SkillsUSA Honors State Associations with Annual Awards for Excellence

SkillsUSA Contact:
Clare Briner
cbriner@skillsusa.org

Leesburg, Va., Aug. 6, 2026 — A total of 57 SkillsUSA state leaders representing 49 state associations gathered in New Orleans, Louisiana, for their annual State Directors Association (SDA) professional conference. The event, which began with training for new directors, included learning sessions on governance, operational excellence, student leadership opportunities and more.

SkillsUSA sponsoring partners for the event were the National Association of Home Builders, the National Elevator Industry Educational Program and Trimble.

At the conference, 45 state associations were honored with State Standard of Excellence Awards. These awards recognize the remarkable growth of the SkillsUSA’s State Standards of Excellence Program over the past nine years. The program’s goal is to help state associations establish policies, procedures, and structures that ensure they can deliver exceptional service to their members. Instead of being a competition, it’s a tool for states to benchmark their performance, identify areas for improvement, and better serve SkillsUSA students and educators. Congratulations to the SkillsUSA directors whose leadership contributed to these award-winning associations.

Recognized for achieving the Bronze Standard of Excellence and establishing a baseline for a healthy association were these state SkillsUSA associations: Arkansas and Nebraska.

Recognized for achieving the Silver Standard of Excellence to assure the sustainability of a healthy association were these state associations: Colorado, Hawaii, South Dakota, West Virginia, Wisconsin (High School) and Wisconsin (College/Postsecondary).

Reaching the pinnacle of achievement by successfully achieving the Gold Standard of Excellence to ensure the continuous growth of their association were these states: Alabama, Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia (College/Postsecondary), Georgia (High School), Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana (College/Postsecondary), Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi (College/Postsecondary), Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York (High School), North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, Tennessee (College/Postsecondary), Tennessee (High School), Texas (College/Postsecondary), Texas (High School), Utah, Virginia, Washington and Wyoming.

About SkillsUSA

SkillsUSA is the #1 workforce development organization for students, empowering them to become skilled professionals, career-ready leaders and responsible community members. SkillsUSA represents more than 444,000 career and technical education students and teachers in middle schools, high schools and college/postsecondary institutions nationwide. Those members represent 130 in-demand occupational areas, from 3-D animation to welding. A vital solution to the skills gap, SkillsUSA has served over 16 million members since its founding in 1965. Learn more at skillsusa.org and follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and LinkedIn.