About Career Connect NW


We provide the resources and a collaborative environment to work together in Island, San Juan, Skagit and Whatcom counties to prepare future generations for economic success and connect them with career opportunities.


 Connections. Catalyst. Careers.

Careeer Connect NW provides the resources and a collaborative environment for our community to work together to prepare future generations for economic success and connect them with career opportunities in our region.


Career Connect NW serves Island, San Juan, Skagit, Snohomish, and Whatcom communities. It is one of nine regional career connected learning networks under the larger Career Connect Washington organization. 


Career Connect NW is hosted at the Northwest Educational Service District 189 and includes leadership from Snohomish STEM as well as collaboration with regional workforce and educational organizations.


The Career Connect NW Network has three goals:

• Catalyze Regional Stakeholder Partnerships, Collaborations, and Strategies


•  Increase Equity and Access to High Wage/High Demand Career Opportunities


•  Support Coherent Career Pathways and Workforce Readiness


We are dedicated to equity through attention to data and focus on those historically underrepresented in STEM fields including students of color, women, students living in rural areas, and students living in poverty.


We foster and promote innovation in approaching how to connect young people to careers, exploring new ways to advance opportunities for students and make them accessible and relevant in their world.


The Career Connect NW had its beginnings as the Sedro-Woolley and Skagit STEM Networks and was officially formed in 2021. To learn about this history of Career Connect NW, click here.


We invite you to join with us and participate in creating an even brighter future for our students, our community and our economy. Come join us!

Meet Jennifer Veltri


Jennifer Veltri is the NW Washington STEM Network Director/Career Connect Washington. She also is the NW Co-Director/NW LASER Alliance Director/Computer Science Coordinator. 


“I am so excited to be working in support of the NW Washington STEM Network, the Career Connect Washington Regional Coordinating Network, and the Northwest Educational Service District 189 to bring together stakeholders to advance STEM educational programming and provide critical education and economic opportunities for students in our region,” Veltri said. 


She became director of the NW Washington STEM in 2021. Prior to this, she served as the Associate Dean of Instruction at Skagit Valley College.


“Jenny’s passion for education, equity in access, familiarity with the region and the partnerships involved, and sincere appreciation and excitement about STEM pathways make her the perfect choice to be the director of the NW Washington STEM Network,” said Larry Francois, Superintendent, NWESD 189. “She brings to this position years of successful experience with project management, facilitating regional collaboration among organizations, and significant knowledge of Career Connected Learning programming.”


e-mail:   jveltri@nwesd.org 

Phone: 360-299-4068

New K-8 and High School Career Connected Learning Specialists help students explore STEM careers

To help Northwest Washington K-12 students explore Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) careers in the five-county region, the NWESD 189 has hired two new Career Connected Learning Specialists: Mary Powers and Donovan Tate.


Each specialist will work with teachers, schools, businesses, and community organizations to help students learn more about career pathways and high wage, high demand jobs. Donovan will focus on programming that brings professionals involved with STEM careers into K-8 classroom to talk about their jobs and do hands-on activities with students. Mary will focus on providing tours of businesses, developing work-based learning and internship programs, and creating other career exploration opportunities for high school students.


If you are interested in bringing these programs to your school district or are a business or organization that wants to participate, please click here. 


Meet Mary Powers


Mary is excited to start her new role as a Career Connected Learning Specialist to help students discover their interests, open their minds to new things, and uncover their strengths through building intentional career-related activities. Her goal is to ensure equitable opportunities for both students and employers. Mary’s initial attention will be on building partnerships with employers and schools to offer students choices for internships, industry tours, and diverse career experiences.


Mary comes to NWESD 189 with a 7 year background in the community and technical college system, most recently as a Career Specialist at Lake Washington Institute of Technology. Her focus has been connecting students with employers using a strengths-based approach. Mary also has experience building relationships with tech companies while working in People Operations at Google and travel writing for Expedia. She also served in public service for Pierce County for over years.


Her soul-feeding activities (when not at work) include year-round stand-up paddleboarding in the Salish Sea, exploring the Anacortes Forest Lands, and participating in Skagit and Island County library events. 


e-mail: mpowers@nwesd.org 

Meet Donovan Tate


Donovan is looking forward to beginning his new role as a Career Connected Learning Specialist! He will be working with students to find their passions through exploration into the myriad of career fields available in our local community and beyond. His initial focus will be on establishing partnerships between school district faculty, staff and administrators and regional employers to create opportunities for our students to interact with, and see themselves in, fields they hadn't considered before. 


Donovan has over a decade of experience working in education in Washington. He has a background in program development, advising, and event coordination and previously worked with several local school districts to create pathways for students to achieve their goals. He uses a "People First" approach to relationship building and has extensive experience supporting a wide range of diverse student groups as a college advisor and recruiter. 


Outside of work, Donovan enjoys seeing new places both regionally and abroad and hiking when the weather is nice! He also enjoys exploring local businesses from game shops to restaurants and everything in-between.


e-mail:  dtate@nwesd.org 
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