Traci Lepicki, MA

Traci Lepicki (MA, University of Toledo) is the Associate Director of Operations and Strategic Initiatives at the Center on Education and Training for Employment as well as the director of the Curriculum and Training program. For more than a decade, Traci has served as Associate Director, overseeing daily operations and managing cross-team initiatives and programs, including the center’s Online Learning program and the center’s role as a UNEVOC Center within the UNESCO-UNEVOC International Center for Technical and Vocational Education and Training’s North American Cluster. In recognition of her center leadership, she received the College of Education and Human Ecology Distinguished Staff Leadership Award in 2017.

As director of the Curriculum and Training program, Traci has over 25 years of experience in adult education, career-technical education, and workforce development. She draws on this experience to create, implement, and evaluate programs; to facilitate the professional learning of educators and trainers; and to disseminate evidence-based practices. Traci directs the center’s longstanding Aspire Professional Development Network, resulting in adult learners’ success in postsecondary education, training, and employment.

In addition, Traci co-leads with Dr. Correia the Online Learning program guiding a team of award-winning experts in learning and instructional design. She leverages the team’s expertise in subject areas such as competency-based education, curriculum design and development, teacher education, and online education to create research-based learning solutions, meeting the needs of career and technical education professionals, corporate training specialists, course designers, training coordinators, curriculum specialists, and educational specialists.

Traci has delivered more than 50 presentations at educational conferences on topics including competency-based education, curriculum development, online learning, professional development, career pathways, needs assessment, and program evaluation. She has published on topics including the use of needs assessments to determine training requirements, Ohio’s direct service competency models, needs assessments connected to the purposes and models of educational evaluation and human performance interventions, and online learning during the pandemic. 

Traci’s current work emphasizes adult learning and technical skill development within the context of career pathways. She balances her professional responsibilities as an active strategic planner, educator, and leader with her personal interests in art, writing, and hiking in local metro parks.

Research Interests

• Adult Literacy Tutor/Instructor
  • Teacher professional development
• Curriculum and Instruction
  • Content standards development
  • Competency-based learning
• Educational Administration
• Educational/Instructional Technology
• Vocational Education
• Workforce Development and Education
  • Career pathways
  • Needs assessment with