Career and Technical Education- Meet the Team

Shannon Boswell

406-444-7915
Career Technical and
Adult Education Director

Work-Related Duties:

Carl D. Perkins Grant
State CTE Funding
Oversee Career, Technical and Adult Education Programs and Projects

Ms. Boswell spent the first 13 years of her career teaching high school Agriculture in rural West Virginia. While there she grew the program from 30 students to 90 students, added a 20x 80 Greenhouse lab, and a 30x60 animal processing facility for her students to gain real-world skills. She worked closely with local businesses to provide career readiness skills for all students. Upon leaving the classroom in 2017, she moved west to accept the role of Agricultural Education Specialist with the Montana OPI. She is currently serving as the Career, Technical, and Adult Education Unit Director.

Gayla Randel

406-431-2117
Family and Consumer
Sciences Specialist

Work-Related Duties:

Career and Technical Education (CTE) state and federal statute monitoring and compliance.
Family and Consumer Sciences Education program technical assistance and teacher support.
Workforce development K-12 strategic guidance for the people-centered careers including Education and Teaching, Hospitality, Food, and Tourism, Human and Early Child Services, and Apparel, Textiles , and Interior Design Services.

Gayla Randel, CFCS has 20 years classroom experiences at the middle, secondary and post-secondary levels across various content areas of Family and Consumer Sciences Education and teacher preparation. She was previously the FCS Education Consultant at the Kansas State Department of Education where her work focused on creating strong partnerships at the local, state and national levels for the Human Services, Hospitality and Tourism, Education and Training and Visual Arts—Fashion, Apparel, and Interior Design career clusters. This work also supported FCS Education through life literacy instruction and prevention education to address youth wellness, leadership and personal growth. She holds two degrees from Kansas State University—Vocational Home Economics Education and Adult, Continuing and Occupational Education and is certified by the American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences.

Eric Tilleman

406-438-6636
Agricultural Education Specialist

Work-Related Duties:

Provide Assistance to schools with Perkins, State, and Advancing Agricultural Education Funding
Assist Schools in maintaining or building quality Agriculture programs by providing guidance with curriculum, pathways and teacher supports
Assist Teachers by maintaining the Montana Agricultural Network, provide professional development workshops, and communicating on a regular basis with each of the teachers in the state

Eric is the current Agriculture Education Specialist at OPI. He has taught agriculture at Cascade High School, in Cascade, Montana for 16 years where his classes were Ag I, Ag II, Building Construction, Welding, Independent Agriculture, and junior high ag. He has had the opportunity to serve as an officer in the Montana Association of Agriculture Educators (2010-15) as well as the Region I secretary of the NAAE (2016-19) and the Regional Vice President (2019-22). Eric and his wife, Roberta, have been active members in their communities serving as committee members of their local rodeos, and educational scholarship programs as well as officers in their local fire department.

Jamie Corley

406-437-2434
Health Science Specialist

Work-Related Duties:

Work closely with Montana health science teachers to achieve established outcomes for health professions career pathway programs.
Monitor Carl D. Perkins funding and provide school/district support during the Carl D. Perkins E-grant application period.
Design professional development courses/workshops for health science teachers.

Jamie joined the OPI as the Health Science Education and Public Safety Specialist in 2022. Jamie has more than 10 years of teaching experience in Kinesiology, Health Sciences, and Physical Education. She has taught at high schools in California and Montana, community colleges in Fresno and Philadelphia, and at several medium and maximum security prisons in California. Additionally, Jamie served as a Health and Human Performance Lecturer at Montana State University Billings. Having served as a US Navy Corpsman, Jamie has experience providing advanced medical care both in the hospital setting and in the field as a combat medic. Rescuing patients and delivering emergency care to critically injured Sailors and Marines was a massive part of her military service. With all of these various experiences, Jamie hopes to serve as a significant asset to the OPI, HOSA, Montana administrators, teachers, and all students.

