BizTucson-Special Section-JTED

SPECIAL REPORT 2021

THE REGION’S BUSINESS MAGAZINE

PIMA

JTED

JOINT TECHNICAL EDUCATION DISTRICT

A NATIONAL MODEL OF TUITION-FREE JOB TRAINING

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Pima Joint Technical Education District

By Tara Kirkpatrick At age 23, Lexi Alaniz owned her car and her home. She now owns a salon.

When Cassidy Camp graduated, two construction companies were vying for her heavy machinery skills.

Kagan Barber was just nominated to the U.S. Presidential Scholars Program as a candidate in career and technical education.

These are among the 100,000 success stories of the Pima Joint Technical Education District, a premier Southern Arizona CTE program on its way to becoming a national model for offering students lucrative career pathways with multiple jumping off points for success. In addition to preparing them

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for advanced degrees in 21st-century relevant fields, Pima JTED gives them the credentials for immediate employment in a regional economy eager to hire them.

“We change lives,” said Pima JTED Superintendent and CEO Kathy Prather. “We open up a new world of possibility and at the same time, we are able to serve the economic development needs of our community. Our young people leave us with leadership skills in addition to the technical skills to be leaders of the future.”

From welding to web design, phlebotomy to precision manufacturing, cosmetology to cybersecurity, Pima JTED offers myriad, free programs to high school students, who can enroll

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online or contact their individual counselors at each designated high school. Pima JTED also serves students who have not earned a diploma or GED and are under the age of 22. Students may attend Pima JTED classes at one of its campuses throughout Pima County, or at one of the satellite locations at all public high schools in Pima County, Santa Cruz Valley, Nogales and in Mammoth San Manuel.

There are more than 60 programs available in business arts and design; computers and media; health science; hospitality and human services; industrial technologies; public service; and science and engineering.

“It’s very powerful to see how our programs have changed

our students’ lives,” said Greg D’Anna, Pima JTED’s director of public relations. “I have always had a passion for education, but what really got me hooked was seeing our students actually wearing scrubs and performing medical procedures, seeing firefighting students dressed in full gear, spraying water.”

Local industries--many who have partnered with Pima JTED – have benefitted immensely from the high-quality graduates.

“We must all recognize the value that JTED provides for the future of many different businesses, services and even continued on page 89 >>>

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PHOTOS COURTESY JTED

Readies Students for the 21st Century

Pima JTED’s Economic Impact 160,000+ sq. ft. of career and technical education learning spaces (central campuses)

“

The 3D Animation and Game Design program offered by Pima JTED is a stellar, groundbreaking digital arts class. Mr. Fuller is an excellent instructor

100+ sections of dual college enrollment

who offers a well-constructed

5,000+ industry certifications & licenses earned (2015-2020 central program completers)

curriculum and helps his stu-

dents achieve extraordinary things. Additionally, he has played a part in bringing the

150+ unique employers (2018 & 2019 central program completers)

latest 3D software and virtual

”

reality engines into the public

80% placement rate in college career and military (2018 central program completers)

class to any high schooler interested in CGI.

$34 million in estimated annual earnings (2018 central program completers – based on median Tucson income)

– Jesse Ormand Student

$100 million+ annual earnings per cohort (extrapolated central and satellite program completers) $2 billion in estimated annual earnings of JTED completers (extrapolated central and satellite program completers since JTED inception) $3 million/year per cohort in annual tax revenue (extrapolated central and satellite program completers at a normalized 3% income tax)

“

As a student in the personal

PHOTO BY BRENT G. MATHIS

eye. I would recommend his

PRECISION MANUFACTURING

assistant caregiver program, I have been able to gain skills and insight into the caregiving field and how it can apply to my future goal of becoming an

”

obstetrician. The communication and employability skills that I have learned will help me in my future endeavors.

– Eve Siame Alumna 2020

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John Dennis

MEDICAL ASSISTANT from left

Alexia Garcia – 17 Alta Vista High School Senior Betzaida Novela-Heras, Instructor Laura Chang – 18 Alta Vista High School Senior

ELECTRONIC TECHNOLOGIES Kagan Barber

“

Pima JTED is an important element in the education and workforce development ecosystem of Southern Arizona.

”

John Dennis Chair Optics Valley Arizona –

“Pima JTED is an important element in the education and workforce development ecosystem of Southern Arizona,” said Dennis, also president of consulting firm Strategy1 Services. “In spite of the setbacks from COVID-19, many aspects of our economy are experiencing robust growth. JTED students graduate from high school with specific skills to enable them to immediately become contributors to that growth and expansion.”

Howard Stewart, president and CEO of AGM Container Controls Inc., said he doesn’t know how his company’s precision machine shop would have survived, let alone thrived, if AGM’s young machinists hadn’t had Pima JTED to support them toward a machining career. “JTED has been a God-send for AGM, continued on page 90 >>> Spring 2021

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PHOTOS COURTESY JTED

Jim Click

continued from page 87 our own personal livelihood,” said Daryl Koeppel, longtime parts and service director for Jim Click Automotive Team. “What kind of negative impact might you encounter should the automotive repair industry be unable to effectively support your transportation needs?

