CTE Foundation News & Updates

Confessions of a STEMinist

A message from Community WISE program manager Leslie Simmons I don’t have a background in STEM. In fact, when I was in high school, I thought an engineer was someone who wore blue pinstripes and worked on the railroad. Why, I wondered, did my peers have to go to Cal Poly for this career pursuit? The last math class I took was

January 8, 2021 No Comments

2020: When the Only Certain Thing Has Been Uncertainty

Message from Kathy Goodacre, CEO As 2020 ends, I cannot help but reflect. It’s an annual tradition to look back on accomplishments and set our sights on new goals for the coming year. In considering milestones today, I began by looking back at our January 30 newsletter – released just 10 days after the first case of COVID-19 was confirmed in the United

December 16, 2020 No Comments

Do you know how to juggle?

Message from Brandon Jewell | Director of Industry Engagement “When life gives you lemons, learn to juggle!” When the shelter-in-place order hit last spring, I admit it was difficult for me to understand how best to do my job, which is to connect teachers and their students to local employers to help young people explore and prepare for career opportunities here in Sonoma

November 17, 2020 No Comments

Career Technical Education (CTE) Foundation Pivoting to Support Students and Educators Amidst Covid-19

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Santa Rosa, California (April 23, 2020) – With education as we know it flipped upside down, Career Technical Education (CTE) Foundation is pivoting to address the challenges that the shelter-in-place order has created for learning. Following extensive conversations with partners and funded programs, CTE Foundation is implementing three initiatives to support students and educators during home-based remote learning.

April 23, 2020 No Comments

New Community-Driven Online Resource Supporting Sonoma County Girls and Women Pursuing STEM Education & Careers Launched

Santa Rosa, California (October 25, 2019) – STEMhub, a web-based platform designed as a dynamic resource for women and girls interested in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education and careers is now live. STEMhub is the first online resource to serve as a clearinghouse for women and girls in the North Bay to learn about regional STEM-related opportunities such

November 5, 2019 No Comments

Cloverdale High creating makers and bakers

Kaylie L., Cloverdale High School “I’ve always wanted to be a baker,” said Kaylie, so it’s no surprise that she has twice enrolled in the Farm-to-Table Culinary class, one of many funded by CTE Foundation. “I loved this class and recommend it for everyone,” said Kaylie, a sophomore at Cloverdale High School. “I like the fact that we cook every week and

June 24, 2019 No Comments

News Release: Career Technical Education (CTE) Foundation Launches Fresh Initiative to Support Local Workforce Pipeline

For Immediate Release Santa Rosa, California (March 13, 2019) – The Career Technical Education (CTE) Foundation Sonoma County has launched its newest initiative in partnership with the county’s largest employers and education institutions. The Sonoma Corps is a pilot program recruiting high school students in their senior year to prepare them for a “gap year” work experience internship following graduation. Beginning in

March 13, 2019 No Comments

News Release: Career Technical Education (CTE) Foundation Exceeds $3 Million Investment In Local Schools & Programs With Recent Grant Awards

Santa Rosa, California (February 6, 2019) – The Career Technical Education (CTE) Foundation has approved $343,652 in grant funding for 22 technical education programs among 11 Sonoma County schools. Now in its sixth funding cycle, the CTE Foundation has invested over $3 million since its founding in 2013, creating new programs that connect students to employers for career exploration and skill-building and spurring

February 8, 2019 No Comments

Rethinking College and Career Readiness

Last spring, the CTE Foundation, in partnership with Sonoma County Office of Education, launched a community engagement process to help develop a common definition and success measures for what it means to truly be “college and career ready” for Sonoma County graduates. Through this effort, a task force was formed to answer the question: What skills and characteristics does a K-12 graduate in Sonoma County need to demonstrate in order to

September 5, 2018 No Comments

News Release: CTE Foundation to receive $1 million grant to expand North Bay Construction Corps

Santa Rosa, CA (April 10th, 2018) – The Career Technical Education Foundation Sonoma County has been approved for a $1 million grant from Tipping Point Community, a prominent Bay Area funder that fights poverty in the Bay Area, to support expansion of a successful local youth training program called the North Bay Construction Corps. The funding is part of their Emergency Relief

April 11, 2018 No Comments

News & Updates

2025-2026 New Board Appointments

Seizing the moment for classroom to career success

The State of CTE in Sonoma County – August 2025