Sessions of 2026 Midwinter Leadership Conference: Debra Raeder
Ms. Raeder, Debra
Senior Consultant
Arizona Business & Education Coalition
Deb Raeder is a Senior Consultant for the Arizona Business & Education Coalition (ABEC) and for the past 14-years has served as the statewide Director for the ABEC Career Exploration & Development (ACED) Project. Through this initiative, she has spearheaded a model for community-based partnerships, connecting businesses and educators to enhance student career readiness and development in middle schools. Immediately prior to working with ABEC, she served for six years in the Governor's Office as part of the education policy team working collaboratively and in partnership with a wide spectrum of education, business, philanthropic and community leaders, as well as policy makers, to strengthen the education continuum in Arizona. Prior to joining the Governor's Office, Deb served as the Director of Policy for the Arizona Department of Commerce's Workforce Division. Deb also served for 12 years as an elected member of the Peoria Unified School District Governing Board.
Sessions:
Igniting Futures: A Statewide Vision for Career-Connected Learning
| Date | From | To |
|---|---|---|
|
|
|
Prescott Resort & Conference Center
What if every Arizona middle school student entered high school with clarity, confidence, and purpose? Arizona’s Middle School Career Exploration 3-Year Partnership Plan aims to make that vision a reality. This session highlights a statewide collaboration among key partners and invites others to join in building a system where all students experience high-quality, developmentally appropriate career literacy and exploration. Participants will explore recommended policy alignments, professional learning supports, and local implementation models that help students identify their strengths, connect learning to real-world opportunities, and design pathways to success. The session unpacks research-based components of quality career exploration, the development of early Education and Career Action Plans (ECAPs), and evidence of their impact on student engagement and learning. Attendees will leave inspired by how career-connected learning in middle school fuels motivation, strengthens durability skills, and expands opportunity, extending the runway to every learner’s future.
From Middle School to Meaningful Careers: Rural Strategies for Early CTE Engagement
| Date | From | To |
|---|---|---|
|
|
|
Prescott Resort & Conference Center
How do we spark early interest in CTE pathways before students reach high school, especially in rural communities where access can be limited? The Arizona Business & Education Coalition (ABEC) and Mountain Institute CTED, together with countywide partners, are working to answer that question through the Yavapai County Future Ready Council. This collaborative effort is creating a unified model that connects middle-school career exploration with high-school CTE programs and the county’s key economic drivers, in an effort to ensure that ALL students have clear, relevant, and attainable pathways to pursue. In this session, we’ll share practical strategies, lessons learned, and actionable approaches for strengthening the bridge between middle and high school and beyond. Participants will explore how aligned efforts can ignite student interest, build academic and career readiness, and help students confidently navigate their next steps toward postsecondary education, training, and meaningful careers.
