Amanda Bastoni

Dr. Amanda Bastoni is the Director of Career, Technical & Adult Education at CAST. During her 20+ years in education as a researcher, teacher and Career and Technical Education (CTE) director, Amanda has focused on increasing access to high-quality CTE programs and pathways. Specifically, she sought to use UDL to increase pathways for underrepresented learners interested in exploring STEM careers. Most recently Amanda has been working with agencies and organizations to utilize local assets to increase access to STEM for rural populations.

At CAST Amanda spearheads work with CTE educators and administrators at the secondary and post-secondary levels. Through one-on-one coaching, workshops, and presentations her work has focused on work-based learning, designing competency-based assessment tools, and effectively using Perkins funds to support innovative initiatives. For example, in New Hampshire, Amanda has been working with school districts and the Bureau of Career Development to create a CTE pathway in outdoor recreation.

Amanda currently serves as the PI on two National Science Foundation (NSF) funded projects under their iTEST and AISL programs (#2146613 and #2213919 respectively). Both projects are focused on CTE and rural middle school youth. She is also the Co-PI on an NSF ATE project designed to build pathways from secondary Career and Technical Education programs into post-secondary biotechnology and biomanufacturing programs (#2202033).

Before working at CAST, Amanda was an accomplished CTE director and teacher with a proven record of achievement, including being named the 2019 NH CTE Leader of the Year.