Awards

NAAE: 2020 Award Recipients

• Outstanding Early Career Teacher Awards
• Outstanding Agricultural Education Teacher Awards
• Outstanding Middle/Secondary Agricultural Education Program Awards
• Outstanding Postsecondary Agriculture Program Awards
• Teacher Mentor Awards
• Ideas Unlimited Awards
• Lifetime Achievement Awards
• Outstanding Cooperation Awards
• Outstanding Service Citation Awards
• CASE Model School Award
• CASE Innovation Award
• Teachers Turn the Key Awards
• Upper Division Scholarship Recipients

*News releases about each award winner will be issued after the award is presented at the 2020 NAAE Virtual Convention.

Outstanding Early Career Teacher

The Outstanding Early Career Teacher Award is a means of encouraging young teachers to remain in the profession and to recognize their participation in professional activities.

This program is sponsored by John Deere as a special project of the National FFA Foundation.

Region I		Brooklyn Bush, OR
Region II		Ashley Gaff, OK
Region III		Tanasha Wanner, ND
Region IV		Ashley Rogers, KY
Region V		Brittany Coleman, FL
Region VI		Thomas Mazzone, MD

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Outstanding Agricultural Education Teacher Award

This program recognizes NAAE members who are at the pinnacle of their profession—those who are conducting the highest quality agricultural education programs. The award recognizes leadership in civic, community, agriculture/agribusiness and professional activities. Outstanding agricultural educators are innovators and catalysts for student success in agricultural education.

The Outstanding Agricultural Education Teacher Award is sponsored by Caterpillar, Inc. and Tractor Supply Company as a special project of the National FFA Foundation.

Region I		Nicole Lebsack, ID
Region II		Robby Branscum, OK
Region III		Darren Swartz, WI
Region IV		Nancy Bell, IN
Region V		Clair Hammond, TN
Region VI		Holly Oberholtzer, PA

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Outstanding Middle/Secondary Ag Ed Program

A goal of NAAE is to promote outstanding programs in agricultural education and effectively communicate success stories. The Outstanding Middle/Secondary School Ag Ed Program Award promulgates that goal. Agricultural education programs in middle schools and secondary schools are eligible to participate in this recognition program.

The Outstanding Middle/Secondary Agricultural Education program award is partially sponsored by Bayer as a special project of the National FFA Foundation.

Region I		St. Helena High School, CA
Region II		Edmond High School, OK
Region III		Badger High School, WI
Region IV		Elsberry R-II High School, MO
Region V		Dyer County High School, TN
Region VI		Nonnewaug High School, CT

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Outstanding Postsecondary Agriculture Program

The Outstanding Postsecondary Agriculture Program award recognizes exemplary postsecondary institutions and full time young farmer and adult agricultural education programs. Qualifying young farmer and/or adult ag ed program staff must devote at least 50 percent of their teaching time to this level of instruction.

The Outstanding Postsecondary Agriculture Program award is sponsored by Bayer as a special project of the National FFA Foundation.

Region I		Columbia Basin College - Sandya Kesoju, WA
Region III		Chippewa Valley Technical College - Adam Zwiefelhofer, WI
Region IV		University of Kentucky - Agricultural Education Department, KY
Region V		Newton County Young Farmers Association - Marcus Pollard, GA
Region VI		Riverheads Young Farmers Association, VA

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Teacher Mentor

If you ask agriculture teachers what motivated them to enter and stay in the teaching profession, predominately they will attribute their decision to another agriculture teacher who encouraged them. Many state agricultural education associations have recognized the importance of positive relationships between beginning and experienced teachers by creating formal organizational structures to connect beginning and experienced teachers. This award program will provide additional incentives for experienced teachers to become mentors for beginning teachers, and it will provide beginning teachers a way to say thank you to the experienced teachers who have influenced them.

Region I		Lance Hill, OR
Region II		Hope Berry, LA
Region III		Brad Greiman, MN
Region IV		Pamela Schultz, OH
Region V		Stena Meadows, TN
Region VI		Mark Anderson, PA

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Ideas Unlimited

The Ideas Unlimited contest is designed to give members an opportunity to exchange classroom, SAE, leadership, and other teaching ideas.

This program is sponsored by National Geographic Learning | Cengage.

Region I		Allison Meadows, OR
Region II		Kadie Smith, OK
Region III		Breanna Bregel, ND
Region IV		Liz Harris, IL
Region V		April Davis, GA
Region VI		Elizabeth Duncan, VA

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Lifetime Achievement Awards

NAAE will recognize retired NAAE members who have made significant contributions to agricultural education at the state, regional, and national levels with Lifetime Achievement Award.

This program is sponsored by Ford as a special project of the National FFA Foundation.

Region I		Steve Wilder, ID
Region II		Jack Staats, OK
Region III		Paul Larson, WI
Region IV		Dr. Steve Brown, MO
Region V		Gary Farmer, GA
Region VI		Robert Orrock, VA

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Outstanding Cooperation

NAAE recognizes organizations, agribusiness companies, and others who have given outstanding support to agricultural education with the Outstanding Cooperation Award.

The plaques for this program are sponsored by Forrest T. Jones & Company.

Region I		University of Idaho, ID
Region II		Dr. Gaea Hock - Kansas State University, KS
Region III		Culver Franchising System, LLC, WI
Region IV		Compeer Financial, IL
Region V		Georgia Forestry Commission, GA

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Outstanding Service Citation

NAAE will recognize current and retired NAAE members who have made significant contributions to agricultural education at the state, regional, and national levels with the Outstanding Service Citation.

This program is sponsored by Goodheart-Willcox.

Region I		Marc Beitia, ID
Region II		RJ Curry, OK
Region III		Rachel Sauvola, WI
Region IV		Dr. John Tummons, MO
Region VI		Teresa Lindberg, VA

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CASE Model School Award

The CASE Model School Award recognizes a school whose CASE certified teacher presents CASE in its truest form and offers a structure sequence of CASE courses.

Worland High School, WY Grace Godfrey

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CASE Innovation Award

The CASE Innovation Award highlights a creative classroom and teaching approach as CASE certified teachers implement and promote CASE.

Keely DiTizio, NJ

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Teachers Turn the Key

Agricultural education is continually faced with a shortage of qualified teachers. Unless those who have been trained enter and remain in the profession for a period of several years, the shortage of qualified teachers will prevail. As a means of encouraging young teachers to remain in the profession and to encourage and recognize participation in professional activities, NAAE offers the Teachers Turn the Key Scholarship.

This program is sponsored by RAM Trucks as a special project of the National FFA Foundation.

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Upper Division Ag Education Scholarship Recipients

Thanks to the generous sponsorship of Growth Energy and National Geographic Leaning | Cengage and proceeds from the ticket raffle at the NAAE convention, NAAE awarded scholarships to students who are majoring in agricultural education and who will be completing their student teaching in the fall 2020 or spring 2021 semesters.

This program is sponsored by Growth Energy and National Geographic Learning | Cengage

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