Portsmouth Career and Technical Education Director Candidate Forum 3/28
March 19, 2019
Career and Technical Education Director Finalist Forum
Portsmouth High School Library
March 28th 3:30 - 4:30, 5:30 - 6:00
We would like to invite all interested community members to meet the two finalists for our Career and Technical Education Center Director position. With the pending retirement of long-standing Director Dianne Canada at the end of this year, we assembled a search team consisting of staff, students, business leaders, and administration to find the next great match for the CTE Center at Portsmouth High School. The team interviewed many qualified and strong candidates, but we were fortunate to have two exceptional candidates rise to the top.
We will be hosting two forums where members of the community can learn more about each candidate, ask questions, and provide feedback to the search committee. Both forums will occur on March 28th in the PHS library, with the first session running from 3:30-4:30 and the second from 5:30-6:30. Each finalist will be featured for thirty minutes in each session.
If you wish to submit a question in advance for either of the finalists, please send your question to gshea@sau52.org
CTE Director Finalists Snapshots
Courtney Ritchings
Courtney Ritchings has a Masters in Education in Educational Leadership and a BS in Adult and Occupational Education from the University of New Hampshire. Courtney currently works as an education consultant in Bureau of Career Development at the New Hampshire Department of Education where she provides technical support to secondary and post-secondary career and technical programs throughout New Hampshire. Her 20+ years in education include serving as the Work-Based Learning Coordinator and Future Educators Academy Instructor at Spaulding High School and R.W. Creteau Regional Technology Center in Rochester, NH, and as an Adjunct Faculty member at Great Bay Community College. Courtney got her start in education as a paraprofessional at Dover Middle School.
Courtney is currently the Secretary on the Board of Directors for SkillsUSA NH. She is Future Farmers of America alumnus and stays connected as a member of the Board of Directors for NH Agriculture in the Classroom and is a member of the NH Association of Agricultural Educators (NHAAE). Courtney serves on the Board of Directors for Educators Rising NH. She has managed the NH Robotics Education Development Fund and Pre-Engineering and Technology Fund projects. She has also served as the lead planner in NH Girls Technology Day events.
Courtney Ritchings full resume
Barbara Wirth
Barbara Wirth has a C.A.G.S degree in Educational Leadership from the College of Graduate Studies at Plymouth State University. She received her M.S. in Business Education and her B.S. in Marketing from Southern New Hampshire University. Barbara is the current CTE manager at the Manchester School of Technology. Her 20+ years in education include serving as the Capstone and Data Coordinator at Franklin Pierce University, the Internship Coordinator/Academic and Career Counselor at UNH Manchester, and the Coordinator/Academic and Career Counselor at Plymouth State University. Barbara has also been an Adjunct Faculty member at Southern New Hampshire University and is a former Business and Computer Educator at Winnisquam Regional High School in Tilton, NH.
Barbara began her career in the business sector; holding marketing roles in banking, retail and hospital sectors. She has also owned her own business.
Barbara is an active board member of the National Center for Competency-Based Learning, a steering committee member of the New Hampshire Coalition for Business and Education, and serves on the Business Advisory Board of Manchester Community College.