Earlier this year, the Tennessee Department of Education named Candi Collier the Senior Director of Career and Technical Education and Special Projects. 

A former Business and Marketing teacher Candi Collier has been in the world of Career Technical Education (CTE) for 22 years. After serving six years at the Tennessee Department of Education, Candi went back to the field to serve as the CTE Director of Milan Special School District in Milan, Tennessee. 

“I wanted to put my money where my mouth is and see if what we talked about [at the state level] really worked,” Candi shared. A resident of Paris, Tennessee, Candi jokes that she got to “travel from Paris to Milan every day.” This extra time in the field, before becoming the State Director, provided Candi with a better perspective of the challenges and barriers the districts face as well as the vision from the state.

When looking at the year ahead, Candi shared that she wants to ensure that Tennessee CTE is forward-thinking about not just the tools learners should have for today’s labor market, but also how to align programs to future labor market needs. With significant support from Tennessee Governor Bill Lee, the department has been allocated $500 million to disperse to high school and middle school CTE programs through the Innovative Grants process.

In addition to capitalizing on the grants, Candi plans to develop process plans for all current and future work and complete revisions to the state’s Carl. D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act (Perkins V) plan. Candi also wants to focus on assisting the CTE directors across the state in developing the best programs possible to meet the needs of all learners.

Outside of the office, Candi enjoys hiking and has visited 11 National Parks with plans to visit all 63. Please join us in welcoming Candi to Advance CTE!