Administrator of the Year

Lenora Hogan

By Heather Craig

When Millsaps Career and Technical Center (Starkville Oktibbeha Consolidated School District) Director Lenora Hogan participated in a food services class under the same roof 33 years ago, she never imagined she would be working in career and technical education (CTE) today.

“It’s amazing that I’ve gone from student to secretary and now to the administrator for Millsaps,” Hogan said.

Now — after seven years as Millsaps’ administrator — she is the Mississippi Association for Career and Technical Education (MS ACTE) Administrator of the Year with a list of administrative successes that also enabled Millsaps to receive the MS ACTE 100% Achieve Award for five consecutive years.

Her excitement about CTE is nothing short of contagious.

“Everything about CTE is a jumpstart to the rest of a student’s life, whether they go to college or start a career. From the hands-on instruction to participating in student organizations, students have experiences of a lifetime,” Hogan said.

When Hogan became Millsaps’ director in 2016, there were five skills programs, and the center did not have a counselor. Hogan added construction, culinary arts, C Spire cyber education, health science, keystone, law and public safety, sports medicine and unmanned aerial systems to the center’s offerings. She also hired a counselor.

“Only two student organizations were participating in competitions,” Hogan said. “We now have every organization competing at all levels. We had [all but one group] win at the state level and advance to nationals, spending more than $60,000 [on opportunities for our students].”

Hogan also helped implement the career academy model at Starkville High School (SHS) and assisted other Mississippi schools in starting them.

SHS Principal Dr. Darein Spann said Hogan “works tirelessly finding ways to increase capacity for students and improve each program we offer.”

Hogan attributes her love of CTE to her own stellar experience as a senior in the food services program at what was then called Millsaps Vocational Center. The class and accompanying competitions provided her with many experiences that opened her eyes to the benefits CTE provides students.

“I loved everything about that class, from making biscuits from scratch to decorating cakes and participating in the Future Homemakers of America (HERO) Club. I remember winning at the local and state levels and going on to the national stage in Anaheim, Calif., where I won a gold medal for cooking shrimp fettuccini Alfredo, salad and strawberry shortcake,” Hogan said.

“Not only was winning that medal memorable, but I will never forget it because I flew on an airplane for the first time. I also went to Knott’s Berry Farm, Sea World and Disneyland. It was an amazing experience. I share my experience to encourage students to join the student organizations.”

Because of her passion for CTE,

Hogan’s list of achievements does not end with her MS ACTE recognition. Hogan was selected to serve on several local and statewide advisory committees, including Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann’s Advisory Council for the second year. The Mississippi Department of Education tapped Hogan to help write the Mississippi Middle School Transition Toolkit, and she was recently chosen to mentor new CTE directors.

There is no doubt an administrator like Hogan is vital to advancing Mississippi’s education.

“For Mississippi to succeed, our public schools must succeed,” Hosemann said of his advisory council in a press release. “This requires us to listen to educators and address their needs.”

As far as addressing the needs of CTE on advisory committees and in the community, Hogan is not shy. After seven years as an administrator and a lifetime in CTE, she is well-versed in promoting the prospects and triumphs of CTE.

“If there’s something to do regarding CTE, I’ll definitely try it,” Hogan said.

“I love being a resource for other CTE administrators. Being recognized as Mississippi’s CTE Administrator of the Year and representing the state in Region IV is confirmation that I’m doing what’s right.”

Even with so many duties that call upon Hogan’s expertise, she says the best part of any day or week is seeing her teachers and students interact in the field or lab. “To see students connect to what the instructors are teaching is so refreshing. It assures me that they will be all right,” she said.

“[Hogan] is so deserving of this award. She will represent this honor with extreme integrity and the utmost respect,” Spann said.

Hogan’s dedication to CTE, her students, families, business partners and community has become the fabric of her approach at Millsaps.

“I feel that I am called to serve. I enjoy helping others to get where they need to be,” she said. “The potential each student has motivates me to work harder to provide more opportunities for them as well as show them what they can do.”