The automotive technician of today must be smarter than a brain surgeon. They must be able to keep pace with the technical advancements used to work on automobiles and also keep pace with the ever-changing engineering designs.”

Koeppel and Click were instrumental in promoting the need for Pima JTED when it was a ballot initiative in 2006. Koeppel himself was a vocational education student at Palo Verde High School before going to work for the Jim Click Automotive Team, where he has served for 46 years. They have hired hundreds of Pima JTED students over the years.

John Dennis chairs Optics Valley Arizona, an Arizona Technology Council committee that supports optics, photonics and astronomy interests throughout the state.

PHOTO BY BRENT G. MATHIS

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PHOTOS COURTESY JTED

continued from page 89 in terms of having provided the financial support and training for such students to hit the ground running in this ever-increasingly challenging, technical field.”

Added AGM machine shop manager Tim O’Moore: “The caliber of the training provided by JTED to their students is what has enabled AGM’s Precision Machine Shop to grow almost exponentially in the last 10 years.”

Mary Darling, CEO of Darling Geomatics, is an ardent supporter of Pima JTED. “As a high tech land surveying company that owns 10 drones, Darling Geomatics is seeking licensed pilots for aerial surveying and mapping, forensic investigations, damage assessments and natural resource mapping,” said Darling. “The JTED drone program is training students for jobs of the future, including jobs that haven’t even been imagined yet.”

Pima JTED has cultivated a legacy of innovation and collaboration from the beginning. To this day, it actively seeks out partnerships with local industries to curate the classes offered and solicit instructors from those fields to guide the students. “Almost all of our instructors are from industry, with a passion for what they do and a desire to teach,” said D’Anna. “So we have people who are well-versed in what it takes to succeed in a profession.”

Take Lexi Alaniz. Now the owner of Bellazza Salon 2.0, Alaniz first heard about cosmetology classes at Pima JTED as a Sahuarita High School student. In those classes, she found her calling. “I knew this was what I was meant to do,” said Alaniz. “I love it. I love coming into work every day.”

“Not many students start their own business at age 17,” she said. “I started off with one goal: I want to do good hair, I want to take classes in education.

Then, I wanted to teach, and I wanted to own my own salon and then I wanted to have a salon where everyone was confident in what they were doing.” Alaniz now regularly hires JTED graduates to work in her salon.

When Cassidy Camp graduated in 2018, two construction companies were continued on page 92 >>> 90 BizTucson

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Howard Stewart

Mary Darling

Lexi Alaniz

CULINARY ARTS Victoria Valenzuela – 17 Sunnyside High School

HEAVY EQUIPMENT Greg D’Anna

PHOTO: BRENT G. MATHIS

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“

New Pharmacy Technician Program to Launch A new pharmacy technician program is planned to launch this fall at Pima JTED, strengthening its already robust healthcare training.

In the new program, students will learn how to prepare and provide medications and assist patients, help manage pharmacy clinical and business operations as part of a team, the principles of pharmacology and pharmaceutics, drug identification, lab procedures, prescription interpretations and many other skills.

“We started to have a conversation with community pharmacists and the University of Arizona College of Pharmacy,” said Dr. Wayne Peate, an associate professor of public health in the UArizona College of Medicine and a Pima JTED board member. “We learned many things. There is a tremendous shortage of pharmacy techs out there, we have an aging population, retirees are moving here. The need is great.”

“Pharmacists say they don’t have enough hands to do the work,” Peate said. “They have been relying on trained techs, but they can’t get enough of them.”

Interested students will first enroll in the Pima JTED health foundations class before advancing to the pharmacy tech program. Upon completion, not only can students immediately seek employment as a pharmacy tech, but they could also be in a more advanced position to pursue a pharmacy degree. “If you want to be a pharmacy tech out of high school, that’s a great career,” Peate said.

For students who want to progress to pharmacy school, a graduate of the Pima JTED pharmacy tech program could essentially have advanced standing upon acceptance and delve into substantive research quicker than a student without those credentials. Even better, students could work as a pharmacy technician while attending college.

“You would get to have mentors who are pharmacists,” Peate said. “You are right there observing every time you go to work.”

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gram has helped carve a career path for my future in the engineering fields. It has helped me grow and become

By Tara Kirkpatrick

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The precision machining pro-

confident in a field that consists mostly of male students.

Now, I am able to walk into a classroom full of boys and not be phased by their presence. I became a leader in my class and am able to take on

”

responsibilities and tasks that have scared me in the past and that I will be facing in the future.

“

– Brianna Rodriguez Alumna 2020

With the EMT program’s community and

outreach hands-on

programs

ride-along

experiences, students from JTED have a front-seat opportunity to be ready to work in the field upon graduation.

The personal skills and pro-

”

fessionalism they learn in their program provide them with the ‘curbside manner’ we look for in public safety.

– Gary Watson Northwest Fire District Captain

continued from page 90 fighting to hire her for her abillities in welding, driving a CAT and heavy machinery and masonry--all skills she learned through Pima JTED. At the groundbreaking for the new Innovative Learning Center @ The Bridges, Camp operated one of the earth movers, said D’Anna.

Kagan Barber has relished his Pima JTED classes in heavy machinery and drone operation.

“It’s really the hands-on learning aspect,” he said. “I just really enjoy operating things, the physical and mentally challenging aspects of it.”

