NRCCTE Staff

James. R. Stone III, Ed.D., is a Distinguished University Scholar, professor of Educational Leadership, Foundations, and Human Resource Education at the University of Louisville, and director of the NRCCTE. His research focuses on strategies to increase the capacity of CTE programs to improve the engagement, achievement, and transition of secondary and postsecondary CTE participants, including longitudinal studies of the effects of work-based learning and CTE-based school reforms on the educational outcomes of at-risk youth.

Donna Pearson is an associate professor of Leadership, Foundations, and Human Resource Education at the University of Louisville and the associate director of the NRCCTE. She served as a co-PI on the original Math-in-CTE study and has been key in providing professional development and technical assistance in the implementation of Math-in-CTE nationally.

Pradeep Kotamraju, deputy director of the NRCCTE, leads a team that is conducting research on a variety of CTE-related issues using NCES restricted-use datasets. He has extensive experience at the postsecondary level, having served as System Director for Perkins Federal Grants for the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities System.

Oscar Aliaga, Program Director, is exploring the impact of CTE on students’ academic and technical achievement, engagement, and transition to postsecondary education and employment conducting analyses of CTE at the secondary and postsecondary level using NCES restricted-use datasets. He is also the co-PI of a study exploring innovative CTE activities in schools with high graduation rates.

Kirsten Sundell, communications director, is also the co-PI of an experimental study of the impact of CTE programs of study on student outcomes. She oversees all aspects of the NRCCTE’s marketing and communications strategy, including maintaining its website; co-authoring, editing, and producing reports; planning multimedia; and interacting with the public through social media and special events.

Vickie Tencer, business manager, oversees the financial administration of the NRCCTE and several smaller grants in the CEHD at UofL. She has extensive experience in the management and administration of grants and contracts, having previously served as a management services officer and a business operations manager at UC-San Diego.

Marisa Castellano

Marisa Castellano currently co-leads the Center’s longitudinal random assignment study of student outcomes in high school programs of study. She has directed or co-directed multi-method projects related to career-based education reforms, state secondary CTE standards, and community college access, affordability, and retention.

Jennifer Sawyer, NRCCTE project manager, helps coordinate the Math-in-CTE and Literacy-in-CTE research-based curriculum integration professional development models. She also helped organize and facilitate pre- and post-testing and data preparation for the Science-in-CTE study.

Missy Heck, administrative assistant, supports the administrative, grant-related, and financial functions of the NRCCTE and coordinates many of its special events.