USU Moab Adds CTE Coordinator

MOAB, Utah — Utah State University Moab is pleased to announce the addition of Rachel Stenta to the campus staff. Stenta has been hired as a Career and Technical Education coordinator and began in August.

“I am truly thrilled to have Rachel onboard,” said Lianna Etchberger, associate vice president for USU Moab. “Rachel has strong ties and connections to this community and is a longtime resident and parent. She is passionate about technical education as a way to not only elevate our community through workforce training, but also as a means to expand career possibilities for folks.”

In this role, Stenta will handle many of the day-to-day responsibilities associated with USU Moab’s CTE programs. With the opening of USU Moab’s new campus, the CTE programs will have expanded capacity and offer greater opportunities for the community, including now offering space for both construction and welding courses.

“I am very passionate about Career and Technical Education,” Stenta said. “Both of my brothers are automotive master mechanics. I’ve seen firsthand the opportunities and advantages that technical trades bring to people and communities. I’m very excited about this new role and am eager to serve and help Moab students, businesses and the community.”

Prior to joining USU, Stenta retired after more than 22 years working for the city of Moab, first as the City Recorder and Assistant City Manager and later as the city’s Financial Director. In these positions, Stenta was in charge of overseeing the city’s annual budget and has experience with accounting, project management, records management, IT systems management, web development and policy development. Stenta has more than 30 years of experience working with government and higher education agencies.

Stenta is a USU Moab alum, graduating in 2016 with a bachelor’s degree Business Management Information Systems. After doing a few semesters of college at USU before moving to Moab, Stenta was excited to learn she could finish her degree via a Utah State University Statewide Campus close to where she now lived.

“I've been a proud Aggie for 27 years,” Stenta said. “I was thrilled I could continue working on my degree in Moab. I didn’t think it would be an option when I left Salt Lake City to live in rural Utah.”

Stenta is now happy to begin a new chapter of her career and to continue to affect change in Moab.

“I'm very excited to be a new part of the USU Moab team,” Stenta said. “I'm so eager to engage with our students, our schools, and our businesses to help improve lives and continue to grow a sustainable local workforce.”

Stenta grew up in a military family as the youngest of five children. She lived in seven states by the time she was 10. This allowed Stenta to learn how to adapt and accept to change. She and her family settled in Utah, where she has lived for more than 40 years. Stenta moved to Moab in 1994.

Stenta has two sons. Her son Evan attends USU full time in Logan, while her younger son Isaac is a senior at Grand County High School, who takes classes through USU Moab.

Stenta has already been working with Grand County School District CTE Director Cari Caylor to strengthen CTE pathways toward a seamless transition from high school to USU Moab and is working to help strengthen ties with the school district for future collaborations. USU Moab offers help for students looking to plan for life after high school. For more information on USU’s Technical Education programs, visit statewide.usu.edu/cte.

Located in the outdoor recreation paradise of Moab and boasting one of the greenest buildings on any USU campus, Utah State University Moab offers students the personalized attention and small class sizes of a small-town college with the resources of a large university. With programs such as Nursing, Elementary Education, Recreation Resource Management and Social Work, technical education in Health Professions, Automotive and Business, and degree options ranging from associate to doctorate degrees, USU Moab offers programs that help fuel local economies and empower individuals and their communities. Learn more at moab.usu.edu.