Barber had the chance to go on industry visits to construction, mining and heavy equipment companies during his time at Pima JTED. During these visits, company leadership could actually hand-pick students they wanted to hire after seeing their skills— the way a college football coach pursues a potential recruit. “They can see the students they want,” he said. “It allows the student to get one foot through the door.”

It was Barber’s construction technologies instructor, Craig Bal, who nominated him for the U.S. Presidential Scholars program— one of the nation’s highest honors for high school students.

“Pima JTED does an excellent job of finding out what the needs are in the community,” said Barber’s mom, Kami Blackhurst.

“They will ask, what do you want in an employee and make sure they fit that bill.”

As Pima JTED is poised to honor its 100,000th alumnus this year, Prather wrote a Feb. 5 editorial in the Arizona Daily Star. “We’re excited to be crossing the 100,000 threshold of JTED alumni, in this new year we’ve all been eager to welcome, having equipped them with skills they need to enhance our region’s competitiveness and participate in the new economy.”

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“

This is a great program with amazing

opportunities

and

experiences. You spend time with people who share your interests and have the same drive as you with wonderful instructors who will help you get to where you want to be.

I received professional experience in a working clinic as a high schooler so I was ahead of my peers when I graduated.

When Pima JTED began planning for its new Innovative Learning Center, the team engaged SOLON Corporation early to incorporate solar into the design and function of the building.

SOLON was able to provide critical engineering support, enabling conduit to be installed in the ground level before building completion and the electrical system.

This increased savings because the electrical system did not have to be retrofitted to include the solar, the company said.

The 225 kWdc solar project will produce over 9.7 million kWh of electricity over 25 years—enough to power 786 Arizona homes for one year. In choosing solar, JTED is reducing greenhouse gas emissions equal to the amount from 1,484 passenger vehicles driven for one year. The solar canopy includes 608 solar modules and provides 92 shaded parking spaces. Energy-efficient LED lighting was also installed under the canopy to boost savings and safety.

SOLON arranged financing for the project with zero up-front costs for JTED, with year one savings in the thousands and term savings close to $600,000.

A web-based solar monitoring portal provides ongoing student education about solar energy, allowing them to view solar production, weather data, performance and environmental statistics from any online portal. They can also see the working components of a full solar system on site, the company said.

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“

JTED has set me up for many advantages in the health care field. It allowed me to not only get a certification and license in high school, it prepared me

PHOTO COURTESY SOLON CORPORATION

SOLON Corporation Provides Solar for Modern, New Center

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”

– Hannah Barney Alumna 2020

better for college. I became even more excited and prepared for nursing school. I

”

found my passion for work in healthcare and the experience JTED gave me was so helpful.

I will never forget it.

– Anneka Lopez Alumna 2016

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BizEDUCATION LICENSED NURSING ASSISTANT from left

Yenifer Dominguez – 18 Desert View High School Senior Debra Glessner, B.S.N., R.N. Clinical Nurse Educator Czerenise Romero – 18 Tucson High School Senior

Health Care Programs in High Demand

By Tara Kirkpatrick

“This training puts a person with no cognitive impairment into the world of someone who is living with dementia,” said Beth Francis, a registered nurse who leads the award-winning healthcare programs at JTED. “They have a better understanding when caring for cognitiveimpaired individuals and how they try to live their life every day.”

It’s just one of the many ways Pima JTED programs are preparing future healthcare workers to serve with compassion, as well as the sophisticated technical skills needed in hospitals and long-term care settings. The program has received the prestigious Golden Bell Award by the Arizona School Board Association.

The numerous Pima JTED programs include healthcare foundations, licensed nursing assistant, physical therapy technician, registered medical assistant, health information technology and more.

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grams’ use of innovative techniques to help maximize the promise of each student. The dementia simulation, produced

by Second Wind Dreams, has been a valued addition, giving students that “lightbulb moment,” Francis said.

“These young people grow and flourish into young healthcare professionals,” she said. “The love and caring they provide their residents during clinicals is a site to cherish.

“Any time I bring a principal, supervisor, or superintendent out to clinicals they are absolutely amazed how these young people perform in the clinical arena. Our healthcare partners also verbalize the quality that our program provides in educating and preparing our students for the workforce.”

Theresa Cuhn, a clinical nurse leader for supplemental staffing at Tucson Medical Center, can personally vouch for that.

“JTED is an amazing program that means so much to me as JTED was the start to my nursing career,” Cuhn said. “We have hired many JTED graduates to TMC with great outcomes. They are driven and motivated workers who are coming right

out of high school into the workforce.”

Indeed, TMC has hired at least 300 students from Pima JTED. The JTED health care programs constantly monitor industry changes and adapt offerings to match the skills in demand. For example, a new comprehensive healthcare technician class is now in place to include phlebotomy, electrocardiogram and medical record technology and certifications for each to progress right to employment. A new pharmacy tech program is planned to launch this fall.

“Our labs mirror what you would see in a healthcare arena,” Cuhn said. “We are blessed to have advanced technological medical equipment that exposes our students to what they would be exposed to in the real-world, healthcare environment.

“These students have two years of course work at the time of graduation. They complete more than the required amount of hours for clinicals by the state board, as they have a rotation in long-term living facilities and the hospital, making them very well-rounded licensed nursing assistants when they graduate.”

