Welcome to the 2025 Career and Technical Education Summit
DATES: November 12-13, 2025
EVENT LOCATION: Delta Hotels Minneapolis Northeast, 1330 Industrial Blvd., Minneapolis, MN 55413 (Hotel website)
View the 2025 CTE Summit Schedule
THEME: Leadership in Motion
Education and work are changing faster than ever. New tools are reshaping industries, employers are rethinking what skills matter most, and learners are navigating pathways that no longer follow a straight line. For those of us in career and technical education, this constant movement isn’t just something to watch—it’s something we live every day. That’s why this year’s theme, Leadership in Motion, feels especially timely.
Change brings uncertainty, but it also brings possibility. The pace of innovation means we can’t lead from a fixed position. Leadership today means listening carefully, adapting quickly, and creating conditions where others can move forward with confidence. In CTE, that might look like rethinking how programs connect to emerging careers, forming new or unlikely partnerships, or finding creative ways to keep students engaged in learning that prepares them for what’s next.
Leadership in Motion reminds us that progress doesn’t happen in the stillness. It happens when we’re willing to take risks, adjust, and lead together. In a world that refuses to pause, our ability to move—with intention, curiosity, and care—is what will keep CTE relevant and resilient.
Presentations will be made available upon request in an alternative format from the SCHED app.
Meet the Keynote Speakers
Miki Huntington
Catalyst and Connector
Wednesday, Nov. 12 at 9:00 a.m.
Miki Huntington is a multifaceted professional with a diverse skillset: educator, speaker, facilitator, coach, and military veteran. She served in the U.S. Army for 25 years before transitioning to higher education as a Political Science and Global Studies instructor at Minneapolis College.
Judy Barka
Bridge and Beacon
Thursday, Nov. 13 at 9:00 a.m.
If you want to understand what leadership in motion looks like, spend a little time with Judy Barka. Judy is more than a leader in Career and Technical Education—she’s a living embodiment of its heartbeat. Her work reminds us that education, at its best, connects us to the real world—to the soil beneath our feet, the food on our tables, and the communities that sustain us. Leadership, for Judy, is not something granted by title—it’s something earned through trust.
Read Judy's full bio | Go to Judy and Steve's joint keynote session
Steve Hoemberg
Builder and Visionary
Thursday, Nov. 13 at 9:00 a.m.
Steve is the Dean of Skilled Trades and Industry at St. Cloud Technical & Community College, leading programs in Construction, Manufacturing, Transportation, and Culinary Arts. His career path is a story of reinvention—beginning as a music educator and choral director before finding a new calling in career and technical education. For 15 years, Steve directed award-winning choirs known for their professionalism and artistry. In 2016, he quite literally changed lanes, working as a truck driver and heavy equipment operator before teaching in the Heavy Equipment program at Central Lakes College. That experience sparked his passion for workforce education and helping students find meaning through hands-on learning. Before joining St. Cloud Technical and Community College, Steve served as Director of Outreach for Minnesota State’s Transportation Center of Excellence, earning a reputation as a dynamic presenter, connector, and advocate for technical education.
Read Steve's full bio | Go to Judy and Steve's joint keynote session
General Registration for the Summit closed, but YOU can still join us at the amazing Post Summit!
Still taking Registrations for the Post-Summit Event: Collaboration Across Differences in STEM Fields
November 13
Time: 12:30 - 3:00 PM
Location: Salon D
Fee: $50 (lunch included)
Join the IDEAL Center of the Science Museum of Minnesota for an engaging and interactive workshop to examine the beliefs, values, and norms in STEM and STEM education—and their impacts on access, engagement, and participation.
This session will provide strategies for productive teamwork and collaboration—in the classroom and beyond—to advance leadership and action to transform our communities and institutions to be more inclusive, equitable, and accessible.
What assumptions might educators or peers make about students who may be underrepresented in a STEM program, and how can those assumptions be challenged? How might students’ personal backgrounds and skill sets contribute to understanding STEM from different perspectives and experiences?
Read about the trainers: https://new.smm.org/ideal-center/meet
Register Now
This annual Career and Technical Education Summit brings together the largest and broadest group of people dedicated to serving students, workforce and business/industry, and local communities in career and technical education throughout Minnesota. We encourage you to attend if you self-identify with any of the following groups:
- Teacher or Faculty (school or college)
- Director, Coordinator, Administrator, Managers, and other leadership roles
- Perkins Coordinator
- Workforce Development Roles
- Business and Industry Leaders, Representatives, Trainers and Educators in CTE industries
- Career Counselors and Advisors (such as Career Navigators, CareerForce staff, etc.)
- Teaching and Learning Directors and Professional Staff
- Educators in the MNDOC involved in CTE classroom and career instruction
- Leaders in Career Pathways work
- CTE leaders in concurrent enrollment, PSEO, and CTE articulation
- State agencies with initiatives focused on workbased learning, college to career, etc.
About the Summit
This annual Summit has continued to serve secondary and postsecondary CTE teachers and faculty, educators, administrators, workforce, community partners, and business/industry partners since 2009. It has continued to grow over the years into the premier conference connecting the career and technical education community in the Upper Midwest. Participants and presenters alike come from high school, colleges and universities, workforce, local business and industry partners, and our local communities to convene once a year to share best practices in their field, network, and continue to develop their professional development in order to best serve CTE students across the state.
The Career and Technical Education Summit is Minnesota's largest conference convening career and technical education educators, leaders, community partners, workforce, and business and industry in K-12 and higher education. The Summit serves as a platform for learning, sharing best practices, addressing critical issues in CTE, raising awareness, discussing current trends in education, and fostering professional development. We bring together practitioners to share impactful strategies to close the equity gaps for career and technical education learners.
For questions about the Summit, contact yingfah.thao@minnstate.edu, Director of Professional Development and the main point of contact for the Summit.
For all registration and payment concerns, contact jared.reise@minnstate.edu.
For questions about communications, the web, and accessing the conference program on our SCHED App, contact sheri.hutchinson@minnstate.edu, Communications and Web Manager.
For questions about exhibiting, contact robb.lowe@minnstate.edu, Director of Career Pathways.
For questions about interpreter needs, ADA accommodations and other special needs, contact eva.scates-winston@minnstate.edu, CTE Equity Specialist. NOTE: These requests are usually part of your registration when you register. We require at least two weeks prior to the event to adequately address your needs.
Hotel Accommodations: The deadline to reserve a room at a discounted rate has passed. You may still contact the hotel to make a room reservation but you will not receive the discount.
- Reservation: (612) 331-1900
- Address: Delta Hotels Minneapolis Northeast, 1330 Industrial Blvd., Minneapolis, MN 55413