Sessions of 2026 Connection Conference: Jim Grieshaber
Mr. Grieshaber, Jim
Past President
Jim recently retired from working as the Career and Technical Education Director in the Dysart Unified School District. He has been a member of Association of Career and Technical Education (ACTE), Association of Career and Technical Education of Arizona (ACTEAZ), Curriculum Consortium and ACOVA member, member at large, President elect, President and Past President for the last 7 years. Jim has been a Principal and Assistant Principal. He has supervised the CTE programs on his campus and was a Future Educators of America teacher. He also was a high school and middle school teacher for 14 years. Jim has 30+ years of experience and has held numerous leadership roles during his tenure as a teacher, Building Administrator, and CTE Director. Jim was the ACTEAZ President from 2022-2025.
Sessions:
[5861] CTE Connections Friday Lunch: Building Strong Industry Partnerships (Arizona-Focused)
| Date | From | To |
|---|---|---|
|
|
|
Westin La Paloma
- Interdisciplinary
Join us this networking luncheon that will discuss how CTE programs play a critical role in preparing students for Arizona’s evolving workforce—but strong industry partnerships are essential to making that connection meaningful. This interactive session is designed for CTE educators who want practical, realistic ways to engage local employers and industry partners. Teachers will leave with at least one actionable partnership idea and a draft outreach message.
[5862] CTE Connections Saturday Lunch: Engaging Today’s Students (Without Lowering Rigor)
| Date | From | To |
|---|---|---|
|
|
|
Westin La Paloma
- Interdisciplinary
New students bring new expectations, learning habits, and challenges into the classroom—but engagement does not have to come at the expense of academic rigor. This session explores practical, research-aligned strategies for increasing student engagement while maintaining (and often strengthening) cognitive demand. Participants will examine what true rigor looks like, reflect on common engagement myths, and leave with concrete strategies that balance relevance, student voice, and high expectations.
[5863] CTE Connections Sunday Lunch: Supporting New Teachers and Passing on Expertise
| Date | From | To |
|---|---|---|
|
|
|
Westin La Paloma
- Interdisciplinary
Career and Technical Education (CTE) teachers often enter the classroom with deep industry knowledge—but limited experience in teaching. Supporting new educators is critical to program quality, teacher retention, and student success. This highly interactive networking session is designed for CTE educators to share practical strategies for supporting new teachers and passing on expertise. Through guided discussion and peer-to-peer exchange, participants will identify common challenges, explore effective support approaches, and learn from the experience already in the room. Participants will leave with new connections, proven strategies they can immediately apply, and a clear, manageable next step to support a new teacher.
