Department of Media, Career Studies and Leadership Development

Dr. Jerrianne Taylor, professor and program director of career and technical education (CTE), earned her Ed.D. in technology education from North Carolina State University. She holds an M.Ed. and a B.S. in industrial education from Clemson University.

She joined Appalachian’s faculty in 2005 as an assistant professor and undergraduate program coordinator of technology education in the Department of Technology and Environmental Design, now known as the Department of Sustainable Technology and the Built Environment, and served as the department’s interim chair from 2014–15. She was promoted to associate professor in 2010 and professor in 2016.

Appalachian’s CTE program, which Dr. Taylor has directed since it was established in 2015, is North Carolina’s only such program. As director, Dr. Taylor promotes and strengthens CTE through advocacy, fundraising, regional partnerships, curriculum development and more. In addition, she serves as the executive director and state advisor of North Carolina Technology Student Association (NCTSA), a nonprofit national student organization devoted to teaching technology education to young people.

Prior to joining the faculty at App State, Dr. Taylor was a former technology education teacher in Guilford County Schools.

Her research focuses on STEM-related competitions and career and technical student organizations (CTSOs). As future CTE teachers, App State students are expected to understand the importance of their specific CTSO and integrate it into the classroom. Her research has shown the value and importance of the competitions in CTSOs and how they impact students and their future career choices.

In 2019, she received the college's Outstanding Administrator Award.