This week, I came aboard the ACTE team as the new Manager of Government Relations. I will be the association’s primary lobbyist, working alongside the public policy team to advocate for CTE priorities on Capitol Hill and with the executive branch. Specifically, I will be laser-focused on CTE funding through the federal budget and appropriations process, issues falling under the House and Senate education committees, and any relevant regulatory issues pertaining to the Department of Education or Labor. I am honored to be advocating on behalf of ACTE’s members – I hope to have the opportunity to meet you in the future, be it virtually or in person. But first, I wanted to take a moment today to introduce myself to you in my first blog post.
Before ever stepping foot in Washington, D.C., I was deeply passionate about education policy and its promise of being the “great equalizer”. In 2016, I had the opportunity to lead a consulting project between Bloomberg (a media and technology company) and San Francisco Unified School district in which we helped the district address issues of inequity in their school assignment process. I quickly learned that, despite all good intentions, our education and economic systems often do not provide equal opportunity to prosperous and fulfilling lives for every learner. I am particularly excited to begin at ACTE because, at my core, I believe that CTE is one of the most effective and promising ways in which we can work toward a better and more equitable future.
After graduating from the University of Oregon with a bachelor’s degree in International Affairs, I began my career in policy as an intern for Congressman Sam Farr (D-CA) working on constituent affairs. From there, I spent the next 6.5 years working for Bloomberg in New York, San Francisco, and Washington D.C. For the bulk of that time, I served as an Account Executive for Bloomberg Government advising government affairs teams at trade associations, nonprofits, and institutions of higher education. At the beginning of 2020, I began pursuing a master’s degree in Public Policy from the George Washington University – I expect to complete this degree in May of 2022.
Most recently, I worked on federal appropriations and educator preparation policies at Learning Policy Institute (LPI). In my research at LPI, I saw the staggering impact that COVID-19 had on financial barriers to enrollment for prospective CTE students. While concerning, I see this as a moment of tremendous opportunity to advance policies that allow hard-working citizens access to pathways to fulfilling, high-wage and high-demand careers.
I look forward to championing CTE on behalf of our members to ensure we provide generations to come with the skills needed to succeed in our modern workforce. Should there be any way I can be a resource and partner to you, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me at zcurtis@acteonline.org or at 202-930-3165.
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