Breakout Sessions
The NCPN CONNECT 2025 breakout sessions are carefully curated to align with the CORD Framework for Career Pathways Alignment, ensuring educators, employers, and community partners collaborate effectively to support student success.
Full schedule coming soon! Check back for the detailed agenda and session times. In the meantime, explore the exciting session topics and themes that will shape your conference experience.
Session Strands
Each session is categorized into one or more of the four program strands:
Examples:
- Local, regional, or state cross-agency partnerships
- Workforce system/board partnerships
- Enhancing/sustaining partnerships
- Federal and state funding to support pathways (WIOA, Perkins, foundation, etc.)
- Connecting education partners across the community
- Policy and program alignment
Examples:
- Strategic employer relationships
- Work-based Learning (for example: internships, co-ops, experiential learning, externships)
- Apprenticeship/Pre-apprenticeship
- Industry-recognized credentials
- Business and Industry Leadership Team (BILT) Model
- Employability skills/soft skills/power skills
Examples:
- Credit for prior learning
- Curriculum models that support all learners (IET, Corrections, etc.)
- Dual and articulated credit
- Stackable credential/micro-credential models
- Continuous Improvement and sustainability
- Pathways for emerging careers
Examples:
- Support strategies for every learner
- Mental wellness and career development
- Career coaching and advising
- Supporting special populations
- Recruitment and retention strategies
Pathway Ecosystems | Employer Engagement | Learner Supports
Apprentice’s Perceptions of Support, Belonging, and Job Readiness
Leressa Suber, Ph.D., Senior Evaluation Specialist, NC State University, Raleigh, NC
Pathway Ecosystems | Employer Engagement | Learner Supports
ASVAB Career Exploration Program: Focused Yet Flexible Planning
Janet Bayer, Defense Testing and Assessment Center (DTAC), Office of People Analytics (OPA), Seaside, CA
Employer Engagement
Beyond Corporate Responsibility: Understanding the True ROI of High School Internships
Kevin Fudge, Director of Advocacy, American Student Assistance, Boston, MA
Employer Engagement
The BILT Model: Maximizing Employer Relationships to Get Students Workforce Ready
Ann Beheler, Senior Consultant, National IT Innovation Center (NITIC), Columbus, OH
Pathway Design
Blended Learning Pathways: Workforce Solutions through Stackable Credentials and College Credit
Brandi Olberding, Assistant Dean, Edison State Community College, Piqua, OH
Pathway Ecosystems | Employer Engagement | Pathway Design
Building a Sustainable Early Childhood Education Solution
Miranda Hutcheson, Director of CTE, Greater Lafayette Career Academy, Lafayette, IN
Learner Supports
Building Pathways for Young Men of Color: Workforce and Postsecondary Success
Robyn Phillips, Workforce Development Director, The Eagle Academy Foundation, New York, NY
Pathway Ecosystems | Employer Engagement | Pathway Design
Building Quantum Workforce Pathways
Linda Van Doren, Vice President of Education, Emily Griffith Technical College, Denver, CO
Pathway Ecosystems | Employer Engagement | Pathway Design | Learner Supports
Building Student Awareness of Apprenticeship Career Pathways
Alan Dodkowitz, Apprenticeship Senior Subject Matter Expert, Safal Partners, Potomac, MD
Employer Engagement
Career Pathways and Student Success: Navigating Opportunities for Future Growth
Ted Watts, Career and Technical Education Administrator, Windham School District, Huntsville, TX
Pathway Ecosystems
Classroom2Career Apprenticeships: Bridging the Gap between Education and Workforce
Adam Canter, CTE Director, West Virginia Department of Education, Charleston, WV
Pathway Ecosystems | Employer Engagement | Pathway Design | Learner Supports
Closing the Gap in the Talent Pipeline!
