ANKENY, Iowa—Two Des Moines Area Community College (DMACC) Educators were award recipients at the recent Association for Career and Technical Educators conference held on the DMACC Ankeny Campus.
Recently retired DMACC Agri-Business Professor Craig McEnany of Nevada received the Lifetime Achievement Award. This award recognizes Career and Technical Educators (CTE) for their leadership on behalf of ACTE, their innovations in CTE and their contributions to the field over an extended period of time.
DMACC Nursing Education Director Kendra Ericson of Ankeny received the ACTE Iowa Award of Merit. The award recognizes ACTE members who have contributed to the success of CTE through the quality of their work and their involvement in the CTE community.
McEnany began his teaching career in 1979 after graduating from Iowa State University in Agricultural Education with a Bachelor of Science degree. His first teaching experience was at Anamosa High School where he was employed from 1979 through 1982 in a two-person department as a teacher, young farmer coordinator and FFA advisor.
In 1982, he was hired to teach at Waverly-Shell Rock High School where he served from 1982 to 1987 as their teacher, multi-occupation coordinator and FFA advisor. He then served as the agriculture/FFA advisor at Nevada High School during the 1987-1988 school year.
On July 1, 1988, he began a 30 year career at DMACC as instructor/program chair within the Agribusiness program. During his entire teaching career at the secondary or postsecondary level, he has placed emphasis on a balanced program of classroom instruction, experiential learning and leadership development activities. His love of teaching continues as he serve as an adjunct instructor at DMACC as well as working part time in the Iowa State University College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Student Services office.
McEnany has been extremely active in ACTE. Here are some of his accomplishments:
- IACTE President – 2009-2010
- Career & Technical Educator of the Year – IACTE – 2008
- IACTE Outstanding Career/Technical Educator – 2004
- Oran Beaty Leadership Award – IACTE – 1998
- IVA (IACTE) Outstanding Classroom Teacher – 1992
He has accomplished so much more with the National Association of Agricultural Educators (NAAE)
- NAAE Regional III Vice President – 2008 – 2011
- NAAE Secretary – 2005-2008
- President Elect Candidate, 2011
- Public Policy, Board Consultant – 2008-2011
In addition, he has served as Vice President of The National Council for Agricultural Education, was a 40-year member of the Iowa Association of Agricultural Educators (IAAE), including serving as Vice President, President-elect, President and Past President. He was also named the Outstanding Agricultural Educator of the Year by the IAAE in 2004.
He was active in the National Postsecondary Agricultural Student (PAS) Organization, where he was Executive Director for more than five years; the FFA and the Iowa FFA Foundation Board of Directors. In addition, he was served on many ag-related boards and organizations, too numerous to mention, throughout his career.
McEnany will now compete for the regional honor in June 2020 at the ACTE Region III conference to be held in Minnesota. He was recognized with the Iowa Association of Agricultural Educators “Lifetime Achievement” award this past June and will be bestowed with the NAAE Region III “Lifetime Achievement Award” this December at the national conference in Anaheim, California.
Ericson serves as the administrator of multi-campus, nursing programs delivering education to secondary and post-secondary students. She first served the Iowa Association for Career and Technical Education (Iowa ACTE) as Iowa Health Educator Association (IHEA) representative on the Board of Directors. She has held multiple leadership roles as Vice-President and President of IHEA and IACTE. She currently serves as the Past-President for IACTE Board of Directors.
At DMACC, her creative programming helps students reach their goals in their nursing pathways and careers. In IACTE, she has enhanced the working relationship with IHEA division, increased membership, and reinvigorated their annual conference with national speakers.
She is actively involved in IACTE lobby day at the Iowa State Capitol where students showcase their CTE projects to the Iowa legislators. She was also recently appointed to the Iowa Department of Education CTE advisory committee and is an applicant for the national ACTE Fellowship program.
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