two decades of experience as an educator at the secondary and postsecondary level, teaching nutrition at two Wyoming community colleges and eight years as adjunct faculty for family resource management at the University of Wyoming. Dr. Aldrich most recently served as a Family & Consumer Science Teacher at Triumph High School in Cheyenne. Dr. Aldrich is a past president of the National Association of Teachers of Family Consumer Science, past president of the Wyoming Early Childhood Association, was named the Wyoming CTE Teacher of the Year in 2014 and the ACTE Region V CTE TEacher of the Year in 2015.
Tiara Booker-Dwyer
Ms. Booker-Dwyer has served as the Maryland State Department of Education’s Assistant State Superintendent of College and Career Readiness and Leadership Development and School Improvement since 2019. She previously served in multiple roles for the Department, including Executive Director, Ombudsman, and CTE Specialist. She has over 17 years of experience in education having taught and led educational programs at the middle school, high school, and postsecondary levels. Beginning her career as a researcher, Ms. Booker-Dwyer published in the field of neuroscience at the Johns Hopkins University before transitioning to the education sector, where she is now leading school improvement, leadership development, and career and technical education for the state.
Advance CTE is the longest-standing national non-profit that represents State Directors and state leaders responsible for secondary, postsecondary and adult Career Technical Education (CTE) across all 50 states and U.S. territories. Established in 1920, Advance CTE supports visionary state leadership, cultivates best practices and speaks with a collective voice to advance high-quality CTE policies, programs and pathways that ensure career success for each learner.
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Media Contact: Stacy Whitehouse, swhitehouse@careertech.org