Cynthia Lawrence, Director of Biotechnology WCE, Wake Tech Community College, Cary, NC
Pathway Ecosystems
Connecting Communities to the American Job Centers
Robert Guzman, Director of External Affairs, scaleLIT, Chicago, IL
Employer Engagement
Creating and Sustaining Employer Partnerships to Build Equitable Career Development Experiences
Jazlyn Stanciel, Career Pathways Supervisor, East St. Louis School District 189, St. Louis, MO
Pathway Design
CTE Articulations: Crosswalking Curriculum to Meet Accreditation Standards
Ariel Hartman, Articulations Coordinator, St. Petersburg College, Clearwater, FL
Pathway Design
Designing a Data Analytics Pathway (Including AI) for Future of Work Jobs
Paul Hansford, Associate Professor, Sinclair Community College, Dayton, OH
Pathway Ecosystems | Employer Engagement | Pathway Design | Learner Supports
Different Abilities, Different Pathways – One Destination
Lindsay Tipton, Associate Director of Access to Achievement, North Carolina Community College System, Raleigh, NC
Employer Engagement
The Do’s and Don’ts of Business Partnership Councils
Matthew Lenihan, Business and Academic Partnerships Director, Palm Beach State College, Lake Worth, FL
Pathway Ecosystems | Employer Engagement | Pathway Design | Learner Supports
Empowered Exploration: Future Ready by Connecting Classroom to Career
Ferida Cralle, Work-Based Learning Coordinator, Stafford County Public Schools, Fredericksburg, VA
Pathway Ecosystems | Employer Engagement | Pathway Design | Learner Supports
Empowering AEL Students: Pathways to High-Growth Careers Through Collaboration and Innovation
Anne Bartlett, Vice President, Industry and Community Resources, Brazosport College, Lake Jackson, TX
Learner Supports
Empowering Futures for Special Populations through Intentional Wraparound CTE Supports
Sarah Beth Cox, Director of Career and Technical Education/Curriculum and Instructional Management Coordinator, Asheboro City Schools, Asheboro, NC
Pathway Ecosystems | Employer Engagement | Pathway Design
The Energy Transition: EPIC, Shaping Louisiana’s and the Nation’s Energy Future
Quintin Taylor, Chancellor, River Parishes Community College, Gonzales, LA
Pathway Design
Expanding Horizons Beyond the Wall: Implementing IET in Local Jails
Zachary Dime, Workforce Programs Specialist, Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development: Adult Education, Memphis TN
Pathway Ecosystems | Employer Engagement | Pathway Design | Learner Supports
Explore, Engage, Experience, Enter: Youth Pathways within a Canadian Context
Rozlynn Wick, Manager, Strategic Youth Initiatives, Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT), Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Pathway Design
Exploring Career Pathways and Resources with Indiana Career Explorer and Career Coaching
Jose Torres, Career Exploration and Advising Coordinator, State of Indiana Department of Workforce Development, Indianapolis, IN
Pathway Ecosystems | Employer Engagement | Pathway Design
Florida’s CDL Consortium: Training Tomorrow’s Drivers Today
Terri Clark, CDL Consortium State Director, State College of Florida, Manatee-Sarasota, Bradenton, FL
Employer Engagement
Forming Partnerships to Provide Work-Based Learning in Underrepresented STEM and Healthcare Fields
Beatrize Valenzuela, STEM/CTE Specialist, Region 1 Education Service Center, Edinburg, TX
Pathway Ecosystems
Grant Writing Strategies for National Science Foundation ATE Proposals
Greg Kepner, Principal Investigator, Hillsborough Community College, Tampa, FL
Pathway Ecosystems | Employer Engagement | Learner Supports
Health Heroes in the Making: Inspiring the Next Wave of Healthcare Professionals
Jackie Esselman, Dean, Recruitment and Admissions, Mid-State Technical College, Wisconsin Rapids, WI
Pathway Design
Implementing Cross-Disciplinary STEM Core Instruction
Marci Gale, Mechatronics Faculty and Program Head, Central Virginia Community College, Lynchburg, VA
Pathway Ecosystems
Innovating Together: Texas Cross-Sector Partnerships For Rural Student Success
Michael Gonzalez, Executive Director, Rural Schools InNvation Zone, Premont, TX
Pathway Design
Innovative Partnerships with High Schools Give Equitable Access to College Programming
Kristel Tavare, Director of PK12 Initiatives, Chippewa Valley Technical College (CVTC), Eau Claire, WI
Learner Supports
Integrating Career Development into Academic Advising