Kaitlin Trutzel

406-438-0523
Industrial Technology
Education Specialist

Work-Related Duties:

Career and Technical Education (CTE) state and federal statute monitoring and compliance.
Assist Schools in maintaining or building quality Industrial Technology Education programs by providing guidance with curriculum, pathways and teacher supports.
Assist Teachers by maintaining the Montana Industrial Technology Education Network, provide professional development workshops, and communicating on a regular basis with each of the teachers in the state.

Ms. Trutzel is the current Industrial Technology Education Specialist. She is a graduate of Montana State University with Teaching endorsements in Technology Education and Agricultural Education. She comes to OPI after teaching Agricultural Education in Kalispell Montana for the last 5 years. During her time with Kalispell Public Schools she had the opportunity to teach many different subjects including Wood Working, Drafting, Ag 2, Ag 1, Ag 4, Ag Economics, Natural Resources & Dual Credit Welding with Flathead Valley Community College. She has experience working closely with Montana SkillsUSA and Montana FFA. She is passionate about offering students opportunities to engage in Career and Technical Student Organizations in order to help make the high school experience more engaging.

Ethan Igo Headshot

Ethan Igo

406-444-7991
Business Education Specialist

Work-Related Duties:

Career and Technical Education (CTE) state and federal statute monitoring and compliance.
Assist Schools in maintaining or building quality Business Education programs by providing guidance with curriculum, pathways and teacher supports.
Assist Teachers by providing professional development workshops, encouraging professional organization participation, and communicating on a regular basis with each of the teachers in the state.

Ethan is OPI’s current Business Education Specialist. He attended Montana State University for his B.S. and M.S. in Agricultural Education. His thesis focused on examining reasons why college graduates and beginning teachers choose to enter, leave, and stay in the teaching profession. He transitioned into teaching in Wibaux, MT where he taught a variety of both agriculture and business courses. Ethan worked with Miles Community College and Dawson Community College to offer dual credit opportunities in animal science, plant science, and communications/speaking. He has served as an officer in multiple professional organizations and was recognized as the 2023 MACTE Teacher of the Year. Ethan is passionate about helping both students and teachers in CTE realize their full potential in the classroom and beyond.

Adult Basic Education

Katie Madsen

406-465-1341
Adult Education State Director/
HiSET State Administrator

Work-Related Duties:

Manage statewide administration of the Adult Education and Family Literacy Act (AEFLA) - Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) federal grant program.
Provide leadership and technical assistance to WIOA Adult Education grantees.
Oversee compliance of high school equivalency (HiSET) test centers, test administrators, and HiSET Options programs.

Ms. Katie Madsen joined the Office of Public Instruction (OPI) in January 2017 as the Adult Education State Director/HiSET State Administrator. She came to the OPI from the Office of the Commissioner of Higher Education (OCHE) where she served in the Academic and Student Affairs Division. Katie has previously worked as a classroom teacher, Sylvan Learning Center administrator, and corporate trainer for a large financial institution. Ms. Madsen holds a Master of Education in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Montana and a Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education with a minor in Special Education from Carroll College.

Emily Fuller

406-594-3750
Adult Education Program Specialist

Work-Related Duties:

WIOA Adult Education Program Specialist – monitor for grant reporting compliance, manage data for federal reporting, and provide technical assistance and training to grantees.
HiSET Coordinator - monitor for standardized test administration compliance, manage high school equivalency data, and provide technical assistance to the public and training to HiSET Examiners.
HiSET Options Coordinator - monitor for compliance and provide technical assistance and training to HiSET Options Coordinators.

Emily Fuller is the Adult Education (AE) Program Specialist and HiSET Coordinator in the Career, Technical, and Adult Education Unit at the Office of Public Instruction (OPI). Emily assists the State Director/State HiSET Administrator in developing best practices and training for AE and HiSET programs. Her position also monitors compliance with Federal, State, and Vendor policies. Emily joined the OPI in 2016 and moved into her current position in 2018. Prior to her position at the OPI, Emily was the general manager at a busy restaurant where she developed her strong customer service skills. In 2014, Emily earned her Bachelor of Science in Psychology (MSU Bozeman) and also holds an Associate Degree in Mental Health Direct Care (UM Helena). These areas of study have given her insight into human behavior as well as a good understanding of statistics.

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