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PHOTO BY BRENT G. MATHIS

Through the unique Virtual Dementia Tour, students in Pima JTED’s healthcare programs see, feel and hear as if they were afflicted patients.

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A FLAGSHIP Pima JTED’s Innovative Learning Center @ The Bridges

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PHOTOS BY RON MCCOY PHOTOGRAPHERS & BRENT G. MATHIS

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FOR THE

FUTURE

By Tara Kirkpatrick

Location is everything.

That’s especially true for the new, stateof-the-art Pima JTED Innovative Learning Center @ The Bridges, which is now within range of 52,000 high school students and serves as a lucrative crossroads for career and technical education in Southern Arizona.

“We wanted to build something on the southwest side of Tucson to serve students closer to where they live, but also convenient to east Tucson and south to Sahuarita,” said Kathy Prather, Pima JTED superintendent and CEO. “It’s a phenomenal location.”

And location is just the beginning. With its modern, spacious classrooms, high-tech equipment, cutting-edge labs and collaborative spaces for project-based learning, the 50,000 square-foot campus is the flagship for a program on its way to becoming a national model. “This building is a testament to how a community can plan, dream and innovate together on behalf of the future

success of its young people and its economic development,” said Prather.

The new center, designed by Joel Mesik of WSM Architects, Inc., was a joint venture of BFL Construction and Bourn Companies. “JTED is an inspirational organization,” said Mesik. “Every decision that was made throughout the design of this facility was intended to benefit the students...”

BFL Construction built the new Pima JTED center--the fifth project the company has constructed for the district over the past several years. BFL built the district’s East Campus on 22nd Street and its northwest facility on Master Pieces Drive, which holds a state-of-the art cosmetology teaching studio that could rival a salon.

BFL has engaged in several Tucson education projects over the years, including Flowing Wells Sentinel Peak High School, Mary Louise Robins Elementary School and Edge High School. CEO Garry Brav told BizTucson in 2018: “I love the challenge with bigger projects, the scope of continued on page 101 >>>

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The high school

GRADUATION RATE for

Garry Brav

JTED students who

complete a two-year Career & Technical Education program is

98%

– significantly higher than the 79% four-year graduation rate for Arizona overall.

Joel Mesik

Mark Irvin

PHOTOS BY RON MCCOY PHOTOGRAPHERS

– Greg D’Anna Director of Public Relations Pima JTED

continued from page 99 them, the creativity that they permit...”

JKaiser Workspaces, one of Inc. 5000’s fastest growing companies, provided the sleek work tables, chairs and other furniture, while SOLON Corporation provided early engineering support for solar to be incorporated into the design and construction.

Raytheon Missiles & Defense stepped forward with a $100,000 grant and Rotary Club of Tucson chose Pima JTED for a $250,000 grant in honor of the organization’s centennial year. The Pima JTED Foundation also recently received a $200,000 challenge grant from the Connie Hillman Foundation.

“JTED is an amazing way for the Rotary Club of Tucson to leave a legacy to our community, one it has served for over 100 years, while partnering with a proven program,” said Mark Irvin, president-elect of the Rotary Club’s board of directors and head of Mark Irvin Commercial Real Estate Services. “When we started with our centennial project, we asked those interested in applying for our $250,000 grant to think outside of the box and present us with ideas and opportunities that would be reflective of our past efforts. We saw close to 50 applicants apply but Pima County JTED amazed us with the idea to partner and build a much-needed new campus in Tucson.”

The Innovative Learning Center is nestled in one of Tucson’s newest urban developments – The Bridges. Here, biotech office and lab space will mix with shopping and entertainment, residential housing, and a series of outdoor interactive public spaces. The center is the first of three Pima JTED buildings planned for the area.

“From the inception of the design process with WSM Architects, we knew that this building was going to be unique in so many ways,” Prather said. “The building was created to resemble a machine from the exterior, reflective of the high-tech and innovative nature of the technical education programs housed within.”

“It was clear from the beginning of this project that the building needed to be as unique and inspiring as the programs that are taught at the facility,” Mesik added.

The building will house many of Pima JTED’s high-demand programs such as health care foundations, culinary arts, drone navigation, cybersecurity, 3D animacontinued on page 102 >>> Spring 2021

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Classrooms enclosed by glass, allowing views of the top-tier learning taking place inside. Each classroom features a floating cloud-type acoustical panel at the front to facilitate quality sound throughout the room.

•

A large expansive cafeteria/event center on the lower level, sponsored

by Raytheon Missiles & Defense, serves as a hub for student activity and will have interactive video artwork/murals, inspiring students to explore technical careers.

Large rolling glass garage doors in the event center lead to a patio area for indoor/outdoor events.

•

A commercial teaching kitchen and lab that includes an inset area in the hallway to house a living hydroponics demonstration wall garden.

•

Health and medical career labs, designed with a simulator control and observation room, mirror the look and feel of an actual medical facility.

•

The 3-D animation, virtual reality game design, green screen studio is built behind a glass wall to allow a glimpse of projects in progress.

•

The industrial technology classroom and lab spaces amass 7000 square feet, allowing for the indoor operation of small drones, robotics and automation systems.

