Two long-time leaders in the field of career-technical education are retiring this month, taking with them more than 80 years of combined experience. Bill Bussey and Bob Timmons both started out as instructors and built careers as educators and well-respected leaders.
Bill Bussey
Dedicated to nurturing the future of career-technical education, Bill Bussey boasts a 46-year-long journey, rich with accomplishments and leadership. From his foundational role as a Vocational Agriculture teacher to his transition into administration at C-TEC of Licking County, Bill’s dedication to the field has been unwavering.
His administrative prowess saw him helm the role of Director of Adult Education at Eastland-Fairfield Career Technical Schools, followed by tenure as the Superintendent at Mid-East Career Technical Centers. Bill also served as the Director of the Office of Career Technical Education at the Ohio Department of Education.
Leadership has been a cornerstone of Bill’s career. With presidencies at Ohio ACTE, the Ohio Association of Career Technical Superintendents, the Adult Education Division of Ohio ACTE, and NCLA under his belt, his contributions to the sector are immense.
Passionate and ever-committed, Bill Bussey’s enthusiasm for Career-Technical Education remains as fervent as ever. As the Executive Director for the OTC division of OACTS Bill has created an exciting future for the Ohio Technical Centers..
Bob Timmons
Throughout Bob’s 35-year career, his motivations were twofold: demonstrating how career tech education prepares students for college and the workforce, and embedding Polaris into its associate schools and communities.
Bob began teaching Horticulture at Auburn Career Center in 1990, expanding enrollment and leading the construction of a new facility. He became an administrator at Polaris Career Center in 1996 and was appointed Superintendent in 2007.
Under Bob’s leadership, the district expanded programming across all six associate school districts and added new main campus courses, including Aeronautics, Pre-Nursing, Pre-Vet, and Adult LPN. In 2026, three new programs—Engineering, Robotics, and Automation—will launch.
Student enrollment grew from 757 in 2007 to an all-time high of 4,135, all while maintaining a balanced budget. In 2016, Bob secured the passage of the district’s first PI levy, leading to a $60M renovation project that transformed Polaris into a state-of-the-art training center.