State Certified Trainers

The State Certified Training Program (train-the-trainer) helps prepare lead advisors to assist other members in their state. Over twenty-five states now have one or more State Certified Trainer. State Certified Trainers are available to assist in training and updating SkillsUSA advisors. The State Certified Training Program was started in 2006-2007 to help the state directors with their state's SkillsUSA training. 

Candidates selected should:
1.   Possess teaching or training experience at the high school or college/postsecondary level
2.   Have used the PDP and/or CSEP curriculum in the classroom
3.   Be an active in SkillsUSA activities
4.   Maintain a flexible schedule so as to assist state director with training

The trainers are equiped to help with information about chapter management, integration of employability skills, fundraising, managing a local/regional contest, and other SkillsUSA resources. 

Your State Certified Trainers are: 

Boyd Hestand, TTC Knoxville

Mr. Boyd Hestand works at Tennessee Technology Center in Knoxville as a Counselor and serves as the schools lead advisor for SkillsUSA. He graduated from Tennessee Technological University in 1993 with a BS in Marketing and again in 2010 with a Masters degree in Professional Studies with a concentration in Strategic Leadership. While serving as lead advisor his institution won the James D. King award in 2008 and 2010, awarded to outstanding institutions with over 300 active SkillsUSA members. Boyd focuses his work on mentoring students in regards to their professionalism because “professionalism can be the difference between who gets the job and who does not”. Working within the Tennessee Board of Regents has given him the opportunity to utilize his administrative and organizational gifts in a leadership role. His professional goal is to help promote the ideals that make our citizens and our country great. He has helped to elect Tennessee’s Post-secondary SkillsUSA national officers since 2009, when he was the advisor for the SkillsUSA Post-secondary National President.  In 2010, he was the Tennessee Post-secondary SkillsUSA Advisor of the Year, won the Presidential Service Award, earned his SkillsUSA Statesman Award and became a SkillsUSA State Certified Trainer.

Shane Hunter, TTC Dickson
 

Automotive Instructor at Tennessee Technology Center at Dickson for ten years. Active advisor in SkillsUSA since 2006. Shane became a State Certified Trainer in 2009.
 

John Lee, TTC Elizabethton

Ernestine Peete, TTC Memphis

Ernestine Peete is a native of Chicago, Illinois.  She received her education in the field of barbering and cosmetology in Chicago and California.  Then she received an associate’s degree in Culinary Arts at Kendall College in Evanston, Illinois.  She received her Bachelor and Master’s degrees from the University of Memphis.  Mrs. Peete has served as director and manager of Cain’s Barber College in Chicago, Illinois, and in Memphis, Tennessee.  She has also served as Educational Director at Jett barber and cosmetology schools in Memphis, TN.  Mrs. Peete is a veteran of the United States Air force, where she served as an Air Traffic controller.  She has owned several businesses.  Currently she is employed as a Master Barber Instructor at Tennessee Technology Center at Memphis. She is the chairperson of the Council of Occupational Education committee at TTCM.  She also received the outstanding faculty award in 2004 for all of the technology centers.  She is the former chairperson of the Tennessee Cosmetology Board.  Among her many awards and civic honors she was selected as the Woman Of The Year (2012-2013) from the National Association Professional Women (NAPW). She and her husband reside in Memphis, Tennessee.

Dottye Webb, TTC Newbern

As a lifelong resident and former technical education student, Mrs. Dottye Webb understands the importance of career-technical training to Tennessee’s communities and workforce.  Her commitment to technical education developed in high school where she seized opportunities to serve as a business co-op student, a leadership-skills competitor, chapter president, and a state officer in the Office Education Association. Later she received an Associates of Science degree from Jackson State Community College and a Bachelor of Science from the University of Tennessee. She has been an employee of the Tennessee Technology Center at Newbern for 14 years.  During this time, she has taught in the Business Systems Technology, Computer Operations, and Technology Foundations programs.  Presently she works as a Master Instructor of Technology Foundations, the Testing Center Administrator, and the SkillsUSA Lead Advisor. While serving as SkillsUSA Lead Chapter Advisor, Mrs. Webb coached four quiz bowl teams all of which won their state competition and advanced to nationals where teams placed fourth in 2008, second in 2010, first in 2011, and first in 2012. She has served as a SkillsUSA judge at both the state and national levels. In 2011 and 2012, her institution won the James D. King Small School Award which is presented to outstanding institutions with less than 300 SkillsUSA members.  In 2011, she served as a SkillsUSA State Officer Advisor and became a SkillsUSA State Certified Trainer. In 2012, she attended the Washington Leadership Training Institute where she earned the National Statesman Award. She is active in her local church where she serves as youth director, Sunday school teacher, and choir member.  She is also a member of the National MS Society, the Leukemia & Lymphoma society, and a proud Navy mom. She has been married for 25 years and has three children: Josh, Ben, and Tiffany. She and her husband currently live in Milan, TN.

Tracy Whitehead, TTC Hohenwald

Tracy Whitehead received a Bachelor of Science in Education degree from Troy University in Visual Arts and Mathematics. In 2006, she joined the faculty at Tennessee Technology Center at Hohenwald and SkillsUSA. Tracy teaches Technology Foundations for TTC Hohenwald. She received the Silver Presidential Volunteer Service award in 2009 at the National Skills and Leadership Conference. In October 2009 she was nominated for the State Certified Trainer program and now serves Tennessee in that capacity. Tracy joined the National Quiz Bowl Technical Committee in 2008. As a committee member she also helps with the contest at the state level in Tennessee. In the spring of 2011, Tracy graduated Middle Tennessee State University with a Masters of Education degree in Curriculum and Instruction.