Press Release 12-110
President Obama Honors Outstanding Math and Science Teachers

97 mathematics and science teachers receive prestigious presidential award

Highest honor for K-12 mathematics and science bestowed on teachers from across the country. Credit and Larger Version

June 11, 2012

President Obama today named 97 mathematics and science teachers as recipients of the prestigious Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching. The educators will receive their awards in Washington, D.C., later this month.

The Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching is awarded annually to outstanding K-12 science and mathematics teachers from across the country. The winners are selected by a panel of distinguished scientists, mathematicians, and educators following an initial selection process done at the state level. Each year the award alternates between teachers teaching kindergarten through 6th grade and those teaching 7th through 12th grades. The 2011 awardees named today teach 7th through 12th grades.

Winners of this Presidential honor receive a $10,000 award from the National Science Foundation to be used at their discretion. They also are invited to Washington, D.C., for an awards ceremony and several days of educational and celebratory events, including visits with members of Congress and the administration.

President Obama has committed to strengthen science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education and prepare 100,000 effective science and mathematics teachers over the next decade. These commitments build on the President's "Educate to Innovate" campaign, which has attracted more than $700 million in donations and in-kind support from corporations, philanthropies, service organizations, and others to help bolster science and technology education in the classroom.

"America's success in the 21st century depends on our ability to educate our children, give our workers the skills they need, and embrace technological change. That starts with the men and women in front of our classrooms. These teachers are the best of the best, and they stand as excellent examples of the kind of leadership we need in order to train the next generation of innovators and help this country get ahead," said President Obama.

The recipients of the 2011 Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching are:

Alabama
Suzanne Culbreth, Birmingham (Math)
Chanda Davis, Huntsville (Science)

Alaska
Stephanie Cronin, Seward (Math)
Joanna Hubbard, Anchorage (Science)

Arizona
Michael Frank, Tucson (Science)

Arkansas
Stephanie Muckelberg, Bald Knob (Math)
Vickie Logan, Little Rock (Science)

California
Kentaro Iwasaki, San Francisco (Math)
Dean Baird, Sacramento (Science)

Colorado
Andrea Wiseman, Denver (Math)
Amy Hanson, Denver (Science)

Connecticut
Karen Thomas, Westport (Math)
Tyler Hoxley, East Hartford (Science)

Delaware
Mary Pinkston, Wilmington (Math)
Michael Kaufmann, Wilmington (Science)

Department of Defense Education Activity
Spencer Bean, Baumholder, Germany (Math)

District of Columbia
Sarah Bax (Math)
William Wallace (Science)

Florida
Kathleen Jones, Panama City Beach (Math)
Stephen Fannin, Tallahassee (Science)

Georgia
Carol Taylor, Fayetteville (Math)
Kelly Stewart, Atlanta (Science)

Hawaii
Charles Souza, Jr., Honolulu (Math)
Julia Segawa, Honolulu (Science)

Idaho
Katie Pemberton, Coeur d'Alene (Math)
James Jordan, Boise (Science)

Illinois
Peter DeCraene, Evanston (Math)
David Bonner, Darien (Science)

Indiana
Natalie Schneider, Indianapolis (Math)
Stacy McCormack, Mishawaka (Science)

Iowa
Karla Digmann, Dubuque (Math)
Jody Stone, Cedar Falls (Science)

Kansas
Angela Miller, Manhattan (Math)
Dennis Burkett, Jr., Olathe (Science)

Kentucky
Andrea Higdon, Crestwood (Math)
Joshua Underwood, Mt. Olivet (Science)

Louisiana
Alison Drake, New Orleans (Math)
Anna Cole, Raceland (Science)

Maine
Kenneth Vencile, Rockport (Science)

Maryland
Barry Hopkins, Severna Park (Science)

Massachusetts
Kathleen Erickson, Great Barrington (Math)
Naomi Volain, Springfield (Science)

Michigan
Donald Pata, Grosse Pointe Woods (Science)

Minnesota
Donna Forbes, Mahtomedi (Math)
Jamin McKenzie, St. Paul (Science)

Mississippi
Jennifer Wilson, Flowood (Math)
Lucy McKone, Brookhaven (Science)

Missouri
Jennifer Baker, Hazelwood (Math)
Robert Becker, Kirkwood (Science)

Montana
Tammy Johnson, Stevensville (Math)
Carol Pleninger, Havre (Science)

Nebraska
David Hartman, Lincoln (Math)
Joan Christen, Beatrice (Science)

Nevada
Gary Mayers, Las Vegas (Math)

New Hampshire
Gina Bergskaug, Hollis (Science)

New Jersey
John McAllen III, Point Pleasant (Math)
Rebecca McLelland-Crawley, Perth Amboy (Science)

New York
Elisabeth Jaffe, New York (Math)
Francesco Neal-Noschese, Cross River (Science)

North Carolina
Nancy Trollinger, Marion (Math)
Eric Grunden, Raleigh (Science)

North Dakota
Ila LaChapelle, Walhalla (Science)

Ohio
Carole Morbitzer, Columbus (Math)
Tami Fitzgerald, Zanesville (Science)

Oklahoma
Ashley Moody, McLoud (Math)
Rebecca Morales, Broken Arrow (Science)

Oregon
Mary Koike, Newport (Science)

Pennsylvania
Katherine Schwang, Carlisle (Math)
Richard Schmidt, Fort Washington (Science)

Puerto Rico
Jaime Abreu Ramos, San Juan (Math)
Judith Martínez, Caguas (Science)

Rhode Island
Brian Nelson, Wakefield (Math)
David Mather, Warwick (Science)

South Carolina
Matthew Owens, Columbia (Math)
Holly Sullivan, Lugoff (Science)

South Dakota
Deborah Snook, Philip (Math)
Paul Kuhlman, Avon (Science)

Tennessee
Phyllis Hillis, Oak Ridge (Math)
Gail Schulte, Smyrna (Science)

Texas
Dixie Ross, Pflugerville (Math)
Joy Killough, Austin (Science)

US Territories
Beatriz Camacho, Guam (Math)
Katherine Baker, Virgin Islands (Science)

Utah
Vivian Shell, Salt Lake City (Math)
James Larson, Salt Lake City (Science)

Vermont
Cathy Estes, Thetford (Math)
Elizabeth Mirra, Windsor (Science)

Virginia
Kimberly Riddle, Fredericksburg (Math)
Jacqueline Curley, Sterling (Science)

Washington
Nathan Shields, Vancouver (Math)
Robert Ettinger, Seattle (Science)

West Virginia
Neil Reger, Buckhannon (Math)
Angela McDaniel, Moatsville (Science)

Wisconsin
Michael Tamblyn, Whitewater (Math)
Kara Pezzi, Appleton (Science)

Wyoming
Jayne Wingate, Cheyenne (Math)

-NSF-

Media Contacts
Bobbie Mixon, NSF (703) 292-8070 bmixon@nsf.gov

The National Science Foundation (NSF) is an independent federal agency that supports fundamental research and education across all fields of science and engineering. In fiscal year (FY) 2012, its budget was $7.0 billion. NSF funds reach all 50 states through grants to nearly 2,000 colleges, universities and other institutions. Each year, NSF receives about 50,000 competitive requests for funding, and makes about 11,500 new funding awards. NSF also awards about $593 million in professional and service contracts yearly.

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