Oregon ACTE Newsletter
March 2026
🏆 Administrator of the Year: Brook Rich
Brook Rich has dedicated nearly 25 years to advancing Career and Technical Education (CTE), beginning as an Agricultural Science teacher and FFA advisor and now serving as Regional Director of CTE and STEM at the High Desert Education Service District. Over 14 years at the ESD, she has built strong partnerships among K–12 districts, community colleges, and industry leaders to expand opportunities and secure resources for students. Supporting a geographically vast nine-county region, Brook has worked tirelessly to strengthen collaboration and ensure students have access to innovative, hands-on learning experiences. Her leadership has helped create a thriving regional CTE system recognized as a model for workforce alignment and student success.
🌟 New Teacher of the Year: Cailey Powell
Cailey Powell, a Roseburg native and former FFA member, built her career on a deep-rooted passion for agriculture and education. After earning a degree in Animal Sciences from Oregon State University as a first-generation college graduate, she worked as a wildlife biologist before returning to the classroom to teach Agricultural Science. Beginning under a restricted CTE license, she quickly grew her program—doubling enrollment and revitalizing her school’s FFA chapter. Now in her fifth year, Cailey emphasizes hands-on, industry-aligned instruction and leadership development, earning recognition including the Golden Apple Award while continuing to build a sustainable, student-centered agriculture program.
🔧 Post-Secondary Professional of the Year: Robert Wells-Clark
Robert Wells-Clark brings 15 years of experience as an educator grounded in real-world manufacturing and automotive industry work. After years in fabrication and machining, he earned his Master of Arts in Teaching and began revitalizing technical programs at The Dalles High School before partnering with Columbia Gorge Community College (CGCC) to rebuild welding and fabrication pathways. Now a full-time instructor at CGCC, he developed advanced manufacturing certificates in fabrication, CNC machining, and additive manufacturing, positioning the college as an early innovator in emerging technologies. Through extensive partnerships with industry, the Department of Energy, and Oregon State University, Robert has expanded access to high-quality workforce training and is working toward establishing Oregon’s first Applied Baccalaureate in Advanced Manufacturing at a community college.
⚙️ Teacher of the Year: Kristi Lebkowsky
Kristi Lebkowsky is a seasoned CTE and STEM educator with a Ph.D. in Chemistry and a professional background in the semiconductor industry. Now teaching engineering and robotics at Henley High School, she integrates real-world industry experiences into her classroom while fostering strong partnerships with colleges and local businesses. Kristi has launched multiple student organizations and competitions, including VEX Robotics, SkillsUSA, and KidWind Clean Energy events, and was named KidWind National High School Coach of the Year in 2018. Passionate about mentorship and innovation, she also supports fellow educators and contributes to adaptive engineering initiatives through Go Baby Go, empowering students to become confident leaders prepared for high-demand careers.
Conference Overview/Highlights
Wednesday: Industry and Inspiration
- 8:00am-Noon Industry Tours: Registration required. Explore innovative local industries and connect learning to real-world applications.
- 1:00pm: Workforce Panel: Hear from industry leaders about issues impacting the workforce today
- 1:30-3:50pm Innovation Table Talks: Take the opportunity in small groups of your peers to have guided discussions about important topics in CTE and education.
- 4:00pm Welcome Reception
Thursday: Learn. Lead. Collaborate.
- ACTE Award recipient recognition
- Opening General Session by Rachael Mann, an authority on career and technical education and workforce development. She champions forward-thinking in artificial intelligence and the changing landscape of work.
- Engage in dozens of breakout sessions
- Visit our sponsoring vendors
- Hear from Oregon legislators
- Statewide CTE Pathway Meetings
- And, of course, have Ruby Jewel :) IYKYK
Friday: Inspire and Take Action
- Breakout sessions
- Closing General Session with Laura Kaufman. Lauren Kaufman is currently serving as a district leader for a school district in Long Island, New York. With two decades of experience in education, she has served as an assistant principal, elementary instructional coach, elementary and middle school reading specialist, new teacher mentor coordinator K–12, creativity camp enrichment program supervisor, and second- and fifth-grade classroom teacher.
