SC Technical College System Names Ann Marie Stieritz as Director of Apprenticeship Carolina
March 19, 2008
COLUMBIA, SC – March 20, 2008 – Ann Marie Stieritz has been named the director of Apprenticeship Carolina, an initiative of the SC Technical College System. Apprenticeship Carolina was launched in 2007 to create a statewide, coordinated approach to the promotion and support of registered apprenticeships as a viable workforce development tool for South Carolina’s 21st century economy.
Stieritz is concluding her role as the Statewide Coordinator for the establishment of Regional Education Centers, as mandated under the landmark South Carolina Education and Economic Development Act (EEDA). Stieritz brings international experience in both education and economic development to her work, previously serving in both the Pacific Region and west Africa, as well as on trade missions and international projects involving the Netherlands, the People’s Republic of China, Italy, Ireland and Switzerland, with the State of New Jersey Commerce and Economic Growth Commission’s Office of International Trade and Protocol.
As the Assistant Director/Vice President of the Ponape Agriculture and Trade School, the only academic and technical high school serving students from across the Micronesian region in the Central Pacific, Stieritz evaluated the school’s effectiveness in meeting the economic development needs of the young island nations of the region.
Prior to that role, Stieritz served as a Teacher of English as a Foreign Language Trainee with the United States Peace Corps in Mauritania.
With the State of New Jersey Commerce and Economic Growth Commission’s Office of International Trade and Protocol, Stieritz was responsible for assisting New Jersey companies with identifying potential overseas export markets as well as working with foreign companies interested in investing in the state.
Stieritz also worked for three years as a Political Analyst for the Consulate General of Japan in New York, advising Japanese government officials concerning political developments in the U.S. at national, state and local levels.
Stieritz holds a B.A. (Summa Cum Laude) from Xavier University in Ohio as well as a Diploma of Studies from the Université de Paris, la Sorbonne. She received a Master of Arts in 1992 and a Master of Philosophy in Political Science in 1997 from New York University.
Her community involvement includes seats on the Education, Jobs and Life Skills Council of the United Way of the Midlands; the Education and Workforce Development Task Force of New Carolina; and membership in the Columbia Rotary Club and Women in Philanthropy.
Stieritz is married to John B. Carran and lives in Columbia.
The SC Technical College System is an integral part of South Carolina’s higher education system, working to make college affordable and accessible through its 16 colleges across the state. The continuum of education and training for businesses and individuals provided by the technical colleges, the Center for Accelerated Technology Training and its readySC™ programs and Apprenticeship Carolina™ make the System a key partner in South Carolina’s economic and workforce development efforts.
