In September, Advance CTE and ECMC Foundation announced the second cohort of The Postsecondary State Career Technical Education (CTE) Leaders Fellowship at Advance CTE—Sponsored by ECMC Foundation. The Advance CTE — ECMCF Fellows include representation across multiple demographic categories reflecting the Fellowship’s goal of intentionally building a postsecondary leadership pipeline for underserved populations in Career Technical Education (CTE)  that closes racial representation gaps and removes equity barriers to postsecondary leadership advancement. 
Over the next several weeks, this blog series will introduce each Fellow participating in the second cohort of emerging leaders from 14 states, including 12 professionals of color.
Dr. Tempestt Adams, North Carolina 
Dr. Tempestt Adams’  career path has cultivated a passion for teacher preparation, career and technical education (CTE), and college and career readiness. Currently, she serves as an assistant professor of CTE at Appalachian State University. Dr. Adams earned a bachelor’s degree in business and marketing education from North Carolina State University, a master’s degree in business administration from Pfeiffer University, and a doctorate in curriculum and instruction from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.
 
Dr. Kisha Aites, Georgia 
Dr. Kisha Aites specializes in postsecondary leadership, program design, coordination, and technology education instruction. She was a 2016 Fulbright-Hays Group Program Fellow, selected as an honoree for consecutive years at the Georgia Association for Engineering & Technology Education Awards, and holds membership in Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc., Epsilon Pi Tau and the International Technology and Engineering Educators Association. Dr. Aites currently serves as the interim Department Chair of the College of Education and Associate Professor of Engineering Technology Education at Savannah State University. She received both a bachelor’s degree and master’s degree in technology education from North Carolina A&T State University and a doctorate in workforce education with a focus on postsecondary technical leadership from Pennsylvania State University. 

Shelsi Barber-Carter, Arkansas 
Shelsi Barber-Carter has over 12 years of experience in education administration, including coordinating postsecondary programs and managing regional and state teams to implement Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act (Perkins V) programs. Currently, she serves as an education and career consultant while pursuing a doctoral degree in educational administrative leadership and research at Liberty University. She received a bachelor’s degree in microbiology and a master’s degree in public administration from Southern University A&M College.