Steve Strong Joins the APSA Board of Directors
Southwest Truck Driver Training is pleased to announce that Steve Strong, Vice President, has been appointed to the Board of Directors of the Arizona Private School Association (APSA). The appointment puts a member of our own team at the table where Arizona’s private postsecondary schools set priorities and work with state lawmakers.
A Career Built Around Workforce Development
Steve has dedicated his career to advancing workforce development and expanding opportunities through career and technical education. As a strong advocate for the skilled trades, he’s committed to making sure students have access to high-quality training that leads to meaningful, in-demand careers.
I am honored to join the APSA Board of Directors. I look forward to working with fellow board members to strengthen private postsecondary education, support student success, and continue promoting the important role that skilled trades play in Arizona’s workforce and economy.
That commitment lines up with why SWTDT exists. We built our Class A CDL and Class B CDL programs so students walk away with a career, not just a certificate. Steve has spent years making that same case for skilled trades in general, and now he’ll be making it from inside one of the organizations that helps decide how private education gets regulated and funded in Arizona.
Why This Appointment Matters
This isn’t a symbolic seat. APSA testifies before state legislative committees, employs a lobbyist and legal counsel, and helps shape the private education sector’s position with the Governor and Legislature. Board members help set the priorities that lobbyist carries into the Capitol.
History backs up how much a seat like this can open. One former APSA board member spent 19 years on the board before going on to chair the Arizona Commission for Postsecondary Education and sit on both the City of Phoenix Business and Workforce Development Board and the Arizona State Board for Private Postsecondary Education. Board service at APSA has a track record of leading to a bigger voice in how Arizona funds and regulates career training statewide.
For SWTDT, that means a direct line into those conversations, carried by someone who already knows what our students need to succeed. For Steve, it’s a chance to push the skilled trades message somewhere it can shape policy, not just curriculum. And for students across Arizona, from private postsecondary and career programs, it means one more advocate in the room arguing that hands-on training deserves support.
We are proud of Steve’s appointment and know his leadership and passion for education will make a positive impact on APSA and the students it serves.
APSA was founded in 1967 and calls itself “the recognized voice for Private Postsecondary Education in Arizona,” representing private universities, colleges, technical schools, and career schools. Commercial driver training schools like SWTDT are licensed by the Arizona Department of Transportation rather than the state’s Private Postsecondary Education Board, but SWTDT has listed APSA as an affiliate on our own website for a while now, alongside the Commercial Vehicle Training Association and Truckers Against Trafficking. This appointment builds on a relationship that already existed.
Looking Ahead
Strong’s appointment reinforces Southwest Truck Driver Training’s commitment to educational excellence, workforce development, and preparing students for rewarding careers and economic opportunity throughout Arizona. As Steve takes on this new role, SWTDT will keep doing what we’ve done since 1999: training students on equipment, with instructors who know them by name, for careers that are waiting for them at graduation.
Ready to take the first step? Talk to our team today.
