NSDA State Educators of the Year
The National Speech & Debate Association is proud to continue the National Educator of the Year award. Beginning with the 2017-2018 school year, the NSDA is pleased to recognize individual state winners. Congratulations!
From this distinguished group of educators, five national finalists have been selected. On March 2, National Speech and Debate Education Day, one of these finalists will be named the 2018 NSDA National Educator of the Year!

NSDA State Educators of the Year
State | Educator | School | City |
---|---|---|---|
Alabama | Jay Rye | Montgomery Academy | Montgomery |
Arizona | Nick Klemp | Phoenix Country Day School | Paradise Valley |
Arkansas | Rosie Valdez | Little Rock Central High School | Little Rock |
California | Sal Tinajero | Santa Ana Unified School District | Santa Ana |
Colorado | Angela Smith | Resurrection Christian School | Loveland |
Florida | Beth Eskin | Timber Creek High School | Orlando |
Georgia | Jeffrey Miller | Marist School | Atlanta |
Idaho | Jeffrey Stoppenhagen | Columbia High School | Nampa |
Illinois | Tara Tate | Glenbrook South High School | Glenview |
Iowa | Jennifer Medina | East High School | Des Moines |
Kansas | Russ Tidwell | Garden City High School | Garden City |
Kentucky | Steve Meadows | Danville High School | Danville |
Louisiana | Kasi McCartney | Caddo Magnet High School | Shreveport |
Maryland | Matthew Martelli | St. Mary’s High School | Annapolis |
Minnesota | Tzitel Voss | Apple Valley High School | Apple Valley |
Mississippi | Anita Boyd | Laurel Christian School | North Laurel |
Missouri | Heather Walters | Greenwood Laboratory School | Springfield |
Nebraska | Jennifer Jerome | Millard West High School | Omaha |
Nevada | Scott Ginger | Green Valley High School | Henderson |
New Jersey | Mary Gormley | Montville High School | Montville |
New Mexico | Trey Smith | East Mountain High School | Sandia Park |
New York | Julie Sheinman | Stuyvesant High School | New York City |
Ohio | Manuel Halkias | Canton McKinley High School | Canton |
Oklahoma | Christian Jones | Union High School | Tulsa |
Oregon | Robert Moeny | North Valley High School | Grants Pass |
Pennsylvania | Beth Young | Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic High School | Cranberry Township |
South Carolina | Chuck Nicholas | Bob Jones Academy | Mauldin |
South Dakota | Sally Pies | Brookings High School | Brookings |
Texas | Robert Shepard | McMillen High School | Murphy |
Utah | Mike Shackelford | Rowland Hall-St. Mark | Salt Lake City |
West Virginia | Michelle Talbott | Parkersburg South High School | Parkersburg |
Wisconsin | Kristine Compton | Hortonville High School | Hortonville |
About the Selection Process
Timeline
- Extended to November 15, 2017 – Deadline for submitting nominations.
- Nominations will be accepted from fellow educators, administrators, school board members, or parents for the State Educator of the Year Awards. Additionally, state speech and debate organizations may nominate an individual from their state who is also an NSDA member.
- Nominations must include the official nomination form, a recommendation letter from the submitter, and one additional letter of recommendation from another individual familiar with the candidate’s impact on speech and debate education.
- Once the nomination period has closed, the NSDA Director of Community Engagement, along with members of the selection committee, will review all applications.
- December 1, 2017 – Announcement of the State Educator of the Year winners.
- December 15, 2017 – Deadline for state winners to submit a personal statement (more information below).
- January 15, 2018 – Announcement of the National Educator of the Year finalists.
- February 1, 2018 – Deadline for national finalists to submit portfolios (more information below).
- March 2, 2018 – The national winner will be announced on National Speech and Debate Education Day!
Criteria for Selection
To be eligible, nominees must:
- Be a high school or middle school coach member of the National Speech & Debate Association.
- Be an active classroom teacher in the field of speech and/or debate.
- Have a minimum of five years of classroom experience.
- Demonstrate broader contributions to the field of education outside of their own classroom (e.g., presenting at an education conference; writing curriculum and/or education standards for speech and debate; publishing articles on the educational benefits of speech and debate; instructional coaching to non-speech and debate teachers on how to incorporate speech and debate into their curriculum).
- Provide significant and ongoing support to others in the field of speech and debate education (e.g. mentorship, peer observation, modeling lessons).
- Model the Association’s Coaches Code of Ethics.
Minimum Requirements
Each State Educator of the Year will be considered for the national award. State winners will not be announced unless quality nominations that both meet our criteria and demonstrate and exceptional standard have been submitted. Incomplete nominations or a lack of competition does not guarantee a state winner.
Personal Statement from State Winners
Each state winner will be asked to write a personal statement about the role that speech and debate plays in the education of a student. In 1,250 to 1,500 words, they will write about the ways they leverage 21st century learning skills to enhance the learning environment of their classroom to meet the needs of their student. This statement is due December 15.
Portfolio from National Finalists
Each national finalist will be asked to compile a portfolio highlighting their commitment to 21st century learning. The portfolio should include five sample educational materials as well as the personal statement from when they were identified as a state winner (see above). The portfolio must include at least one lesson plan and one assessment. The portfolio should not exceed 30 pages of content. The format of the 30 pages is not meant to limit you to a PDF document. The portfolios will be offered to the NSDA membership as a resource for best practices. National finalists are announced by January 15, and the portfolios are due February 1.

Renee C. Motter, 2017 National Educator of the Year, with NSDA Executive Director J. Scott Wunn