Veteran and new VE and VE-JV facilitators from across the country gathered on July 16-18 for the 2024 National Teachers’ Conference, themed “Camp VE”, held at Nova Southeastern University (NSU) in Ft. Lauderdale, FL.
The excitement throughout the conference was bursting as nearly 100 teachers participated in workshops over the three days. Topics ranged from curriculum and program updates, to the benefits of integrating AI into VE teaching practices, and incorporating the VE Financial Literacy Challenge as a way to energize personal finance tasks.
“As a VE teacher of over 20 years, I needed to revitalize my thinking, collaborate with other teachers and hear how they run their programs in order to bring this energy back to the classroom”
– Nicole Valentine, California
Conference speakers excited the crowd throughout the week:
- Vivian Olodun, motivational speaker and CEO of Flourish Media, kicked off the conference with amazing stories of how embracing failure can lead to success.
- Scott Mitchell, Executive Director from PEN Worldwide, spoke about best practices and the benefits of incorporating the international network into the VE experience.
- Joe McClary, Executive Director of the National Business Education Association, shared “THE Key to Helping Ensure Successful Entrepreneurs”,
- Nikhil Singh, VE & VE-JV Alum and current NSU student provided amazing insights from his personal story on the impact of VE.
“NTC has been fantastic! In addition to all the knowledge you get here, you just feel appreciated and it feels so great to work for an organization that takes care of the people that work for them.”
Brandon Waraksa, Florida
Separate conference tracks provided specialized support for new VE and VE-JV facilitators as they prepare to launch their programs, including a panel discussion with veteran VE teachers Miguel Garcia and Jakub Karpieszuk on the ins and outs of VE and the rewarding outcomes they receive from students.
NTC 2024 had just the right amount of business and fun including an NSU Dean’s Dinner, a night of bowling and “Camp VE” themed antics throughout the day to keep our minds sharp!
“I want to express my gratitude for all the great training content and resources for a strong first year kick off. I especially appreciated the many networking opportunities offered.”
Jack Ma, California
In Appreciation
Many thanks to Andrew Rosman, Ph.D., Dean of the H. Wayne Huizenga College of Business & Entrepreneurship and Monica Paneque, Director of Huizenga Innovation Academy, Nova Southeastern University, for opening the doors of their beautiful campus and hosting an amazing dinner for our attendees.
Special thank you to all of our session presenters, moderators, partners and our keynote speakers who made this conference possible, especially our amazing teachers and former VE & VE-JV facilitators who shared their wisdom and expertise with their peers: Jaci Elliott, Alan Gersten, Lori Jepson, Joanna Gillen, Tom Mavis, Timothy O’Shei, Carrie Smith and Evan Statman. We could not have done it without you!
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