Joe Glavan
Auburn Career Center
Speaking at
- ALL Ohio Conference 2026
Creating a Strategic Plan Rooted in Listening, Data, and Action
Monday, July 20 · 2:45 PM – 3:30 PM · Columbus
My first year as Superintendent of Auburn Career Center has been both inspiring and energizing, grounded in a deep respect for Auburn’s long-standing tradition of excellence in career and technical education. From the outset, our work centered on two parallel priorities: understanding the big-picture shifts shaping the future of workforce education, while also acting quickly on insights that could improve student experiences immediately. Over the past several months, Auburn developed a new Strategic Plan designed to guide our growth and impact in the years ahead. This plan was built through a comprehensive, inclusive, and data-driven engagement process that ensured it truly reflects who we are as a community and where we aspire to go. Rather than approaching engagement as a formality, we treated it as a series of authentic listening sessions. I participated in every focus group to better understand not only Auburn’s strengths, but also the opportunities that would allow us to better serve students, families, staff, and regional partners. In partnership with The Impact Group, Auburn conducted extensive outreach that included SWOT analyses with leadership and the Board of Education, fourteen focus groups representing diverse stakeholder groups, four community-wide surveys, and targeted interviews with regional leaders. Together, these qualitative and quantitative inputs provided a clear, shared understanding of Auburn’s mission, challenges, and opportunities within Northeast Ohio’s evolving workforce landscape. The insights gained through this process are already shaping action. We have begun creating stronger connections across programs, deepening partnerships with member districts and business partners, and expanding opportunities that link career-technical education to real-world experiences. These early steps reflect the plan’s core purpose: empowering high school and adult learners with the skills, pathways, and experiences needed for workforce success. This presentation will highlight Auburn’s strategic planning journey as a model for how intentional listening, community alignment, and early action can produce a strategic plan that is not just aspirational, but operational—one that reflects shared values, a unified vision, and a collective commitment to preparing learners for success in an evolving world.