Color plays a key role in the building, Mesik said. “On the interior, bright colors are used to define collaboration spaces where students can gather for casual conversation or to work together outside of the classroom. On the exterior, the white, blue and purple convey the vibrant personality of the school and signify that this school is not traditional.”

Flexibility of space was also top of mind. “The classrooms and labs were purposely built without many permanent fixtures to allow for the flexibility to add new programs and new technologies as they are developed,” Prather said. “ The building is intended to be continued on page 104 >>> 102 BizTucson

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3D ANIMATION & GAME DESIGN from left

Jed Ricks – 17 Home School Kristal Gutierrez – 16 Walden Grove High School David Fuller, Instructor

TRANSPORTATION/ FAA DRONE OPERATOR from left

Xavier Sanchez – 15 Mica Mountain High School Isaac Parks – 15 Cienega High School Brandon Tong – 17 Catalina Foothills High School

PHOTO COURTESY JTED

•

PHOTO BY RON MCCOY PHOTOGRAPHERS

•

PHOTO BY BRENT G. MATHIS

continued from page 101 tion and game design. With those in mind, the building’s intelligent features include:

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BizEDUCATION PRECISION MANUFACTURING Azucena Mendoza operates a CNC machine in the precision manufacturing program at Desert View High School

Precision Manufacturing Gets Global Notice

By Tara Kirkpatrick

Now, the instructor of precision manufacturing at Desert View High School, an award-winning Pima JTED satellite program, sets his students on a solid path toward careers in industrial technology.

“This program ... was made by the hard work of the students and the partnerships we have with industry,” said Gutierrez.

“The kids that I have were just looking for someone to lead them, believe in them and push them to a different level.”

Gutierrez’ leadership has garnered national and global attention. In 2019, he and the school received $100,000 as a first-place winner of the Harbor Freight Tools for Schools Prize for Teaching Excellence. Almost 750 teachers across the

country applied for the prize. Gutierrez was the only winner from Arizona.

His precision manufacturing program, which started with two manual mills, now boasts $1.5 million in equipment, including multiple mills, 3D printers, computers, simulators, engraving machines, CNC machines and an entire measurement room. “You could almost say we have as many machines as some companies here in Tucson,” Gutierrez said.

The students have taken on contracted jobs to build parts for local aerospace companies, metal signs for businesses and other projects. In 2016, CNN reported on the students cutting parts for a company that then assembled and honed them for Boeing. At an industry conference, a group from South Korea wanted to emulate the program for its own students, Gutierrez said.

continued from page 102 dynamic in nature and serve the education and training needs of our youth for many years to come, no matter the technology.”

Even the way the $14 million project was funded is unique for a public school district, she said. The cost of construction was funded not by a bond, but by a public-private partnership between Pima JTED, Bourn Companies and BFL Ventures.

Pima JTED will make lease purchase payments for the building and land over a seven-year period.

Brav credits Prather and her team for the project, which from start to completion was essentially one year even amid a global pandemic. “They have been key to the success,” Brav said. “They are very dedicated and love what they do. They run it like a well-tuned machine.”

The building also houses Innovation Tech High School, 104 BizTucson

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“What’s not to love about having a highly engaged instructor who has the industry experience and has outfitted the program with state-of-the-art equipment?” said Greg D’Anna, Pima JTED’s director of public relations. “He also puts into place the business relationships so students are working on real-life projects.”

“We have students who are goal-oriented, career-driven, university-driven,” Gutierrez said. “They understand now what they want to do. They have big goals and they set up all the little goals in how they are going to get there.”

“I think one of the reasons the program is so successful – it never stops, it never stops growing,” Gutierrez said. “There is always something bigger and better. You are always looking for perfection.”

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where Tucson Unified School District operates a full high school during the day with Pima JTED classes as electives.

In this format, about 400 to 500 students attend the campus during the day and another 450 to 550 attend in the afternoon and early evening for the CTE programs.

“This is such a wonderful building,” said Mario C a s t r o , principal of the JTED Innovative Learning Center. “One of the unique things of this campus, when we were designing it, is we needed a theory-based area for instruction and a labbased area for instruction.” Hence, large open spaces allow for both.

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PHOTO COURTESY JTED

As a design student in college, Cesar Gutierrez was on his way to becoming a mechanical engineer. Then, he got a taste of teaching and his destiny was set.

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Robert Schlanger

Alex Jácome

Brenda Marietti

Cindy Rankin

Dr. Wayne Peate

Leaders in Collaboration

By Rodney Campbell

When Pima JTED was formed in 2007, its first board had 11 members who represented participating local school districts. Their task wasn’t easy – they had to serve as the governing board and community representatives for a program few knew existed.

“The question we always got was, ‘What’s Pima JTED?” said Alex Jácome, one of the founding members who remain on the board.

The board has since been pared to a more manageable five, but there’s strength in those numbers. Now the superintendent and CEO, Kathy Prather has been involved with Pima JTED since the beginning. She works with the incredibly engaged board every day and sees members representing JTED at events such as Southern Arizona Construction Career Days and on committees for organizations that include the Tucson Metro Chamber of Commerce and The Amigos, a mining industry group.

