Judy Savage (pictured center) receives the CTE Leadership Award from New Jersey Council of County Vocational-Technical Schools Executive Director Jackie Burke (pictured left) and Council President James Pedersen, Ed.D. (pictured right).
Judy Savage, retired executive director of the New Jersey Council of County Vocational-Technical Schools (NJCCVTS), is this year’s recipient of the Career and Technical Education Leadership Award. In her former role with the Council, Savage presented this annual award to policymakers, industry and education leaders, and other partners who championed career-focused learning in New Jersey. Nine years after presenting the first award in 2015, Savage is now on the receiving end as the 2024 honoree.
James Pedersen, Ed.D., president of the NJCCVTS and superintendent of Essex County Schools of Technology, said there has “never been a more deserving recipient of this award,” when he presented it to Savage at the recent NJCCVTS annual summer meeting.
Savage worked for the Council for more than 20 years, 15 of those as executive director. Throughout her tenure, she understood the importance of making connections throughout the state to build support for Career and Technical Education (CTE) and New Jersey’s 21 county vocational-technical school districts.
“Judy has long been someone I have great respect for because of her ability to be both persistent and personable to advocate for our county vocational-technical schools,” said Jackie Burke, current executive director of the NJCCVTS. “I consider her a mentor and especially appreciate the breadth of leadership skills she has modeled. She is well-known and highly regarded across the state, in just about every industry, because she brought people together to grow Career and Technical Education.”
“Judy recognized that, in order to be successful, career-focused schools must be closely aligned with the workforce, and she made outreach to employers a priority for the Council,” added Pedersen. “She also made sure all stakeholders understood that our schools are vital to provide highly trained employees to meet economic demand.”
Pedersen noted that Savage also forged connections with county colleges, paving the way for articulation agreements that support county vocational-technical school students in earning college credits while in high school.
“Those connections are what set our schools apart,” said Pedersen of the relationships Savage built with both business and higher education leaders. “They have led to opportunities for our students to jumpstart their college and career journeys and they have helped shape curriculum to best prepare students for their next steps.”
As Savage worked with county vocational-technical school leaders to shape the modern CTE experience, interest in this educational model grew among New Jersey students and their families. When student demand consistently outpaced the schools’ capacity, Savage worked closely with business leaders to seek increased state investments in CTE. Former Senate President Steve Sweeney responded by introducing legislation for a bond act to support the expansion of New Jersey’s county vocational-technical schools.
Voters approved the Securing Our Children’s Future Bond Act in 2018, which included $275 million in state bond funding to help county vocational-technical schools expand. When those grants became available, the schools consulted with area employers and workforce development boards to align proposed projects with the needs of local industries. Gloucester County Institute of Technology completed the first new construction project funded by the bond act last fall with the opening of the Academy of Advanced Manufacturing and Applied Science. When the remainder of the expansion projects are complete, New Jersey’s county vocational-technical schools will have welcomed thousands of additional students.
“The thousands of students who are able to attend county vocational-technical schools because of Judy’s efforts represent the scope of her impact, and her legacy endures through the achievements of our growing student body in CTE,” emphasized Pedersen.
“Serving as the face and voice of county vocational-technical schools at the state level for over 20 years was a great privilege,” Savage said upon accepting the award. “If I was able to advocate successfully for county vocational-technical schools and programs, it was because of the outstanding work and leadership in each of our 21 county districts.”
Today, Savage is retired and living in Cape Cod with her husband, Paul, a former history teacher at Union County Vocational-Technical Schools. Together, they enjoy staying active, especially by traveling, biking and spending time with their dogs and two adult children.
