Recognizing Excellence

The Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE), in partnership with SkillsUSA, is seeking nominations for the National Trade and Industrial Education Division Awards to be presented during the annual ACTE CareerTech VISION conference. (Please note the Trade and Industrial VISION Awards are separate from the ACTE Excellence Awards.)

The deadline for nominations will be announced soon! 

SkillsUSA Advisor of the Year Award honors SkillsUSA’s most dedicated career and technical education instructors. These talented instructors serve SkillsUSA advisors and embrace the SkillsUSA Framework and national programming to create career-ready graduates and opportunities for every member. States hold an Advisor of the Year competition, and the state winners advance to the regional competition. The top five regional winners are interviewed during the national conference, and a national Advisor of the Year is selected.

For more information, please contact your state association director.

The 2026 regional Advisors of the Year are:

Region 1 (Washington, D.C.)
Jasmine Blanks
Jasmine Blanks is the SkillsUSA advisor at Theodore Roosevelt Senior High School in Washington, D.C., where she teaches in the Principles of Business, Marketing and Finance program. Working in an urban setting where access to opportunity is everything, she has made it her mission to embed the SkillsUSA Framework into classroom instruction and school culture so that leadership development, professionalism and technical excellence are treated as essential rather than optional components of her students’ education.

Blanks integrates the Framework across the full arc of the school year: a SkillsUSA-aligned Employability Skills unit in the fall, officer-led leadership training and career readiness development through winter and technical skill preparation aligned to competition standards in the spring.

Chapter officers have presented to school administrators using the language of the Framework, and students have represented their chapter at D.C. SkillsUSA conferences, where judges noted their ability to connect classroom learning directly to workforce expectations. Through guest speaker panels, work-based learning activities, and structured mock interview practice, her students consistently demonstrate confidence, professionalism and career clarity to the stakeholders who matter most.

Blanks believes that CTE empowers students to “graduate with purpose, preparation, and in their potential” — a standard she holds for every member of her chapter.

Bryan Raeckelboom is the 2026 Advisor of the Year!

Region 2 (South Carolina)
Bryan Raeckelboom
Bryan Raeckelboom is a Building Construction instructor at Golden Strip Career Center in Greenville, S.C., now in his eighth year of teaching. Raised around the construction industry, he developed an early appreciation for craftsmanship and problem-solving that continues to shape his classroom. He was named the 2024-25 Golden Strip Career Center Teacher of the Year and selected as the Greenville County Schools Teacher of the Year First Runner-Up for the same year. He has also been a featured presenter at the SCACTE FYI CTE Conference for five consecutive years.

Raeckelboom’s SkillsUSA integration is built on the conviction that every student deserves the chance to grow beyond perceived limits. He created a classroom ambassador system pairing experienced students with incoming ninth graders, fostering mentorship, peer leadership and shared ownership of program culture. His chapter organized a LEGO drive for a local children’s hospital during Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, a student-led initiative inspired by members’ personal connections to childhood illness. They also operated a showcase booth at the largest home show in the state, representing CTE with technical skill and professional pride. He actively serves on the South Carolina Association for Career and Technical Education, the Greenville Home Builders Association and his school’s First Responder Team.

Above all, family is at the center of Raeckelboom’s life. He is married and the proud parent of three young children who remind him daily of the values he teaches: commitment, perseverance and a passion for lifelong learning.

Region 3 (West Virginia)
Rebecca Erwin
Rebecca Erwin is a Certified Dental Assisting Instructor at Putnam Career and Technical Center in Eleanor, W.Va., where she has transformed her program into one of the most advanced in the state. Drawing on more than 34 years of experience as a hygienist, dental assistant and oral health manager, she brings deep industry expertise and a passion for patient-centered care into every lesson. Her work has earned her SkillsUSA students multiple state and national awards and placed PCTC in a class of its own among West Virginia high schools.

Under her leadership, students complete over 1,080 hours of hands-on, work-based learning through a landmark partnership with FamilyCare Dental, which places an on-site dentist directly within the PCTC clinic, making it the only high school in West Virginia to operate a fully functioning real-world dental clinic. She is approved by the West Virginia Board of Dentistry to teach certification courses in Expanded Functions Dental Assisting, Coronal Polishing and Nitrous Oxide Monitoring. She was also selected to represent West Virginia on the national Dental Assisting Professional Model Workgroup and has delivered professional seminars that help practicing dental assistants earn EFDA certification statewide.

Erwin believes that “by combining academic knowledge with real-world experience, we prepare students to enter the workforce with professionalism, confidence and competence.”

Region 4 (Texas)
Cheyenne Kirkpatrick
Cheyenne Kirkpatrick, M.Ed., MS, LAT, ATC, is the founder and lead instructor of the Health Science program at Kilgore (Texas) High School, where she is in her fifteenth year of teaching. An athletic trainer by trade, she built the program from scratch to offer Health Science Theory, Medical Terminology, Phlebotomy and Practicum in Health Science, giving students the opportunity to earn industry-based certifications in Phlebotomy, EKG, Patient Care Technician and Dental Assisting. In 2025, her SkillsUSA chapter earned the Gold Chapter of Excellence distinction and has produced multiple district officers.

Kirkpatrick’s chapter has been named Carter BloodCare’s 4A High School of the Year for five consecutive years, and she was honored as Coordinator of the Year in 2023 for her excellence in organizing campus blood drives. Her annual Health Science SkillsUSA Health Fair draws over 200 community attendees across nearly 40 booths, where students lead CPR demonstrations, AED instruction, and first aid education alongside industry partners. She was recognized as the Region 7 CTE Master Teacher in February 2026 and previously honored as both Kilgore High School Teacher of the Year and Kilgore ISD Secondary Teacher of the Year (2018–2019). She currently serves as President of the Texas Health Occupations Association (THOA), providing professional development to health science educators across the state.

Kirkpatrick holds degrees from Southern Arkansas University, Texas Woman’s University, and The University of Texas at Tyler, along with a Principal Certificate from Lamar University.

Region 5 (Utah)
Jeremiah Herron
Jeremiah Herron is a construction and architectural design instructor at Career Tech High School in Saint George, Utah, where he has spent the last three years building his program from the ground up. With 19 years of CTE teaching experience across Utah and Nebraska, he brings a career-long commitment to SkillsUSA that dates back to his undergraduate studies at Wayne State College, where he helped run state competitions. Under his leadership, the chapter advanced from Silver to Gold Chapter of Distinction and is now pursuing Model of Excellence status.

Jeremiah’s program operates as a vertical career pipeline: from freshmen constructing sheds to seniors managing real projects through the NAHB International Builders Show and a local Parade of Homes. His students don’t just build structures; they design code-compliant blueprints, coordinate with contractors and present finished homes to community leaders and industry partners. He has coached a state officer in 18 of his 19 teaching years and currently serves as the district lead for SkillsUSA in Washington County, mentoring new advisors across the region. He is also a member of the National Education Team for SkillsUSA’s Opening and Closing Ceremonies competition.

Outside the classroom, Herron is a devoted husband to Christina and proud father of four. SkillsUSA is a family affair: his son currently serves as chapter president and competes at the middle school level, while his oldest daughter is preparing for her first state competition.