Breakout sessions include these and many other topics:
- Lessons learned and tips and tricks from 20 years in Woodworking and Construction
- Boosting Enrollment and Retention Through CTE Signing Day, Paid Work Experience and Industry Partnerships
- Safety that works: Practical Risk Management for CTE Success
- Motivating the Modern Public Service Student: What Today's Students Respond To and What No Longer Works
- Bridging the Gap: High-Engagement Career and College Readiness Activities for Neurodivergent Learners
- Bridging The Gap Between Elementary and Secondary Career Connected Learning
- CTE Cruise: A Rotational Survey Model That Builds Awareness, Engagement, and Enrollment Introducing Freshmen to Career Pathways Through Short-Term, High-Impact Rotations
- Creative Clinical Placements for Nursing Students
Rachael Mann
Lauren Kaufman
Rube-A-Thon!
On Friday, February 27, students from Caldera High School’s Engineering program visited one of their feeder schools, High Desert Middle School, to serve as judges for the first annual Rube-A-Thon!
Eighth grade students spent the day designing and building Rube Goldberg–inspired machines to complete this year’s challenge: feeding a pet.
Caldera engineering students met with each team, asked questions about their designs, offered ideas, and helped guide them through the engineering process. At the end of the event, they announced the winning teams and shared what made their designs stand out.
This was a great opportunity for 8th graders to learn what it’s like to be in a high school engineering class and to learn from “near peers.” A fun day of creativity, problem-solving, and a great recruiting opportunity for Caldera’s Engineering program!
2026 Regional High School Manufacturing Career Fair
On Friday, February 27, 2026, Linn-Benton Community College held its second annual Regional High School Manufacturing Career Fair on the Albany campus. A record 225 students attended from 15 regional high schools, as well as online academies and homeschool situations.
Every student participated in two 50-minute workshops and attended a College & Industry Resource Fair, then enjoyed pizza for lunch in the Commons. Workshops included hands-on activities in Mechatronics, Non-Destructive Testing, Computer Aided Drafting & Design, Welding, Machine Tool Technology, A Day in the Life of a Water Treatment Operator (City of Albany), and Engineering with SolidWorks. Additional workshops included an overview of all the amazing CTE Trades programs at LBCC and a dynamic, student-centered panel highlighting the experiences of Women in Manufacturing, offered by our Mid-Valley STEM-CTE Hub.
At the College & Industry Resource Fair, students were exposed to materials, information, and activities, along with enthusiastic representatives from multiple LBCC CTE programs noted above, as well as our Heavy Equipment / Diesel Technology and Apprenticeship programs, CTE Signing Day, and our Advising Center. Other exhibitors included Entek Manufacturing, Roseburg Forest Products, the Oregon State University College of Engineering, and MECOP Inc. (Student focused, industry driven, paid internships).
A hearty THANK YOU goes out to all of our wonderful presenters and exhibitors, LBCC Facilities and Public Safety, our regional high school students and staff, and a deep team of volunteers for which no task is too big to tackle when a positive and impactful experience for students is on the line.
South Albany High School was proudly represented at the National ACTE Conference this year by Hillary Mehlhoff and Amanda Miles, who presented alongside educators from across the country. Their session (Digital Children's Storybooks) highlighted innovative and collaborative classroom practices, student-centered learning, and real-world applications within Career and Technical Education (CTE). Presenting at a national conference is a meaningful opportunity to share the great work happening at SAHS, collaborate with other educators, and bring back fresh ideas to benefit our students.
BSN Consortium Award
Six Oregon community colleges came together to form a consortium called the Bachelor of Science in Nursing Community College Collaborative. This group was recently presented the Promising Practice Award at the Community College Baccalaureate Association Annual Conference in Long Beach, California. This national award recognizes innovative models that enhance equity and access. Congrats to Central Oregon, Chemeketa, Klamath, Linn-Benton, Oregon Coast, & Treasure Valley Community Colleges!