Assistant Secretary Brenda Dann-Messier to Visit Nashville, to Discuss Role of Career Academies in Strengthening Career and Technical Education

Brenda Dann-Messier, assistant secretary of the Office of Vocational and Adult Education, will visit Nashville, Tenn., on Thursday, Feb. 16, to discuss the importance of career academies and their connection to career and technical education. She will first tour Hillwood High School’s Academy of Health Science. Dann-Messier also will moderate a panel discussion on the importance of career academies in offering students academically rigorous curricula that data shows increases college attainment, reduces high school drop-out rates, and prepares students for successful careers. Lastly, she will host a roundtable with students and parents.

That afternoon, Dann-Messier will tour Nashville State Community College and host a panel discussion. She will highlight the community college initiatives outlined in the President’s 2013 budget, and the Administration’s efforts aimed at supporting state and community college partnerships with businesses in order to build the skills of the American workforce. Dann-Messier will wrap up her visit with a small roundtable with students and instructors on their experiences at NSCC.