CareerTech staff recap summit: 4,000 attendees, awards and a surge in social engagement

Kylie Moulton, communications and marketing coordinator at the Oklahoma CareerTech State Department, gave the board a recap of the 56th CareerTech Summit and the awards ceremony held during the event.

Moulton described the summit as a "family reunion" for CareerTech educators, with more than 4,000 educational professionals attending and 30 breakout sessions on topics from syllabus design to work-based learning. The summit featured an awards banquet where state officials and honored educators were recognized, including distinguished service awards to Oklahoma Sen. Dwayne Pemberton and Rep. Brian Hill and the lifetime achievement award to Kathy Corning of Western Tech.

Moulton also reported substantial social-media reach for the department during the two-day event: more than 112,000 people saw posts across platforms and roughly 17,000 engagements, and the department's followers grew after 141 posts. Board members praised the communications team's work and thanked staff for raising visibility for the event and agency programs.

Board members commented on the keynote speaker and the value of showcasing CareerTech achievements to legislators and the public. The discussion reinforced the agency's interest in using summit results to support legislative outreach for the FY-25 appropriation request.

The presentation was informational; the board did not take action on summit items.