About Us
Our Competitive Advantage
CTECS has nearly a fifty-year history of operating the consortium for which members pool efforts to develop competency-based career and technical education resources that are validated by business, industry, and labor.
CTECS successfully facilitates a complete occupational analysis system whereby data is collected from incumbent workers for the specified occupational area. This creates a vast repository of assessment and training tools that are readily available to new community members. But our true competitive advantage is established by our ability to customize assessments and services to meet individual member and partner needs.
CTECS provides industry-based resources and services for the improvement of career technical education and workforce development instruction, assessment, certification, and delivery.
CTECS strives to close the gap between education, workforce development, and actual careers by becoming the premier provider of high-quality, industry-based resources.

PREPARE YOUR STUDENTS FOR THE REAL WORLD
By giving them the opportunity to prove their skills.
Join the CTECS Community of Practice
Workplace Readiness
Strong Community
Improving Education
Work History
CTECS has had the pleasure of working with numerous federal and state agencies to promote the systematic research, development, and implementation of competency based career-technical education and training.
Secondary and Adult Education
44 member states since inception, including the current members:
- California
- Idaho
- Kentucky
- Maine
- Nevada
- Oregon
- South Carolina
- Virginia
Government
- US Department of Labor
- US Department of Education (OVAE)
- United States Army Recruiting Command (USAREC)
- US Federal Bureau of Prisons
Postsecondary
- Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG)
- Great Basin College
- American Technical Education Association (ATEA)
- Idaho Apprenticeships and Postsecondary
Industry and Associations
- National Automotive Technicians Education Foundation (NATEF)
- Laborers’ International Union of North America (LIUNA)
- CISCO
- Florida Automobile Dealers Association (FADA)
- Florida, Brevard Public Schools, Maritime Transportation Associate
- Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA)
- National Institute for Metalworking Skills (NIMS)
- National Association of Family and Consumer Sciences (NASAFACS)
- National Academy Foundation (NAF)
- Southern Regional Education Board of Education (SREB)
Meet The Team
CTECS operates with a central staff augmented by a highly experienced cadre of consultants, who are assigned to projects based on the specific needs of the project. Both staff and consultants have all conducted and/or managed large-scale research, development and programmatic activities in career and technical education. Each team member is highly skilled in working with state, local, and national level management teams and their stakeholders to reach consensus on the concepts and designs under consideration.
Executive Director
Timothy Withee
Tim has been with CTECS since 2001. He has extensive experience in the development of curriculum and assessment. He has managed the program and assessment development for three statewide systems. He has also worked with national organizations such as FBLA, NAF, and LIUNA to review standards, develop curriculum, and develop recommendations and implement assessment delivery systems.
Deputy Executive Director
Ken Potthoff
Ken has worked in education for the past 20 years, which includes work in standards and assessment, curriculum development, project management, and the teaching of writing, literature, and film studies at the university level in the United States and in Shanghai, China. He was an instructional designer with the Career and Technical Education Consortium of States (CTECS) for 10 years and became the Deputy Executive Director of CTECS in 2012.
Computer Applications Specialist
Robyn Marshall
Robyn has a 40 year history with CTECS. Over the years, she has worn many hats. Currently, Robyn’s responsibilities are primarily IT related. She provides technical support for the online testing system, E-SESS, supports the test site administrators and assists with student registration for our assessments. Robyn also maintains CTECS in-house systems, updates software applications, performs desktop publishing and graphics work, and edits the website.
administrative specialist
Nina Acosta
Nina has built a career of supporting teams both large and small, providing administrative excellence in all areas of the office. She has served as the Executive Assistant for the VP of a major university, has experience training front desk personnel and brings skills in organization along with a passion to be part of a team doing great work.
Instructional Designer
Darren Morris
Darren joined CTECS in 2014 and brought 14 years of curriculum writing and editing experience from CTE Resource Center, the curriculum center that works closely with the Virginia Department of Education, Office of Career and Technical Education. Darren was the lead editor for the Workplace Readiness Skills revision project until he moved to CTECS and assessment and curriculum development via a learning management system.
Organizational Structure
CTECS Board of Directors
The Board of Directors provides each member state an equal opportunity for input regarding the critical issues and policies affecting the consortium and help to identify our annual program of work. One Board member is elected to chair the Board.
CTECS Community of Practice (COP) Liaisons
Each member state designates a COP Liaison who is responsible for the dissemination of CTECS products and operates as a point of contact beyond the member’s Board representative.
CTECS Executive Director
The executive director reports to the CTECS Board of Directors, which is made up of one representative from each member state.
CTECS Central Office Staff
Staff coordinate the development and dissemination of all CTECS products and services and provide technical assistance and customer service to CTECS partners and members.