Patrick Lamb is the Assistant Superintendent of Career & Technical Education and Community Outreach at Northwest Education Services Career Tech. In 2025, Pat was awarded the 2025 ACTE Administrator of the Year.
Northwest Education Services Career Tech (Career Tech) serves five counties, Antrim, Benzie, Grand Traverse, Leelanau, and Kalkaska, along with 34 school districts. The center is located at 880 Parsons Road, Traverse City. The programs serve over 1,160 high school juniors and seniors in the northwest lower peninsula of Michigan. The center offers training for 23 career fields utilizing the latest technology and state-of-the-art equipment. North Ed Career Tech and regional schools prepare students for immediate job placement, post-secondary education, and military services. Students who reside in the region can attend the center at no cost to the individual or their school district. Students attend half the school day at their local high school and the other half at Career Tech, allowing them to complete Michigan high school graduation requirements as well as explore a career interest that can give them a head start and prepare them for success in college, the workforce, or military service.
Career Tech programs are funded by a regional millage with no cost to local districts and/or parents. Transportation to the local districts is provided by busing and costs are covered by Career Tech. Any dollars recouped through other means are then provided back to the school districts. Career Tech programs can include agriscience, auto repair, engineering, health sciences, writers studio, and heavy equipment. Sessions are both a.m. and p.m.
Career Tech has had many important highlights and recognition during its existence. For the calendar school year 2024-2025, 68 students were inducted into the National Honor Society. Two national championships were won: 2025 Pin Design/Graphic Arts (SkillsUSA) and 2022 Interview/Business Careers (FCCLA). Two national Excellence in Action Awards were won: Teacher Academy (2018) and Engineering Academy (2016). Career Tech has received eight Michigan Department of Education Excellence in Practice Awards for four Outstanding Programs and four College and Career Readiness Initiatives. In 2024, Jared Diephouse received the ACTE Teacher of the Year. In 2025, Pat Lamb received the ACTE Administrator of the Year. In 2025, Karmin Olds received the ACTE Counselor of the Year. In 2026, Scott O’Dell received the New Teacher of the Year.
Career Tech has many scholarships and other opportunities, and in 2025, over $110,000 in scholarships were awarded. Students are also awarded scholarship monies to purchase needed career equipment. Career Tech offers an annual career fair, and has a student council, clubs, and organizations for the students.
Career Tech is the first center to integrate competency-based instruction center-wide for all programs, and is the first CTE center in the state to hire highly qualified English and Mathematics teachers. Career Tech has instructional rounds, a practice that allows teachers to observe other educators and share feedback to learn from one another, that includes over 200 teachers from across the state visiting the center since February 2023. Career Tech’s work is regularly featured in educational publications, including Edutopia and Techniques Magazine.
In 2023, the North Ed Foundation was created and is a 501(c)(3) organization aiming to help all students served by North Ed. The fund provides scholarships, awards, and emergency resource funds. This year the North Ed Foundation was the beneficiary of the CherryT Ball Drop 2026.
Anyone interested in tour of Career Tech can contact Pat Lamb at (231) 922-6273 or plamb@NorthwestEd.org
To view Pat's presentation, click the following link https://youtu.be/wkx3rzFggus