Prince William County Public Schools (PWCS) has announced that Tim Vaughan, the Career and Technical Education (CTE) administrative coordinator, has been named the 2025 National Project Lead The Way (PLTW) Administrator of the Year.
According to PWCS, Vaughan brings over 30 years of experience in teaching engineering and technical drawing in Ireland and Virginia. He currently oversees CTE programs for middle and high school students, focusing on equitable access to instruction. In his third year as coordinator, Vaughan has implemented high standards and developed industry partnerships. He is also organizing PLTW Capstone Week, during which students present design projects to high school engineering teachers and receive feedback to support skill development.
“This recognition is not just a personal achievement—it’s a tribute to the amazing work happening in the PWCS CTE Department, a celebration of our dedicated PLTW teachers and the innovative, inquisitive students who inspire us every day,” said Vaughan.
Project Lead The Way is a nonprofit organization that provides PreK–12 students with hands-on, problem- and project-based learning programs. It has served more than 2.4 million students, trained over 116,000 teachers, and is implemented in 12,600 schools across the United States. According to PLTW, its curriculum focuses on developing transferable skills such as problem-solving, creativity, communication, collaboration, and ethical reasoning. It prepares students for college, career, or military pathways.
PWCS is the second largest school division in Virginia and the 32nd largest in the nation. It serves over 90,000 students across various educational levels including elementary, middle, high school, preschool, and specialty programs. The division offers academic specialty programs such as two Governor’s Schools, dual enrollment options, Advanced Placement courses, Cambridge Programme courses, International Baccalaureate courses, career and technology certifications, robotics education, and instruction in ten world languages. Led by Superintendent Dr. LaTanya D. McDade and governed by an eight-member elected School Board, PWCS reports a 94.3% on-time graduation rate and over $123 million in scholarships for the class of 2024.