Condoa Parrent, Director of Student Success and Advising, Tarrant County College, Hurst, TX
Pathway Ecosystems | Employer Engagement | Pathway Design
Integrating Stakeholders in Community College Programs
Robert Stanberry, Department Head, Blinn College, Bryan, TX
Pathway Ecosystems
Leveraging the Learn and Earn Grant to Build Robust Workforce Pathways
Joni Gray, Director of Career and Corporate Training, Pierpont Community and Technical College, Fairmont, WV
Pathway Design
Mechatronics 101: A Hands-On, Dual-Credit Pathway Overview for Secondary and Post-Secondary Educators
Karen Wosczyna-Birch, Executive Director and PI, National Center for Next Generation Manufacturing/CT College of Technology, Farmington, CT
Pathway Design
A Multidisciplinary World: The Challenge and Opportunity for Students, Educators and Industry
Deb Newberry, Founder and CEO, Newberry Technology Associates, Milwaukee, WI
Employer Engagement
OCTAE Presents: Modernizing the Employability Skills Framework
Jenny Lambert, Education Program Specialist, U.S. Department of Education, Washington, DC
Employer Engagement | Learner Supports
On-Ramps to IETS: Embedding the IET Model into the Student Experience
Monica Stansberry, Senior Director, Workforce Education (Adult and Youth Learning), Dallas College, Dallas, TX
Pathway Ecosystems | Employer Engagement
ONE Workforce: Bridging the Gap from Education to Employment
Karla Blanton, Career Counselor/WIOA Supervisor, James Sprunt Community College, Kenansville, NC
Pathway Design
Pathway to Progress: Enhancing Postsecondary Access with 9–14 Initiatives
Jennifer McLean, State Director of Advising and Coaching, North Carolina Community College System Office, Raleigh, NC
Pathway Ecosystems | Employer Engagement | Pathway Design | Learner Supports
Pathway to Success: How ESHIP Programs Cultivate the Next Generation of Entrepreneurs
Sarah Wamsley, Coordinator, Office of Career Technical Education, Division of Career Exploration and Student Engagement, West Virginia Department of Education, Charleston, WV
Pathway Ecosystems
Reimagining Community College Success: A Regional Guided Pathways Model
Joy Lewis, Program Manager, WestEd, San Francisco, CA
Pathway Ecosystems | Employer Engagement | Pathway Design | Learner Supports
S.E.E.D. – Growing Tomorrow’s Workforce Today Through Pre-Apprenticeships
Kristie Sauls, Executive Director of Apprenticeships and Career Development, Wayne Community College, Goldsboro, NC
Pathway Ecosystems | Pathway Design
Secondary and Postsecondary Alignment: For Perkins (and Students’) Sake!
Courtney Gaynor, Sr. Director of Accelerated Credit Programs, Portland Community College, Portland, OR
Employer Engagement
7 Days to Career Success: Pre-Apprenticeship That Works for All Our Partners
Dr. Gina De rosier Cook, Dean of Workforce Development and Continuing Education, Elgin Community College, Elgin, IL
Learner Supports
Showing Up for Youth Impacted by Trauma: Strategies, Barriers, and Possibilities
Nola Smith, Youth Tutor, Bard Prison Initiative, Brooklyn, NY
Pathway Ecosystems | Pathway Design | Learner Supports
SLIP Into Collaborations: Comprehensive Life and Career Services
Shanise Johnson, Executive Director, Career and Workforce Readiness, BGCSTL: St. Louis Internship Program, SAINT LOUIS, MO
Learner Supports
STEM Student Success Plan for Developmental Math Courses
Vanessa Hill, Professor, Springfield Technical Community College, Springfield, MA
Employer Engagement
Tools and Strategies for Inclusive Apprenticeships: A Hands-On Approach to Diversifying Talent
Kevin Riebau, Dean, Apprenticeship, Emily Griffith Technical College, Denver, CO
Employer Engagement
Transform the Workforce: Empowering Employers with Game-Changing Tech Apprenticeships
Megan Scott, Technical Assistance Consultant, American Institutes for Research, Peoria, IL
Pathway Design | Learner Supports
Transforming Adult Learning: AR/VR Solutions for Outdated Teaching Methods
Michael Cabenia, Sr Executive Director of Workforce, zSpace, California, CA
Pathway Design
Unlocking Excitement: UF Biotility’s Free Badging for Opportunities in the Bioscience Industries!
Tamara Mandell, Director, University of Florida, Biotility, Gainesville, FL
Pathway Design
User-Centered Design in LER Development
Chioma Aso-Hernandez, UX Researcher, Digital Promise, Washington, DC
Employer Engagement | Pathway Design
What Is an IET Program? Where Do We Start?
Jeff Arnott, President, Lot 12 Education, Orlando, FL
