CATE Director Honored for 'Visionary Leadership'

Dr. Bob Couch, director of career and technical education for , was recently awarded the Carl D. Perkins Outstanding Achievement Award by the South Carolina Association for Career and Technical Education.

The award was presented in recognition of the outstanding and visionary leadership provided by Couch for more than 14 years as the director of career and technical education for the South Carolina Department of Education.

The award was created to honor U.S. Rep. Carl. D. Perkins of Kentucky, who was author of the Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Technical Education Act.  This act was first authorized by the federal government in 1984 and reauthorized in 1998. The purpose of the act is to increase the quality of technical education within the United States in order to support the development of a competitive workplace and to prepare students to graduate ready for a career or college. 

Couch’s efforts resulted in South Carolina being a leader in the implementation of the Perkins Act and in innovation in career and technology education. 

“Dr. Couch is a valued member of the Lexington-Richland Five team and is truly deserving of this award," Superintendent Stephen Hefner said in a release. "We are excited about the future of our Center for Advanced Technical Studies that will open this fall under his leadership.”  

From the Office of Community Services