Career and Technical Education Summit

Jeffrey R. Young is an award-winning journalist and podcaster, host and producer of the podcast Learning Curve and former, longtime editor and reporter at The Chronicle of Higher Education. A sought-after speaker on how students are really using AI and how colleges and universities can navigate it, he has spoken across the globe at places such as SXSW, Stanford University, EdTechXEurope, Dartmouth University, the World Knowledge Forum in Seoul, and countless education conferences.

As an education journalist with more than two decades covering colleges and schools, Young has watched edtech trends come and go—and he knows the difference between transformative innovation and expensive hype. Currently producing and hosting a podcast on AI in education called Learning Curve, he helps educators, administrators, and policymakers cut through the noise to understand what AI adoption really means for students and institutions.

Young spent 20 years as an editor and reporter at The Chronicle of Higher Education where he led technology coverage, launched the publication’s first blogs, and founded the Re: Learning Podcast. Most recently, he served as editorial director of EdSurge and host of the award-winning EdSurge Podcast about the future of learning.

A 2014 Nieman Fellow at Harvard University and fellow at the Berkman Klein Center for Internet and Society, Young has written for The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Slate, and Fast Company. His work was selected for The Best of Technology Writing 2007 anthology, and he is author of the e-book Beyond the MOOC Hype: A Guide to Higher Education’s High-Tech Disruption.

Beyond reporting, Young has trained the next generation of journalists as an adjunct lecturer at the University of Maryland and the University of Minnesota, and he has led journalism workshops internationally.

Jeffrey Young holds a bachelor's degree in English from Princeton University and a master’s in communication, culture, and technology from Georgetown University.

Praise of Jeffrey Young

"One of my consistent themes about figuring out how to adapt the work of higher education in a world where AI exists is that you have to be prepared to outsource some of the information and fact-finding to others. There is simply too much for any individual to sort through. One of my recent go-tos is Jeff Young’s Learning Curve podcast. Jeff is a journalist in both experience and disposition, and by bringing a journalist’s sensibility to the task, he reveals insights that are different from what I get from others like myself, people coming from a practitioner mindset."

— John Warner, Inside Higher Education Columnist &
Author of Multiple Books on Teaching and Writing

Update 11/9/2026: Registration is now closed.

Delta Hotels Minneapolis Northeast (hotel website)

The reservation link below is the primary and most efficient way for you to make reservations for the conference. If you have a unique situation, need to extend your stay, have a special room accommodation need, or just prefer to speak with the hotel, please contact Ahmed Ahmed, Sales and Services Coordinator at Delta Hotels. Ahmed's direct number is 612-455-6322 and his email is ahmed.ahmed@scalzohospitality.com. 

• Room block and discounted rates only covers check-in on Nov. 11 and check-out on Nov. 13. Dates outside that block may result in a different rate. 
• $129 per night 
• Last day to book your room was October 23, 2026

Summit Room Block Reservation

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, presenters, and exhibitors 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 biggest gathering of CTE educators, leaders, workforce and industry partners, and community stakeholders across secondary and higher education. It's where the CTE community comes together to learn, share ideas, and work through the challenges shaping the field.

Our partners and sponsors 

• Minnesota Department of Education Career and College Success Division
• 23 Perkins Career and Technical Education Statewide Consortia 
• Greater Twin Cities United Way Career Academies 
• Minnesota STEM Ecosystem