2025 San Diego Automotive Educators Conference
On May 8, 2025, the 12th San Diego Automotive Educators Conference was held at Madison High School in San Diego, CA. The “Accelerate 2025 Conference” is hosted by SDTECHS (San Diego Technicians). SDTECHS brings together high school and community college automotive instructors and faculty with industry to advance automotive learning including zero-emission transportation. Staff from the California Air Resources Board’s (CARB’s) Mobile Sources Control Division (MSCD) participated in the conference. Over 125 automotive educators participated in the Conference from schools located in diverse communities throughout the greater San Diego region.
Conference Background
SDTECHS was created out of a need to bridge existing automotive skills gaps, address the demand for automotive service technicians, provide access to educational and industry opportunities, and support educational objectives of San Diego County's automotive training programs and career pathways from high school through college. The conference event was organized 12 years ago with 10 automotive educators. Conference participants include automotive faculty, vehicle original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) such as Ford and Karma Automotive, suppliers, and other industry stakeholders. The Conference has grown in electric vehicle technology, market, and training.
Conference Agenda
The keynote speech was given by Marques McCammon, President, Karma Automotive, Inc. There were four breakout sessions which included: High Voltage Training - EV101 Credential by Baily Soto of Legacy EV, customized Battery Management Systems Hands-On Workshop by Mark Weller of EV West, Hybrid Battery Diagnostics and Repair: Empowering the Next Generation of Techs by Peter Nielson of The Hybrid Guy, and an Industry and Administration: Bridging Education and Industry panel discussion that included representatives from CARB, Automotive Service Excellence, California New Car Dealership Association Foundation, and Universal Technical Institute. Scott Brown of Connie & Dick’s Automotive Service Center, Inc. conducted the final session on Advanced Driver Assistance Systems Unveiled: Beyond the Blink of an Eye.
Growth
Conference attendees included veteran automobile enthusiasts to high-powered electric mobility entrepreneurs as well as small independent automotive service businesses. Jaime Sanders-Papousek, owner of Carlsbad Automotive Service, Kim Dais, owner of Miramar Automotive and Transmission, and Telena Handley, owner of Girlie Garage were first time conference attendees. Telena was also on the Accelerate 2025 Conference planning committee along with Rob Atterbury of ConnectED.
Madison High School has been the host site since conference inception under the leadership of the school’s automotive instructors Greg Quirin and Omar Sevilla Jr. The Conference is addressing growth needs as the current location has capacity challenges. Access to training for the automotive faculty and students is important as more electric vehicles come to market and the need for servicing zero-emission transportation from all on- and off-road vehicle classifications grows in scale and technology.
More Information
For more information on SDTECHS and zero-emission automotive education in the San Diego region, reach out to SDTECHS.org.