Renee Blackshear

Dr. Renee Blackshear is a workforce development and Career & Technical Education professional who connects education, technology, and industry to prepare learners for the workforce of tomorrow. She builds training programs, instructional resources, and learning experiences across information technology, instructional design, business, leadership and management, advanced manufacturing, industrial automation, and CTE. A strong advocate for experiential learning, Renee has worked extensively with SkillsUSA and CTE programming, creating leadership activities, technical competitions, student resources, and advisor training. She develops learning experiences using Canvas and other digital learning technologies, and works in adult learning, accessibility, and universal design for learning. Her professional interests run to Smart Manufacturing, Industry 4.0, robotics, PLCs, cybersecurity, and advanced manufacturing workforce preparation. She is particularly interested in using emerging technologies, artificial intelligence among them, to strengthen learning while helping students build critical thinking, problem-solving, and responsible technology-use skills. At the heart of her philosophy is a simple belief: education should do more than deliver information. It should empower people to apply what they learn, solve real-world problems, and create opportunities for themselves and others.