“Pima JTED is very blessed and benefits greatly from our many volunteers in the community, especially our governing board members,” Prather said.

“Each of them in their own way engages and provides guidance, advocating and helping us to connect to others in the community as well as sharing their vast knowledge and expertise from their respective fields.”

The governing board members bring a wide variety of experiences to their roles:

• Chair Robert Schlanger is a business

owner in the automotive service industry as well as an active community advocate.

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• Clerk Brenda Marietti is a former ca-

reer and technical education teacher and program director who serves as executive director of the Pima JTED Foundation.

• Alex Jácome is a founding member

of the governing board who brings a wealth of experience from the retail and construction industries.

• Dr.

Wayne Peate is the founding chair of the governing board and a Harvard-trained physician with ties to the University of Arizona College of Medicine.

• Cindy Rankin is a physiology profes-

sor at UArizona and strong advocate of developing articulated pathways for students from Pima JTED to postsecondary education.

“I love knowing that I am a part of the journey to success of the many students we serve and how we are fulfilling the promise made years ago to business and industry to drive workforce development,” Rankin said.

Board members often see real-life examples of the impacts that Pima JTED has on students and the people who care about them. They have firsthand stories that show why their efforts are so important.

“I had a mom come up to me and say that JTED saved her daughter’s life,” Peate said. “She was headed for bad things and bad decisions. But she always liked to cook. She got involved in our culinary program, became a chef and eventually headed to France to further her education. We always say we help people try to find their dreams.”

In their many years as board members, Jácome, Peate and Schlanger have seen JTED become more in demand across the region. When JTED began, it had a handful of programs in about 9,000 square feet of instructional space.

It now has more than 20 programs running in 200,000 square feet.

Programs are available in schools in three counties (Santa Cruz, Pima and Pinal) with more than 22,000 participants from 37 high schools. Significant employers, including the Jim Click Automotive Group, Tucson Medical Center, Gadabout and Abrams Airborne Manufacturing, Inc., consistently hire graduates.

“We increasingly engage the private and public sector,” Peate said. “Our new Innovation High School has TUSD and JTED teachers working together in the same building while the Rotary Club of Tucson made a sizable donation. We’ve learned with limited resources and increased demand for programs that collaboration is essential.”

Board members are the best ambassadors for Pima JTED’s outstanding programs and hard-working students.

Each year, young men and women who complete programs enter the workforce and/or future education and training to generate an average of more than $34 million in annual earnings and more than $6 million in income tax revenue for Arizona.

“I provide a voice representing the community and advocate on behalf of opportunities for students as well as the workforce needs of business and industry,” Jácome said. “In fact, JTED is really Economic Development 101.

This is where workforce development begins.”

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WOMEN WHO LEAD

“

I feel like the greatest days for JTED are ahead.

I am so optimistic about the future and the amazing things we are doing.

”

– Kathy Prather Superintendent & CEO Pima Joint Technical Education District

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Pima JTED Superintendent & CEO

PHOTO BY BRENT G. MATHIS

By Tara Kirkpatrick Kathy Prather learned early the importance of a trained workforce.

After graduating from Northern Arizona University, the native Tucsonan went to work in television as an account executive for the NBC affiliate in Cheyenne, Wyo., and then in Flagstaff, focusing on media sales and production. She also worked for a video and film production company in Phoenix.

As a result of those experiences, “I was able to see what made businesses successful, and a big piece of that was having a trained staff,” said Prather, who is entering her fourth year as superintendent and CEO of the Pima Joint Technical Education District. “Bottom line, the best marketing plans available still needed to have a trained and skilled workforce to implement them.”

After this early business experience, she returned to NAU to get her master’s degree in vocationaltechnical education. “I went back to school to be able to be a business teacher,” said Prather. She would go on to teach classes in middle school and high school within the Navajo Nation and colleges in western Arizona before returning to Tucson to advance career and technical education, known as CTE. Now at the helm of Pima JTED, a program fast becoming a national education model, her journey is full circle. “I feel like the greatest days for JTED are ahead. I am so optimistic about the future and the amazing things we are doing,” Prather said.

Pima JTED, created in 2007, works with 14 member public school districts to provide free, premier CTE programs to high school students from public, private, charter or home-school set-

tings. “We are creating programs that are really pathways to employment after high school, but also to achieve professional degrees,” Prather said.

She’s been here from the beginning. Having led CTE programs at Tucson Unified School District and Sunnyside Unified School District, Prather was instrumental in Pima JTED’s formation. She led community forums and met with business and industry leaders and school district governing boards. At that time, Arizona was allotting $54 million for JTEDs. Maricopa County had most of them, but Pima County didn’t have one.

“Pima County was not tapped into that funding source,” she recalled. “We were missing out on millions of dollars to provide enhanced career technical education for our youth. Once our business people found out about that, members of the Southern Arizona Leadership Council and others, they became involved and engaged.”

Tucson auto mogul Jim Click Jr. wrote the check himself to pay for a research firm to gauge and promote community support to get Pima County’s JTED initiative on the ballot in 2006. It passed with 70-percent approval.

Today, Pima JTED programs and classes are not only successful pipelines to advanced degrees at Pima Community College, the University of Arizona and other colleges, they also provide certifications and credentials for students to enter the workforce immediately after high school graduation.

