National Dissemination Center for
Career and Technical Education
The Ohio State University
Columbus, Ohio 43210-1090

For Immediate Release

The National Dissemination Center for Career and Technical Education will 
present a live webcast, "Role of Workforce Education in Economic 
Development," on May 5, 2005, 3:00 to 4:30 P.M. This interactive event, and 
previous webcasts, can be viewed on any computer with Internet access at: 
http://www.nccte.org.

Those interested in statewide workforce preparation that both anticipates 
and responds to specific state-defined economic needs will find the panel 
of planning and administration experts from Nebraska government interesting 
and useful. Panel members will explain and respond to questions about the 
successful FutureForce Nebraska collaborative project that brings the 
Departments of Education, Labor, Health and Human Services, and Economic 
Development together with representatives from business and industry, and 
2- and 4-year public and private postsecondary schools. The goal of the 
collaborative effort is to train a workforce by using the Nebraska P16 
Initiative and by restructuring career and technical education according to 
the career cluster delivery model that addresses Nebraska's targeted 
industries for economic growth.

The panel consists of Richard Katt, Director for Career and Technical 
Education with the Nebraska Department of Education; Gregg Christensen, 
Career Education SpecialistCommunications, Partnerships and 
Entrepreneurship Education, Nebraska Department of Education; and Larry J. 
Scherer, Planning and Policy Officer with Nebraska's Coordinating 
Commission for Postsecondary Education.

Richard Katt currently serves as Nebraska administrator of Perkins III, 
providing leadership and technical assistance for career and technical 
education in secondary schools and community colleges, and leadership for 
school curriculum and instruction improvements. He also coordinates 
education activities with Nebraska workforce development and economic 
development initiatives. Katt currently serves as co-chair of FutureForce 
Nebraskathe Nebraska Career Pathways Project, which prepares a trained 
workforce for industries targeted by the Nebraska Department of Economic 
Development. He serves on the board of directors of the National 
Association of State Directors of Career and Technical Education 
Consortium. Katt has a bachelor's degree in agriculture education and a 
master's degree in vocational and agriculture education from the University 
of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Gregg Christensen has 30 years' experience in secondary and postsecondary 
education, including 20 years as Director of Marketing and Entrepreneurship 
Education for the Nebraska Department of Education. He was the state 
advisor for Nebraska DECA (an association for students and teachers of 
marketing, management, and entrepreneurship students). Christensen has been 
a senior lecturer at the University of WisconsinStout, and was a marketing 
and business education teacher at Cozad High School (Nebraska). He has a 
master's degree in vocational education from the University of 
NebraskaLincoln and a bachelor's degree in distributive education (now 
termed marketing education), summa cum laude, from Kearney State College 
(Nebraska).

Larry J. Scherer is responsible for projects that implement Nebraska's 
Comprehensive Statewide Plan for Postsecondary Education. His recent 
projects have included establishing dual enrollment guidelines for colleges 
and schools, co-coordinating FutureForce Nebraska, and conducting a study 
of the effectiveness of academic transfer policies and practices. Other 
responsibilities include legislative affairs and governmental relations for 
the Nebraska Commission for Postsecondary Education. Scherer previously was 
employed by the Nebraska State Legislature's Education Committee as 
Committee Legal Counsel, where he was responsible for policy research, 
draft legislation, and legal research in the areas of K12 education and 
postsecondary education. He holds a bachelor's degree in history, a law 
degree from the University of NebraskaLincoln, and a master's degree in 
public administration from the University of Nebraska (Omaha).

Viewers of the webcast may ask questions by signing up (no charge) for a 
chatroom account at http://www.nccte.org. The chatroom allows you to submit 
questions during the presentation. Please allow one full day for your 
account to be validated by e-mail confirmation.

All previous National Dissemination Center for Career and Technical 
Education webcasts are also available at http://www.nccte.org, and no 
registration is required for free viewing at any time.

To subscribe or unsubscribe from this e-mail list, please visit this web 
page: http://www.nccte.org/ctemail/subscription.asp or send an e-mail to 
nagy.8 at osu.edu or contact Barbara Reardon below.

The work reported herein was supported under the National Dissemination for 
Career and Technical Education, PR/Award (No.V051A990004) and/or under the 
National Research Center PR/Award (No.V51A990006) as administered by the 
Office of Vocational and Adult Education, U. S. Department of Education. 
However the contents do not necessarily represent the positions or policies 
of the Office of Vocational and Adult Education or the U.S. Department of 
Education, and you should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government. 
The National Dissemination Center for Career and Technical Education and 
the National Research Center for Career and Technical Education are funded 
by the Office of Vocational and Adult Education, U. S. Department of Education.

For Additional Information Contact:
Barbara Reardon
The Ohio State University
Director of Communications
Columbus, Ohio 43210-1090
Phone: 614-292-2894
Fax: 614-688-3258
Email: reardon.30 at osu.edu
Web site: www.nccte.org