Chris Benson

Pronouns: he/him

As the Director of Career & Technical Education for CSA, Chris Benson is responsible for overseeing and directing all aspects of CSA’s K–20W CTE curriculum and ancillary development projects. His role includes ensuring the timely and budget-conscious delivery of top-quality content. Chris provides strategic advice to project managers and editors on workflow, client interactions, and leadership. He seeks out and recruits content development specialists from across the sixteen CTE career clusters.

Chris began working in the publishing industry in 2012, after establishing Macatawa Publishing Services. His company specialized in creating supplementary materials for skilled trade educational publications in the areas of construction, electrical, electrical safety, and automotive and diesel technology. He soon transitioned to working as a product manager and product owner for a large publishing company. In that role, he succeeded at managing the development of the Ugly’s Electrical Reference Line of products including the Ugly’s app, revamping CDX Learning Systems’ Medium Truck and Heavy Equipment online program, as well as working on the development of software and platform improvements for online OSHA, compliance, and workforce development training courses.

Highlights from Chris’s career include:

• Rebuilding an entire online curriculum as Product Manager of CDX Automotive’s Medium/Heavy Truck and Heavy Equipment print and digital product lines
• Managing the transition of the ClickSafety compliance training business unit from Agile to Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe)
• Developing courseware for OSHA workplace safety, NFPA 70E electrical safety, and workforce development and compliance training
• Working with the Technical Development team as the voice of the business on LMS integrations, plus platform design and improvements
• Spearheading the development of an HVACR curriculum and publishing the first edition of Electricity for the HVACR Technician

Chris began his career in 1990, serving an apprenticeship and earning Department of Labor certification as a Journeyman Electrician in 1995. While managing large-scale commercial construction projects, he went on to earn an Associate degree in Electrical Construction Technology from Daley College in Chicago, and later, a Bachelor’s degree in Business Management from DePaul University. Committed to continuous education, Chris then completed a graduate program in Editing at the University of Chicago Graham School, and later earned a Master’s degree in Extension Studies, focusing on Journalism, and a graduate certificate in Learning Design and Technology from Harvard University Extension School. Additionally, Chris demonstrates proficiency in Adobe, Microsoft, JIRA, CMS, and LMS software.

Along with being a huge live music fan, Chris enjoys collecting posters from concerts he attends. He has over 30 on display in his office. He also collects vinyl records and plays the guitar. Chris loves spending time with his family and pet sheepadoodle, Maggie.

Contact Chris at cb*****@cs****.com