David Arnsten

David Arntsen has more than 35 years of experience in Career and Technical Education (CTE). He began his career as a vocational instructor with the New York State Department of Corrections before joining Madison-Oneida BOCES as a Carpentry Teacher. Continuing his education at SUNY Oswego, he earned a Bachelor of Science in Vocational Education, a Master’s in Educational Administration, and completed his Certificate of Advanced Study in 1997.

He went on to serve as Assistant Director of CTE at Herkimer County BOCES, where he was later appointed Interim Director of CTE and Adult and Continuing Education. Dave then returned to Madison-Oneida BOCES, serving six years as Principal/Assistant Director of CTE before being appointed Director of CTE, a position he held for thirteen years.

A respected statewide leader, Dave served on the Board of Directors for the Association of Career and Technical Education Administrators (ACTEA) and as its Secretary for many years. Since retiring in 2016, he has continued his commitment to CTE as a consultant, supporting BOCES and school districts across New York State in areas including program approval and reapproval, Perkins V grant development, curriculum design, and teacher mentoring. He also led a statewide review of integrated academics for the Technical Assistance Center, developing a rubric for schools to self-assess their academic integration initiatives.

Dave has served as an adjunct professor at SUNY Oswego in the CTE Teacher Preparation Program and as a member of its CTE Advisory Committee. He also founded the New York State Trade and Technical Teachers’ Association to ensure that CTE teachers had representation within NYSACTE. He continues to serve on the NYSACTE Board, representing Trade and Technical Teachers statewide.

His areas of expertise include organizational leadership, program development, NYSED program approval and reapproval, Perkins V compliance, instructional improvement, academic integration, and professional development for CTE educators.