NAPE History
 
The National Alliance for Partnerships in Equity, Inc. was chartered in 1990 in response to the states’ need for support in carrying out the vocational equity duties prescribed in federal legislation. The original charter members were Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Florida, Guam, Iowa, Louisiana, Missouri, Nebraska, New York, South Carolina, Utah, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. 

In reality, however, NAPE’s roots came from a group of dedicated State Sex Equity Coordinators who eleven years earlier formed a committee to sponsor an annual, national sex equity conference. This conference was attended by coordinators nationwide and received recognition for the quality of its program and professional development. Marie Mayer (Maryland), Mary Anne Etu (New York), and Barb Bitters (Wisconsin) ran the earliest conferences. As Mary Anne put it, “We used to plan the conferences in the back of the car while we traveled together.” 

As the conference grew, the Vocational Education Equity Council (VEEC; an affiliate organization of the American Vocational Association) took the responsibility of its coordination. In 1989, Charlotte Gore (Florida) proposed to VEEC (now known as Career and Technical Education Equity Council) the concept of a consortium of states dedicated to the promotion of equity in vocational education. Charlotte, with the VEEC executive committee leadership, formed the “National Alliance for Partnerships in Equity.” The VEEC executive officers realized that this alliance could provide leadership development and legislative advocacy during a time when it was so urgently needed. The first plans for the organization were presented to the VEEC membership during FY 1990 AVA (now ACTE) and the State Sex Equity Administrators during the Professional Development Institute. Mary Ann Etu served as the organization's first president.

NAPE was first housed at The Ohio State University with the National Center for Research in Vocational Education. Ohio State’s staff wrote the organization’s newsletters, assisted in the development of white papers, coordinated a performance standards project, and organized the Professional Development Institute. In 1993, NAPE became independent and began the process of incorporating and obtaining its nonprofit status. In July of that year, Abigail Slayton (then consultant to the California Department of Education’s Office of Gender Equity) and Shirley Haggard (former Mississippi Department of Education’s Equity Coordinator) were appointed as co-directors responsible for conducting NAPE’s activities. During their tenure, membership grew to over 25 states.

In the spring of 1995, NAPE moved to the offices of Brustein & Manasevit in Washington, D.C., from which administrative services were provided. Nicole Halstead served as the national staff, and Mimi Lufkin, of Lufkin & Associates, served as an administrative consultant. In the spring of 2000, Mimi Lufkin was appointed Executive Director, and the national office was moved from Washington, D.C., to Cochranville, Pennsylvania. 

NAPE's membership is currently comprised of 36 member states. NAPE is now inviting organizations within member states to become affiliate members. To find out if your state is a member, click here.