A Loss for the Equity Community

We are saddened to share the news that Connie Gipson, an Equity Pioneer and a source of support, wisdom, and inspiration to many in the equity community, died on May 3, 2015.

Connie devoted her professional life to bettering the educational and workforce development experiences of others. As one of the first sex equity coordinators in the nation, a
position mandated by the 1976 Vocational Education Amendment, Connie committed to making gender equity part of the career technical education (CTE) discourse, even having testified before Congress on the reauthorization of Perkins legislation in 1981. Connie also was a respected member of the taskforce for Title IX, a law that continues to ensure that equitable access to education is available to all girls and women.

In addition, as the former legislative chair of the Vocational Education Equity Council (now known as CTEEC), Connie represented all states where negotiations were held with women organizations and legislators for the 1986 Perkins reauthorization.

Connie was instrumental in instituting gender equity in her home state of California, and she took action to ensure that gender equity became not only a regular conversation held in public policy forums but also a reality in California schools. She developed a sex equity grant program and disseminated those grants to each school district in the state, enabling all districts to implement programs to eliminate bias and stereotyping in CTE.

Always attuned to access, equity, and diversity, Connie understood the diversity of the state’s citizens and required that printed materials speak to Latino/a and African American students, included persons of color on her staff, and, in some instances, required school districts to collaborate with community-based organizations to serve diverse populations. Connie went beyond the duties of a sex equity coordinator and sought to broaden the scope of secondary CTE programs by including aviation, construction management, and environmental education programs.

In 2013, NAPE recognized Connie with a Lifetime Achievement Award because of her dedication to equity and to NAPE. She served on the NAPE formation committee and championed California in becoming one of the first NAPE member states, which significantly contributed to establishing a national office.

 It has been our pleasure and honor to count Connie as one of our friends. Her contributions to the equity community were directly from her heart, and we have all been the beneficiaries. We will miss her presence among us.

A celebration of Connie’s life will be held on June 1, 2015. We will share additional details on this webpage as they become available.