In propelling Pima JTED’s success, Prather’s leadership is heralded across the community. continued on page 110 >>> Spring 2021

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BizEDUCATION continued from page 109 “There wouldn’t be a JTED in Tucson without Kathy,” said Click. “She’s done a great job of leading this program. I want to congratulate her in all that she has done.”

“JTED has always been an important partner for Pima as we strive together to build an education-to-employment pipeline for Tucson-area high school students,” said PCC Chancellor Lee Lambert. “Our collaborations have deepened and expanded under Kathy’s sure-handed leadership. She’s a pleasure to work with – the perfect combination of enthusiasm and expertise.”

In a Feb. 5 editorial in the Arizona Daily Star, Prather extolled the achievements of Pima JTED’s alumni, now 100,000 strong. “As I think about this year’s 100,000th alumnus and the others that came before them, I’m mindful of the impact they’ve had in enhancing Arizona’s competitiveness, through science, technology, engineering and other programs that we’ve developed with our industry and post-secondary education partners,” she wrote.

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“We are a reflection of how much good a community can do when they work together,” Prather said. “Our success is the success of the community.”

“Kathy continues to search for new ways and collaborations to expand the JTED opportunities in our region,” said Ted Maxwell, Southern Arizona Leadership Council president and CEO. “She understands not only the impact on academic achievement it provides the students, but also the benefits it provides our business and economic environment. “ In the design of the new Pima JTED Innovative Learning Center @ The Bridges in south Tucson, Prather collaborated with instructors on must-have, high-tech details and modern, spacious classrooms. “Kathy is very capable of making decisions quickly, which is required for a project like this. She was unbelievable to work with,” said Garry Brav, CEO of BFL Construction, which built the new center.

Her vision included housing the new Innovation Tech High School in the center. There, TUSD offers a compre-

hensive high school during the day with Pima JTED programs as electives.

“Kathy did that on purpose.” said Greg D’Anna, Pima JTED director of public relations. “She worked with TUSD and said, ‘Would you like to be a part of this?’ and they jumped at it.”

For Prather, the future of CTE is not only life-changing – it’s an evolution of education that meets 21st century demands and produces a better student. “I was in the Sabino High School business office program,” she recalled. “Then, it was training to be a secretary, typing and shorthand, but I took those skills and got a business degree and those skills have continued to serve me to this day. It’s important that we see that evolution and appreciate the roots of career education. The base of it is building successful students.”

“I am most proud of the positive effect that our programs are having on the lives of our young people that we serve,” Prather said.

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Ross Potoff

Founder Potoff Private Philanthropy

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Philanthropist Gifts $1 Million to Pima JTED

PHOTO BY BRENT G. MATHIS

By Rodney Campbell

Local students pursuing careers of the future through Pima JTED have a forward-thinking partner in Ross Potoff – a man who built his own distinguished profession from career and technical education.

His Potoff Private Philanthropy is contributing $1 million to Pima JTED. The generous gift will enhance programs and curriculum through an endowed chair that provides exciting career exploration experiences in middle school, recruitment capabilities for programs, student advisory services and counseling during high school and job placement assistance after skills certification. continued on page 114 >>> Spring 2021

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BizEDUCATION continued from page 113 Potoff Philanthropy also supports the new JTED Innovative Learning Center @ The Bridges, a technical training and academic building strategically located near The Refinery at Tech Parks Arizona. The center focuses on new programs, including engineering (with an emphasis on aerospace, mining and optics industry technologies), cybersecurity and artificial intelligence, automation and robotics, air transportation-drone piloting, comprehensive health technology, entrepreneurship and an expansion of culinary/nutritional arts and 3D animation/game design.

“We’re looking at kids’ futures,” Potoff said. “We’re determined to make it easier for them to enter the workforce with a vocation that will follow them their entire lives. The more diversification that we can provide them, the more well-equipped they will be to make career decisions.”

Potoff Private Philanthropy Executive Director Bill Westcott brought Pima JTED to his boss’s attention after at-

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“

We’re looking at kids’ futures. We’re determined to make it easier for them to enter the workforce with a vocation that will follow them their entire lives. The more diversification that we can provide them, the more well-equipped they will be to make career decisions.

”

Ross Potoff Founder Potoff Private Philanthropy –

tending a breakfast meeting where thenSuperintendent Alan Storm made a presentation. When Kathy Prather took over after Storm retired in 2018, Potoff was impressed by the new superintendent’s enthusiasm and made his milliondollar commitment the following year.

“She is an absolute dynamo,” Potoff said. “She’s thinking out further than we do.”

While Prather greatly appreciates Potoff’s financial support, it’s his passion for helping students that most impresses her.

“The dedication to Pima JTED by Mr. Ross Potoff has taken our mission and vision to a new level,” she said. “He sees his own personal journey reflected in each of our former, current and future students and knows firsthand the life-changing opportunities that Pima JTED provides. He offers encouragement and enthusiasm that even exceed the immense financial support he has provided and continues to pledge.”

Potoff’s commitment to students is the continued on page 116 >>>

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BizEDUCATION continued from page 114 result of his upbringing in Waterbury, Conn. At age 7, he was working in his father’s factory sweeping and cleaning.

