Sessions of 2026 Connection Conference: Hector Reyes
Reyes, Hector
Hospitality/Business Teacher
Hector Reyes currently serves as President of both the Arizona Business Education Association and the Western Business Education Association, while also working as the Digital Media Specialist for the Arizona Marketing Educators Association. He brings extensive classroom experience teaching business management, business operations, and hospitality management at Desert View High School in the Sunnyside Unified School District, where he has also excelled as a dedicated DECA Advisor. Under his leadership, students have achieved exceptional success, including three U.S. Presidential Scholars in Career and Technical Education, multiple state officers, and numerous chapter and competitive event award recipients at the local, state, and national levels. Reyes is a recipient of the University of Arizona’s Eller Hispanic Honorary Community Leader Award and currently teaches dual-enrollment courses in partnership with Pima Community College, as well as a Business & Entrepreneurship course for Pima JTED, where he also serves as an FBLA Advisor. Before entering education, he gained valuable industry experience as a director of operations for a national restaurant chain, a warehouse manager for a produce distribution center, and a financial advisor.
Sessions:
[5843] Sealing the Skills: Helping Students Earn the Financial Literacy Seal
| Date | From | To |
|---|---|---|
|
|
|
Westin La Paloma
- Business and Marketing Education
The Seal of Financial Literacy is a powerful credential—but many students miss it simply due to lack of awareness or planning. This session guides educators through strategies to intentionally support students in earning the seal before graduation. Learn how to align coursework, assessments, and projects to financial literacy requirements, track student progress, and integrate preparation into existing marketing and CTE classes. The session also covers documentation, timelines, and student motivation strategies. Participants will leave with a clear framework to help more students graduate with this meaningful, career-ready distinction.
[5806] ABEA and FBLA Luncheon
| Date | From | To |
|---|---|---|
|
|
|
Westin La Paloma
- Business and Marketing Education
Join fellow business and marketing educators for an engaging ABEA luncheon workshop designed to spark fresh ideas, strengthen professional connections, deepen your impact in the classroom aligned to updates from Arizona FBLA. Over lunch, participants will explore innovative instructional strategies, hear success stories from Arizona educators, and collaborate on practical solutions that support student engagement, real-world learning, and stronger CTSO involvement—all aligned with ABEA’s and AZ FBLA's mission of fostering professional growth and leadership within the state’s educator community. Coupled with awards, recognition, networking and educator camaraderie.
