Best of Mesa

EVIT won again! Readers of the East Valley Tribune voted the East Valley Institute of Technology as the Best Public School/District in Mesa. EVIT has won this honor in the Tribune’s Best of Mesa contest several times since 2013. Tribune readers also voted EVIT Graphic/Web Design instructor Eric Perez as Best High School Teacher, a category he has also won multiple times. And, for the first time this year, Tribune readers recognized EVIT Superintendent Dr. Chad Wilson as the Best Education Leader in Mesa! Congrats, EVIT!

Associate degree legislation

Thank you to the legislators on the Senate Education Committee who voted in favor of House Bill 2034, which would allow EVIT and other Career Technical Education Districts (CTEDs) to offer associate degrees. HB 2034 also cleared both Senate caucuses and is waiting to be assigned to the Senate Committee of the Whole (COW) calendar.

EVIT accreditation

The Council on Occupational Education (COE) notified EVIT this week that the accreditation of our post-secondary programs has been granted full approval for the next four years. Thank you to all EVIT faculty and staff who worked so hard to make sure EVIT met COE requirements. COE is a national accreditation organization recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. EVIT’s high school programs are accredited by Cognia.

New board member

Maricopa County School Superintendent Steve Watson has appointed Amber McAffee of Gilbert to the District 7 seat on the EVIT Governing Board. McAffee replaces Larry Johnson, who resigned earlier this year. Born and raised in Orange County, Calif., McAffee moved with her husband and six children to Arizona in 2010. She is a former high school English teacher and a home-school mom who has been involved in local education for over a decade. Welcome to EVIT, Mrs. McAffee!

Inspiring alumni

EVIT Interior Design alum Alma Serrano is a project designer with a passion for sustainability at Goodmans Interior Structures in Phoenix. Read about her journey into the interior design industry: https://bit.ly/3wX07U5. Alum Blanca Zamora-Yanez discovered her passion for teaching in EVIT’s Early Childhood Education program. Today she teaches fourth-graders at Mesa’s Robson Elementary School. Read Blanca’s story: https://bit.ly/3uHE7Ke.

Thank you for your support in helping EVIT change lives.