Suarez Named New Director of Career Services

Linda Suarez, Director of Career Services

Meeting the needs of students and staff while also piloting a number of new programs at the SWBOCES Center for Career Services are among the priorities newly appointed Director Linda Suarez has planned for the future.

Ms. Suarez was officially appointed by the BOCES Board of Education Sept. 7. She replaces the Center's former director, Claudia Fuller, who retired in June.  

As director, Ms. Suarez will be responsible for the day-to-day operations at the Valhalla campus, which includes an extensive career and technical education program, an alternative high school, a GED program, and a basic education program for special needs students.

"I'm really excited about this position," said Ms. Suarez, who has been supervisor of the Career and Technical Education Program for the past two years. She will remain in charge of that program until a replacement is found.

While enrollment at the Career Services campus has increased this year, due in large part to the creation of a promotional CD, a new web site, and greater interest in career and technical programs, Ms. Suarez said the Center will continue to evolve.

As CTE supervisor, she regularly worked with teachers in the classroom, which helped her forge valuable relationships on campus, and Ms. Suarez says she will continue to work that way as director. "My philosophy is to view the campus as a whole, not as four separate entities, and in doing so, I think we will be able to meet the different needs of our students," she said.

In an effort to keep her teaching staff informed of trends in the field of career education, Ms. Suarez, a certified special educator, regularly gives teacher training workshops, focusing on such topics as team teaching and integrating technology into the classroom.

She strongly promotes the concept of team teaching on the Career Services campus. When a commercial art teacher, for example, works with an English teacher, important information is shared between the two disciplines and students learn that they will use both sets of skills in the workplace. "I think such initiatives will also help teachers become more goal-oriented as opposed to being role-oriented," said Ms. Suarez.

Ms. Suarez, who earned a bachelor's degree in occupational education from the New York Institute of Technology and a master of science degree in education from CW Post/Long Island University, is also piloting a program called "ESL Computer Skill-Building." She said it is designed to reach the growing number of Hispanic students attending Westchester's high schools and taking classes at the BOCES campus.

Also being considered is a course called "Law and Security," which would provide Alternative High School students with a social studies credit. The course, said Ms. Suarez, will also support students interested in becoming firefighters or police officers. It is part of the New Visions Program, which offers rigorous academic instruction and help with post-secondary education planning.

Other exciting initiatives include partnerships with the DeVry Institute of Technology in Long Island City and with Berkeley College in White Plains, both of which will provide students with advice about business, management and technology-related careers. Professional development courses will also be available to BOCES teachers in an effort to keep them up-to-date.