Lead System-Level CTE Change Across Your Region
Career and Technical Education (CTE) is expanding rapidly—and so are expectations for impact. Yet many of today’s CTE challenges aren’t rooted in program design alone. They stem from leadership decisions, system alignment, and the ability to connect vision to implementation across schools, regions, and communities.
The CTE Online Learning Lab is a yearlong, cohort-based leadership experience designed for ESA leaders and staff who influence CTE systems. This advanced learning lab strengthens leaders’ ability to think strategically, influence without direct authority, and position CTE as a driver of regional and economic success.
Who Should Attend?
The CTE Online Learning Lab is designed for leaders who are shaping career-connected learning systems in their region.
We encourage ESA leaders to attend alongside their partners, creating a shared learning experience that strengthens collaboration and accelerates regional impact.
Ideal participants include:
- ESA CEOs and leadership teams
- CTE directors and coordinators
- District and school leaders
- Workforce development professionals
- Economic development leaders
- Business and industry partners
- Community and postsecondary partners
The most powerful learning happens when regional partners learn together!
What You'll Walk Away With
By the end of the Learning Lab, participants will be able to:
- See beyond programs to systems by identifying the leadership conditions that drive successful CTE outcomes.
- Distinguish activity from impact and focus efforts on what truly advances student, workforce, and regional success.
- Lead through influence by advancing CTE priorities even when they do not have direct authority.
- Position CTE as a regional strategy that connects education, workforce development, and economic growth.
- Strengthen cross-sector partnerships through shared language, vision, and collaborative leadership.
- Turn insight into action with practical strategies for leading sustainable CTE transformation in their region.
Bringing Non-AESA Partners?
We greatly encourage ESA leaders to bring their K-12 and community partners to participate alongside them.
If your team includes participants from organizations that are not AESA members, please have your CTE lead contact Ann Fiene, AESA Chief of Staff, prior to registration so they can be added to your organization's profile in the AESA database.
Please include each participant's:
- Name
- Email address
- Job title
- Organization
Once added, they will be able to register as part of your team at the member rate.
Program Overview
Optional In-Person Launch
Held in conjunction with the 2026 AESA Summer Leadership Conference
- July 14-16, 2026: Beyond Programs: The Hidden Architecture of High-Impact CTE
Focused on examining system-level leadership conditions that shape CTE outcomes and establishing shared language and frameworks for the series.
Four Virtual Sessions, 90-minute virtual sessions are scheduled at 2:00 pm ET
- September 16, 2026: Distinguishing Quality: How High-Impact CTE Actually Takes Shape
- November 17, 2026: Influence: Advancing CTE Through Strategic Leadership
- January 12, 2027: Strategic Positioning: Elevating CTE as a Driver of Regional Success
- March 4, 2027 (Capstone): From Insight to Momentum: Leading Sustainable CTE Transformation
Meet the Facilitator:
Kristy Volesky
Kristy Volesky is a nationally recognized CTE strategist who partners with schools, colleges, businesses, and state leaders to strengthen systems that drive high-impact career and technical education. Drawing on experience across education, government, and business partnerships, she helps organizations align education and workforce efforts and move from vision to action. Kristy serves on the Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE) Work-Based Learning Policy Team and co-leads a national collaboration network through the Coalition for Career Development Center. She is also an author and co-author of leading works focused on advancing work-based learning and the future of CTE.
Register for the 2026-27 Cohort!
Join the CTE Online Learning Lab to strengthen your influence, sharpen your strategy, and lead the kind of system-level change today’s moment demands. If you’re ready to move beyond programs and drive real impact across your region, this is where that work begins.
First time registering? Complete the Membership Portal Account Form to activate your individual membership.
For information about this program, contact:
Jessica Huizenga, Ed.D.
Chief Program Officer
Email