WNC welcomes new Workforce, Career and Technical Education Director
Submitted by Jaedyn Young on Tue, 08/08/2023 - 7:22am
Travis Carr has dedicated his professional career to helping K-12 students prepare for postsecondary education. Now, he has the opportunity to help people explore, identify and solidify their professional careers as Western Nevada College’s Workforce, Career and Technical Education director.
Carr most recently served as Eureka County High School principal and has CTE experience in his other roles as an educator, including teacher, assistant principal and a Washoe County School District program coordinator. His new position at WNC will allow him to work with students following their K-12 education.
"For me, postsecondary is the place where students hone in on what exactly they want to do," he said. "The opportunity to ‘be in the trenches’ while students experience these life-changing moments was something I had to pursue."
The hiring of Carr comes at an important time as WNC’s fall semester starts on Aug. 28 and the college continues building upon its workforce certifications and CTE training programs to meet the needs of Northern Nevada industry leaders and businesses.
"Travis brings a breadth of educational leadership and CTE experience, including program and curriculum development; student, community and employer relations; recruitment and retention; and dual enrollment/credit," said WNC Vice President of Academic and Student Affairs Dr. Dana Ryan.
Initially, Carr is focused on emphasizing the various WCTE training programs that are available to students enrolled at WNC.
"Northern Nevada's economy is thriving and WNC is well-positioned to support a wide variety of industries in this region, strengthening the workforce pipeline and contributing to economic stability," he said. "For those ready for a new career, looking to change careers or wanting to advance in their career, WNC's WCTE division has 13 program areas that provide exceptional training opportunities and connections to quality employment opportunities."
Carr launched his education career as a middle school physical education and special education teacher in Washoe County School District. Those roles helped him become aware of the benefits of career tech programs.
"I saw that these programs helped students thrive in high school and I wanted the best for my students," Carr said. "I became a very vocal advocate for CTE programs and made a point to highlight the benefits these programs could provide to all the students and parents I worked with."
The importance and impact of CTE education expanded for Carr when he became employed by Academy of Arts, Careers & Technology, a WCSD career technical academy high school. There he learned about the broad range of educational options for students, making employer connections, supporting service-learning projects and conducting outreach to recruit students. Eventually, Carr became the CTE program coordinator for WCSD, which enabled him to share important messaging throughout the district and community.
"I was able to have my hands in a lot of different CTE initiatives and workforce development processes that raised awareness of CTE and more strongly connected education to business and employers," he said. Even though Carr’s next two professional positions were in school administration, he remained dedicated to CTE programs and initiatives at Spring Creek Middle School and Eureka County High School.
"I used my CTE background to increase and enhance programs that directly impacted student achievement, encouraged technical skill development and prepared students with the workforce skills needed for a successful career," Carr said.
Of course, Carr enjoyed some unique experiences as a rural administrator. "When you are a rural administrator, the job is endless, limitless and fun! Highlights include being elected as an honorary member of the Diamond Mountain FFA club, dancing to ‘Old Town Road’ in a student assembly and traveling to Pahranagat Valley — a place I did not know existed. They still proudly hold the United States record for winning 113 straight games in 8-man football!"
Carr is anxious to talk to community members and businesses about WCTE. Contact him at 775-445-3305 or travis.carr@wnc.edu.
"I want to ensure we are meeting the needs of our industry partners and opening doors for our students to gain industry standard knowledge and skills that best set them up for success when they finish. I look forward to working with all the wonderful people at WNC and am especially looking forward to meeting, supporting and leading the WCTE faculty and students!" he said.
