Advance CTE joins the Mississippi Department of Education (MDE) in welcoming Brett Robinson as the new State Career Technical Education (CTE) Director. 

Earlier this year, Brett Robinson was appointed as Mississippi’s State CTE Director. He brings a strong background of experience in secondary education and Career Technical Education (CTE)—before taking the State Director position, Brett worked as the CTE Director for the Clinton Public School District from 2012-2017. He transitioned into the high school principal position at Clinton High School in 2017 where he supported 1500 10-12th grade students until he transitioned to his current role in June 2023.

While the first few months have felt like “drinking out of an open fire hose,” Brett has been able to get a better idea of the breadth and depth of this work after attending Advance CTE’s Fall Meeting in Baltimore, MD. He says he’s grateful for his strong relationship with Dr. Valeria Williams, Director of Career and Technical Education at Mississippi Community College Board. “I’ve known Valeria for a long time and she’s been instrumental in helping me understand things.” Valeria’s guidance is helping Brett establish relationships with leaders across the state’s 15 community colleges.

As State Director, Brett wants to prioritize evaluating the state’s funding formula, increasing awareness around CTE program benefits and assessing learner outcomes to improve alignment with high-value credentials. He plans to take an active role in understanding the rationale behind the current model and learn more about best practices to integrate next year into the new, combined Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act (Perkins V) state plan. He also sees opportunities to build staff capacity when it comes to making data-driven decisions around program design. “Ultimately, I’m interested in creating more meaningful processes that will set our learners up for success.”

Outside of CTE, Brett is a family man. He and his wife Kelly have three children, who were thrilled when Dad got a new job that would allow him to be home more often.

Please join us in welcoming Brett Robinson to Advance CTE!