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Venue: 1W Lounge - 1st Floor clear filter
Wednesday, May 6
 

9:20am CDT

Navig8Lake - County Wide Approach to Career Exploration
Wednesday May 6, 2026 9:20am - 10:05am CDT

Speakers
avatar for Gina Schuyler

Gina Schuyler

District Careers & community Partnerships/CTE Consultant, Navig8Lake - County Wide Approach to Career Exploration
Wednesday May 6, 2026 9:20am - 10:05am CDT
1W Lounge - 1st Floor

10:15am CDT

Three’s Company: When High Schools, EFEs, and Colleges Work in Sync
Wednesday May 6, 2026 10:15am - 11:00am CDT
Delivering high-quality instruction in Law and Public Safety CTE—and across all CTE pathways—requires more than good intentions. The Fives is a field-tested instructional framework that brings clarity, balance, and consistency to lesson and unit design. Built from more than 40 years of experience in education and workforce preparation, The Fives distills proven teaching and learning practices into five essential components that anchor effective instruction in any setting.
In this engaging, practical session, participants will explore each of the five components through real classroom examples, ready-to-use strategies, and adaptable tools. While grounded in law and public safety instruction, The Fives is intentionally designed to work across CTE areas including health sciences, skilled trades, STEM, and human services. Whether you are a new instructor or a seasoned educator, you will leave with a flexible model that strengthens engagement, improves student outcomes, and brings intentional structure to every unit you teach.
Speakers
avatar for Eric Lasky

Eric Lasky

Principal, Ridgewood High School
avatar for Michael Kuhn

Michael Kuhn

Director, Des Plaines Valley EFE
My name is Michael Kuhn and I have extensive experience in both career development and Career & Technical Education. I am an educator with proven success assisting students within diverse educaional settings. I specializes in data collection, retention, and ongoing development of... Read More →
avatar for Paul Jensen

Paul Jensen

Associate Vice President Academic Innovation and Workforce Education, Triton College
Wednesday May 6, 2026 10:15am - 11:00am CDT
1W Lounge - 1st Floor

11:10am CDT

In the Workplace Aurora
Wednesday May 6, 2026 11:10am - 11:55am CDT
Through a partnership with the P-20 Network and funding from the Dunham Foundation, East Aurora D131, VALEES, and West Aurora SD129 engaged employer partners and community organizations in professional learning to improve their capacity to support work-based learning across the spectrum. Learn about the project including the curriculum for employer partners and community organizations, the format of workshops, the challenges, and the successes.
Speakers
CB

Cassie Blickem

Director, VALEES
Cassie Blickem is the Director of Valley Education for Employment System (VALEES, EFE #130) serving 17 member districts and two Area Career Centers in the southern portion of Kane County and parts of DeKalb, Kendall, LaSalle and Lee Counties.
LE

Laura Edwards

Department Administrator 6-12 CTE & Career Pathways, West Aurora SD129
avatar for Jason Klein

Jason Klein

Senior Director of Learning Partnerships, Northern Illinois University
Jason Klein is the Senior Director of Learning Partnerships at Northern Illinois University (NIU). This role includes work in both the NIU College of Education and the NIU Division of Outreach, Engagement and Regional Development. In this role, Jason co-facilitates the Illinois P... Read More →
avatar for Katie Johnson

Katie Johnson

Career Development Coordinator, West Aurora High School
Wednesday May 6, 2026 11:10am - 11:55am CDT
1W Lounge - 1st Floor

1:50pm CDT

Real World Ready: Empowering Middle School CTE with Learning Blade
Wednesday May 6, 2026 1:50pm - 2:35pm CDT
Middle school and early high school are crucial places to connect academic skills to the real world - and we know CTE offers a powerful pathway to make those connections stick. This session explores how Learning Blade, a fully-funded (free) STEM and CTE platform, helps students see the relevance of what they’re learning by linking interdisciplinary academic skills to real jobs and authentic challenges. Through engaging missions, students explore career opportunities in advanced manufacturing, IT, healthcare, business/finance, transportation, and other high-demand fields. Participants will learn practical strategies for using Learning Blade to spark early interest, deepen understanding of career pathways, and build a strong foundation for students’ future CTE engagement. Walk away with ready-to-use ideas for showing students that what they learn today can lead to meaningful opportunities in Illinois’ workforce tomorrow.
Speakers
JL

Jack Lomax

eDynamic Learning

KR

Kristen Rolek

Director of State Managers
Wednesday May 6, 2026 1:50pm - 2:35pm CDT
1W Lounge - 1st Floor

2:45pm CDT

The Blueprint for Alignment: Integrating Curriculum, Industry, and Learning Spaces
Wednesday May 6, 2026 2:45pm - 3:30pm CDT
How can school districts expand Career and Technical Education (CTE) pathways so students graduate prepared for multiple postsecondary options, not just a single course or credential? In this co-presentation, DLR Group and Rockford School District 205 share the transformation of a former college facility into a College and Career Education Center serving high school students. District leaders and designers demonstrate how aligning curriculum vision, pathway development, industry partnerships, and learning environment design creates flexible, future-ready CTE experiences. Participants will explore practical planning strategies that help districts rethink traditional course sequencing and develop coherent, multi-year pathways that support student choice, skill progression, and real-world relevance. The session also highlights how Rockford 205 integrates on-campus and off-site work-based learning to increase student engagement, build life-ready skills, and strengthen partnerships with industry to inform curriculum and shape authentic, hands-on learning spaces.
Speakers
avatar for Bridget French

Bridget French

Executive Director - College & Career Readiness Program, Rockford Public Schools 205
Bridget French has been the executive director of college and career readiness for Rockford Public Schools since 2017. In this role, Bridget is responsible for the development, implementation, assessment, and continuous improvement of programs aimed at increasing student access to... Read More →
TS

Tim Shimp

Educational Learning Designer, DLR Group
Wednesday May 6, 2026 2:45pm - 3:30pm CDT
1W Lounge - 1st Floor
 
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