ACTE Postsecondary CTE Summit 2026

Presenter: John A. Vasquez, PhD
Dr. John Vasquez serves as Assistant Vice Provost for Student Success and Senior Director of the Comprehensive Studies Program at the University of Michigan–Ann Arbor. With over two decades of experience across community colleges, Hispanic-Serving Institutions, and regional comprehensive public universities, his work focuses on aligning policy, practice, and systems to improve student success and workforce outcomes.
Session Summary:
As postsecondary CTE expands to meet urgent workforce and economic development demands, institutional leaders must move beyond programmatic innovation toward systems alignment. This interactive leadership workshop introduces a practical, streamlined framework for understanding how policy, funding structures, pathway design, advising models, employer engagement, and institutional culture collectively shape learner outcomes. Rather than attempting to solve everything at once, participants will focus on identifying a small number of high-impact leverage points within their own institutional context. Drawing on systems change theory and equity-minded design principles, the session will guide participants through a structured process to surface misalignments and prioritize actionable strategies. 
This session is especially valuable for teams of two or more from the same institution or system, as participants will have dedicated time to work across roles and leave with a shared set of priorities and next steps. Individual participants will be supported through structured activities and peer collaboration. 
This workshop is designed for a mixed audience and balances strategic framing with practical application, giving participants tools they can use right away to advance CTE impact.