West Palm Beach, FL (June 5, 2026) — Eighty-seven percent of businesses reported to McKinsey that they are facing a skills shortage or expect to within the next five years. Data from Georgetown University’s Center on Education and the Workforce projects that an additional 5.25 million workers will be needed by 2032.  The Future of Education Technology Conference (FETC) 2027 is responding to growing demand by introducing a new CTE track featuring four national CTE educators who haven't just studied the problem; they've built student-centered solutions.

 

“CTE has never been more powerful or more essential. Every student deserves a clear line of sight from the classroom to a career with transferable skills that lead to opportunities in their own communities. FETC 2027 is where leaders come to build a strategy for career pathways and CTE centers, expand their thinking on innovative ways to teach modern skills, and go home with a plan to implement effective programs,”  FETC Chair Jennifer Womble stated.

 

The FETC 2027 CTE Featured Speakers are:

 

• Joe McBreen, Assistant Superintendent of Innovation, St. Vrain Valley Schools – Founder of the world's first high school drone performance team and a pioneer in K-12 Quantum Information Science, McBreen is a nationally recognized voice on future-ready learning.

 

• Janel Humphries, Director of CTE, Dallas ISD — Former financial services professional turned educator, Humphries is building districtwide career pathways connecting students in one of the country's largest urban districts to real economic opportunity.

 

• Dr. Christopher Nesmith, Superintendent, Elma School District (WA) – Architect of Washington State's first in-school manufacturing youth apprenticeship and co-designer of Career Connect Washington, Nesmith studied the Swiss dual education model at ETH Zurich and translated it into working programs for students.

 

• Dr. Sandra Adams, Area CTE Director, Fort Wayne Community Schools / ACTE Vice President – Author of four books on CTE instruction and a national speaker on work-based learning, Adams has driven 10% annual growth in college completions across 10 career pathways for five consecutive years.

 

The FETC CTE Featured Speakers will be joined by peers to elevate professional learning and discussions around CTE during concurrent sessions, roundtables, and hands-on workshops, and  deeper learning seminars to offer attendees multiple entry points to build, refine, or scale workforce-ready programs in their districts.

 

FETC 2027 runs January 26–29 in Orlando, FL. Registration is open at fetc.org.

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NEWS CONTACT: 

Jodie Buenning 

Buenning Strategies for Arc Network

Jodie@buenningstrategies.com 

804-986-6911

 

About FETC

The Future of Education Technology Conference (FETC) (https://www.fetc.org/) (https://www.fetc.org/)) is the premier gathering and year-round professional learning network for education technology leaders, innovators, and educators dedicated to achieving measurable results. Through deep-dive seminars, collaborative roundtables, hands-on workshops, and rigorously vetted sessions, FETC equips K-12 leaders and educators with proven strategies and tools for immediate implementation. The event’s expansive exhibit hall showcases more than 450 leading solution providers, while FETC’s collaborations with industry partners and state education technology associations amplify diverse perspectives and foster grassroots innovation.

 

Arc

Arc is a B2B events, data, and media platform, backed by investment funds managed by EagleTree Capital. Founded to redefine business networking, Arc organizes over 120 events a year and operates critical content platforms in HR technology, agriculture and food, financial services, investing, and education technology. Arc has over 300 talented colleagues in the U.S., U.K., Netherlands, and Singapore, who create new ways to connect communities, wherever, whenever, or however people need to come together to grow their businesses. Its education brands include District Administration, University Business, District Administration Leadership Institute, Leadhership Network for Women, and the Future of Education Technology Conference.