Robert “Bo” Zabierek
HOULTON, Maine — Region Two School of Applied Technology in Houlton’s Applied Academics Instructor, Robert “Bo” Zabierek, was installed as ACTE-ME’s new president in the Association’s first statewide meeting at the United Technology Center in Bangor on Jan. 20, 2016.
Zabierek worked with other career and technical education instructors throughout the state to bring back an instructor-led association to deal with issues unique to that group of educators. “We were looking for an association that could take the place of the now defunct MVIA (Maine Vocational and Industrial Association).
ACTE-ME Past President Carol Pelletier of Rockland’s Region Eight CTE high school, served a year as a national ACTE Fellow and came up with the idea of creating the new association.” Zabierek went on to explain, “We started with a charter committee, which was charged with creating a Constitution and Bylaws and submitting them to the national ACTE in Washington, D.C. for certification as a nationally sanctioned state association.” Pelletier served as the new association’s first president, while Zabierek served as her president-elect.
“I was honored to attend the ACTE national conference in 2014 and represent Maine as President-Elect of ACTE-Maine at the State President’s Policy Meeting in Nashville,” he said. “Now, in my role as president, I chair statewide meetings of the Association and just returned April 15 from our ACTE Region I Conference, where I represented Maine at the Region I Policy Meeting.”
From among 15 Region I states, a leader attended the Region I Policy Meeting: Pennsylvania, Michigan, Maine, Ohio, Washington D.C., as well as an ACTE Past President from Oklahoma.
Zabierek continued to praise the young people getting into career and technical education that have decided to take a role in leadership positions in the national organization.
“We were fortunate to have the incoming and outgoing ACTE Region I Fellowship recipients at the policy meeting to help share their youthful visions for the Association,” he said.
Zabierek attended several CTE breakout sessions. The ACTE Region I states consist of all the New England states as well as Delaware, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Washington, D.C.
