By Anna Fontus, Program Officer

“We’re bringing diversity of thought to the room and that allows us to problem solve in a more sustainable way.” – ECMC Foundation Fellow Ellysa Smith, Human Resources Director, Carolina Small Business Development Fund

ECMC Foundation’s CTE Leadership Collaborative (LC) aims to advance the CTE field by bringing a diverse group of leaders across a range of geographies, approaches and disciplines—including research, data analytics, business and industry, journalism, higher education and government—to make connections and share ideas. At the end of 2022, we surveyed the LC community of ECMC Foundation Fellows (Fellows) to understand the impact of the LC on their professional development and the field as a whole, while also identifying programming ideas for further exploration. This survey provided particularly meaningful insights, as we were able to hear from more than 100 current Fellows and fellowship alumni across all six fellowship programs.

The survey provided insight on how Fellows continue to lead the postsecondary CTE field, particularly at a moment of transformative change in postsecondary education and training. In particular, Fellows reported deeper connections within and beyond their occupations and a better understanding of best practices in the field.

Key insights from the survey include:

• The vast majority (84%) of Fellows say their participation in the LC has increased their ability to elevate the profile of postsecondary CTE.
• Not only did Fellows report building more connections with other professionals in similar occupations (84%), they also reported building connections across occupations too (85%).
• Nearly 9 in 10 Fellows report increased knowledge of issues, challenges and best practices within postsecondary CTE.
• Two in three Fellows (66%) said they found new funding and opportunities to support postsecondary CTE through their Fellowship program.

Supporting Fellows as they steward the postsecondary CTE field through a moment of transformative change is a priority for ECMC Foundation in 2023. The connections that have been established through the program are a key component in the program’s success. To continue fostering collaboration and elevate Fellow accomplishments this year, we’re planning to:

• Launch a Fellow spotlight series – read the first installment featuring Nzingha Williams, Ed.D., of Central Piedmont Community College in Charlotte, NC.
• Explore engaging opportunities to feature Fellows and their work during the annual LC Convening.
• Build on enthusiasm and innovation sparked by the first Pitch Competition and improve accessibility to ensure a wide range of ideas are represented.
• Host the Mini-Grant Program again to further support cross-Fellowship collaboration. The Mini-Grant Program is an invitation-only, competitive funding opportunity for Fellows who are interested in launching innovative projects with Fellows from other programs.
• Maintain our Fellow Directory to facilitate collaboration across Fellowships.