Five years later, he was working in the factory’s commercial darkroom making lithographic plates and silk screens for cosmetic product containers.

Uncertain of what direction he wanted to go, he enrolled in an exploratory skills program at Warren F. Kaynor Regional Technical High School, where he attained certification and expertise in numerous trades and manufacturing skills.

“One other person I knew went to a vocational school,” Potoff said. “Because of my background, I thought it might be a good direction to go since I was mechanically inclined. It was a good base for me to make my decision.”

After graduating from Kaynor, Potoff

enrolled at Waterbury State Technical College to study mechanical engineering. In his first year, he took the Air Force aptitude test and his impressive result led him to enlist to continue his education.

“A college education isn’t for everyone,” he said. “By the time you graduate from college, your field may not exist any longer. You have robots doing things now. But who’s going to fix your toilet or rewire your house? Those jobs take skills and integrity.”

His Air Force career eventually brought him to Tucson, where he was stationed at Davis-Monthan. Potoff’s experience working with high-tech systems led him to a career at the University of Arizona’s Optical Sciences Center. In his position, Potoff was responsible for designing and building unique precision machinery and optics devices.

His lab had 18 doctoral candidates for whom he was responsible and a constant flow of scientists from across the globe. In 1992, the university honored him as an outstanding employee for his contribution to science and education.

He retired in 2012 after almost 40 years.

“It was a little bit of magic,” Potoff said. “We were on the cutting edge of optical technology.”

That experience, combined with his years of technical education, helped spark his interest in JTED. All it took was a happenstance meeting and an eye on the future.

“I keep going back to the concept of forward thinking,” Potoff said. “We’re giving the student of tomorrow a chance to pursue what they might find intriguing. We want to help them realize what could be in their future.”

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Pima JTED is constantly looking for innovative ways to collaborate and partner with the Southern Arizona community. If your organization or company is interested in working with Pima JTED, please contact: Greg D’Anna, gdanna@pimajted.org.

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Raytheon Event Center An Industry Partner in Prosperity

The Raytheon Event Center on the new flagship campus of Pima Joint Technical Education District is a telling example of the educational program’s importance to the community and Southern Arizona’s future workforce.

Raytheon Missiles & Defense, an economic kingpin of the region, provided a $100,000 grant to sponsor a 4,000-square-foot center on the ground floor of the sophisticated Pima JTED Innovative Learning Center @ The Bridges in south Tucson. The Raytheon Event Center is a central hub for student dining, governing board meetings and community events.

“As Southern Arizona’s largest private employer, we are building an increasingly diverse, multi-generational workforce that enjoys a broad range of career opportunities,” said Allen Couture, VP of operations and security at Raytheon Missiles & Defense. “Partnerships with JTED and other local education institutions are not only critical for our own recruitment of talent, but for the entire community pipeline of high-paying jobs that will expand growth in our region.”

The two-story center, which opened in the fall of 2020, moves the district into the future. Here, Pima JTED offers high school classes and several 21stcentury relevant programs to provide the trained workforce that Southern Arizona’s top companies demand.

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As part of the agreement with Pima JTED, Raytheon is installing a hightech display in the event center to in-

“

Partnerships with JTED and other local education institutions are not only critical for our own recruitment of talent, but for the entire community pipeline of highpaying jobs that will expand growth in our region.

”

– Allen Couture VP of Operations & Security Raytheon Missiles & Defense

spire students to pursue STEM careers.

Raytheon has a broader commitment to foster the next-generation of scientists, technologists, engineers and mathematicians. The company invests

heavily in numerous statewide education programs that cultivate the skills, diverse thinking and leadership abilities that lead to rewarding careers.

“JTED’s Industrial Technologies programs graduate highly qualified specialists in trades, including machining, precision manufacturing, HVAC and welding,” said Couture. “This partnership represents our commitment to cultivating a local pipeline for employees as we continue to grow.”

“In addition to sponsoring the event center, we will continue to provide mentorship opportunities that connect students with employees who can help them build their skills and confidence so they’ll be ready to pursue technical careers,” he said.

Raytheon’s contribution is an example of the collaboration Pima JTED hopes will continue in a “shared ownership” of the region’s success, said Pima JTED Superintendent and CEO Kathy Prather.

“It is inspiring that they want to be there with us, to really ignite the imaginations of young people,” Prather said.

“We are grateful for Raytheon’s generous gift and their employee volunteers who continue to mentor our students to be innovators, inspire them to lead and guide them to meaningful careers that have a positive effect on the world.”

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PHOTO BY RON MCCOY PHOTOGRAPHERS

By Tara Kirkpatrick

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BizEDUCATION PIMA JTED PROGRAMS & CLASSES Pima JTED Serves Southern Arizona School Districts Ajo Amphitheater Baboquivari Catalina Foothills Flowing Wells Mammoth-San Manuel Marana Nogales Sahuarita Santa Cruz Valley Sunnyside Tanque Verde Tucson Vail *High school students in private, charter or home-school settings also can enroll in Pima JTED classes.

Pima JTED Governing Board Robert Schlanger

Governing Board Chairman

Christina Suarez Executive Assistant

Brenda Marietti

Governing Board Clerk

Alex Jácome Member

Dr. Wayne Peate Member

Cindy Rankin Member

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