Click here for a printable version of this newsletter. ©2009 CORD	On September 30 through October 3, NCPN hosted its annual conference at the Hyatt Regency in downtown Atlanta, Georgia. As always, the conference brought together an impressive roster of keynote speakers and featured presenters. (Read more) The theme of this year's conference—"Thriving in Challenging Times"—was chosen to encourage our members and other conference attendees to persevere in their dedication to the success of the nation's students. Many attendees remarked on the positive and encouraging atmosphere that pervaded the event. (Read more) The annual member luncheon provides an opportunity for the NCPN leadership to say thank you to the organization's members and to congratulate the winners of the Hull-Parnell Partnership Excellence Award. The luncheon's featured speaker was Gus Whalen, chairman of the Warren Featherbone Foundation, headquartered in Gainesville, Georgia. As expected, Whalen's remarks were touching, funny, and inspiring. (Read more) This year's conference hosted a special Friday afternoon general session for Bill Daggett, noted author and president of the International Center for Leadership in Education. Daggett's message conference attendees was that career and technical education (CTE) is needed as never before, yet we must get beyond the old voc-ed model of the 1980s and 1990s. (Read more) The closing session's keynote speaker was Ron Clark, founder of the Ron Clark Academy in Atlanta. As a young teacher in North Carolina, Clark developed a passion for helping disadvantaged students. In 1998, he moved to Harlem to take a job teaching at an inner-city school. His success there was the subject of a 2006 made-for-TV movie, The Ron Clark Story, starring Matthew Perry. (Read more) (Back to the beginning of this issue)	Connections is distributed to members of the National Career Pathways Network (NCPN) as a benefit of membership. For information on becoming a member, visit ncpn.info. NCPN is an organization of CORD (cord.org). If You Missed the 2009 Conference ... The 2009 NCPN conference in Atlanta was one of our best ever. Kudos to everyone who contributed. In case you missed it, you can still get useful information from our presenters. Go here for a sample of presentation summaries, handouts, and PowerPoints, along with photos and a video. SAVE THE DATE! The 2010 conference will be held October 20–23 at the Sheraton Hotel (formerly Adams Mark) in downtown Dallas, Texas. Visit ncpn.info often for the latest information.