2026 ACTE National Administrator of the Year |

Author | Keynote Speaker

Bring THE VOICE That’s Shifting CTE Narratives ACROSS THE NATION to Your

Next Event.

Dr. Prudhomme is a 30-year education leader, nationally recognized CTE director, and author of We Don’t Have a CTE Problem—We Have a Perception Problem. She equips CTE directors, coordinators, and district leaders with the tools, language, and framework to change what their communities believe about career and technical education—so more students choose it, more families support it, and more communities invest in it.

A NEW BOOK BY DR. DONNA PRUDHOMME

The Problem Isn’t CTE.

It’s What People Think About It..

CTE has been called the alternative.
The backup plan. The plan for everyone else.
That story is wrong. And it’s costing our students.

A book for CTE administrators, educators, and advocates who are done defending Career and Technical Education — and ready to change how people see it.

DR. DONNA PRUDHOMME

2026 ACTE National Administrator of the Year
2025 ACTE Region IV Administrator of the Year
2024 CTAT Texas Administrator of the Year

With nearly three decades inside the system as a CTE teacher, counselor, high school principal, and district director Dr. Prudhomme has fought this fight from every angle. This book is everything she learned.

ORDER YOUR COPY NOW

HAVE YOU EVER:

Watched a student get talked out of your program because someone told them they were “too smart” for it?

Sat in a meeting where CTE was described as “the backup plan” — the door you walk through when the other ones close?

Tried to explain to a parent that their child’s future in the skilled trades is not “plan B”?

Watched your program get cut while courses no one asked for kept their funding?

Written a grant proposal where you had to justify why CTE deserves to exist?

THE PROBLEM WAS NEVER YOUR PROGRAM

THE PROBLEM WAS ALWAYS THE PERCEPTION.

THIS BOOK IS FOR YOU IF YOU ARE:

A CTE Director or administrator who has sat in district meetings where CTE was the last item on the agenda — if it made the agenda at all.

A teacher who has watched CTE change a student's life — and still has to justify it to someone who's never set foot in your lab.

A speaker, trainer, or advocate who is tired of presenting data to rooms that nod and go back to doing the same thing — and is ready for a framework that actually shifts something

A leader who knows that a student's zip code, family income, or last name should never determine which pathways are available to them

A school counselor who knows the college-or-nothing narrative is failing your students — and is ready to offer them something better

A leader who believes equity in education starts with equity in opportunity

THE P.E.R.C.E.P.T.I.O.N. SHIFT™ FRAMEWORK

The P.E.R.C.E.P.T.I.O.N. Shift™ is a nine-part framework that walks you through every lever you can pull to change how CTE is seen — from the inside out.

Each letter represents a strategic pillar. Together, they give you a complete roadmap for dismantling the stigma that has followed Career and Technical Education for decades — and replacing it with a narrative worthy of the students you serve.

P

Position

E

Examine

R

Reveal

C

Clarify

E

Elevate

P

Prioritize

T

Train

I

Integrate

O

Own

N

Normalize

YOU’VE TRIED EVERYTHING.

You’ve tried better branding.

You’ve tried stronger data.

You’ve tried louder advocacy and better programming and more industry partners and prettier brochures.

And the perception barely moved.

BECAUSE NONE OF THOSE THINGS ATTACK THE ROOT PROBLEM.

THE ROOT PROBLEM IS A STORY.

THE ROOT PROBLEM

IS A STORY.

And stories don’t change with spreadsheets.

They change with strategy. With language.

And stories don’t change with spreadsheets. They change with strategy. With language.

THAT’S THE P.E.R.C.E.P.T.I.O.N. SHIFT™

ABOUT THE BOOK

In We Don’t Have a CTE Problem — We Have a Perception Problem, Dr. Donna Prudhomme delivers a rallying cry for every leader who has ever fought to prove that Career and Technical Education belongs at the top of the table as a headline and not a footnote.

THIS IS NOT A BOOK ABOUT FIXING CTE.

THIS IS A BOOK ABOUT FIXING THE NARRATIVE.

Through the P.E.R.C.E.P.T.I.O.N. Shift™ framework, Dr. Prudhomme guides readers through a transformative process for reframing how students, families, educators, and communities view — and value — CTE pathways.

Whether you’re a district administrator, a classroom teacher, a counselor, or an advocate fighting for this work, this book gives you the language, the strategy, and the conviction to shift the story — for good.

WHAT LEADERS ARE SAYING:

"Dr. Donna Prudhomme exemplifies the leadership and commitment to student success that ACTE strives to recognize through the Administrator of the Year awards. Her work in expanding and elevating CTE programs has created meaningful opportunities for students while strengthening connections with industry and the community. Dr. Prudhomme’s impact is both measurable and inspiring, setting a compelling standard for CTE leaders nationwide"

— LeAnn Curry, ACTE Executive Director

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Dr. Donna Prudhomme is the 2026 ACTE National Administrator of the Year and Director of Career and Technical Education. With decades of experience in education, leading CTE programs at the district level, she has dedicated her career to expanding access, elevating pathways, and ensuring every student sees themselves in the future of work.

Dr. Prudhomme is also the founder of Prudhomme Enterprises LLC and Credit Education School, through which she develops educational products, courses, and consulting work focused on career development and financial empowerment. She is a REALTOR® and Board Certified Credit Consultant — because she believes that preparing students for careers means preparing them for life.

We Don’t Have a CTE Problem is her debut book.

THE NARRATIVE IS YOURS TO CHANGE.

The students in your program deserve an advocate who has the language, the strategy, and the framework to make the world see what you already know.

This book is that framework.