Featured NBCTs

NBPTS is proud to share the inspiring stories of the NBCTs who have touched the lives of their students, colleagues, and communities. 

Current Featured NBCT

Emily Sobczuk and Lisa Vance, Fab 5 Lit Fit

(Spokane, WA) Emily and Lisa partnered together to create and launch Fab 5 Lit Fit, a year-long motivating movement curriculum that incorporates fitness activities and concepts into pre-Kindergarten through second grade reading, writing and math instruction.

Past Featured NBCTs

Zan Coonce, Presidential Award Winner

(Washoe county School District, Nevada) Zan has been described by colleagues as a skilled, innovative, passionate, and dynamic teacher who instills a love of science and discovery while remaining focused on state standards. She develops relationships with students to encourage them to flourish and do their best.

Peter Daddone, Award Winning Journalism 

(Arlington, VA) Peter is the adviser for an award winning high school newspaper that has earned presidential recognition and national notoriety and "is the source of pride for teachers, staff, and students."

Kisha Davis-Caldwell, Einstein Fellow

(Howard County, MD) Kisha is a 2010 Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellow currently serving her fellowship at the National Science Foundation. Kisha teaches mathematics to gifted and talented fourth- and fifth-grade students and has been in the classroom for 16 years.

Roxanna Elden, author of See Me After Class

(Miami, Florida) After teaching elementary school, middle school, high school and adult education in urban areas across the country, Roxanna Elden decided to share her insights with teachers in need of guidance by publishing her book See Me After Class. 

Jermaine and Shannon Evans, Husband and Wife Team

(Raleigh, NC) Long before Jermaine considered National Board Certification, he watched his wife Shannon experience the rigorous process when she achieved certification in 2007. Jermaine Evans went on to achieve National Board Certification four years later in 2010.

Jonathan Gillentine, Innovative PreK Science 

(Kaneohe, HI) Jonathan is a preschool inclusion teacher and a recipient of the National Science Teachers Association’s 2010 Zula International-NSTA Early Science Educator Award, which recognizes prek-2 teachers who have innovative science inquiry programs.  

Tricia Fuglestad, PBS Teacher Innovator

(Arlington, Illinois) Tricia, an elementary art teacher, was one of the top 10 award recipients out of nearly 700 applicants. The honor is given to teachers who have discovered new ways to engage their students and use digital media in their classrooms.

Kristin Hamilton, NEA Teaching Fellow

(Prince William County, Virginia) Kristin, a team leader and mentor for new teachers, sees National Board Certification as one of the few school-based opportunities that empowers educators to have respect for their professional judgment, encouraging them to apply it to situations within and beyond the classrooms.

Patrick Ledesma, Teaching Ambassador Fellow

(Vienna, Virginia) Patrick is one of the seven NBCTs who are Teaching Ambassador Fellows this year at the U.S. Department of Education. He is currently pursuing his doctoral degree, focusing on education policy, teacher education and technology. Ledesma will work this year as a Teaching Ambassador Fellow on a part-time basis.

Randy McPherson, 2011 School Counselor of the Year

(Memphis, TN) Randy was named School Counselor of the Year by the American School Counselor Association. The award honors counselors who devote their careers to serving as advocates for the nation’s students. Randy was also the first school counselor to receive National Board Certification in the state of Tennessee.

Annette Romano, National Board Coordinator

(Greater Capital Region, New York) Annette finds that one is never really "done" being a good teacher - being "good" is a constant growing and evolving process.  In providing candidate support, she is always learning and thinking about the elements of good teaching and how the Architecture of Accomplished Teaching is a good model.

Jenay Sharp Leach, Albert Einstein Fellow

(Alexandria, VA) Jenay is a 2010 Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellows. She is serving her fellowship at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, reviewing NASA's existing portfolio of curriculum products in aeronautics to make them more appropriate for today's classroom teacher.

Sarah Brown Wessling, National Teacher of the Year

(Johnston, Iowa) Sarah is well known for her ability to inspire and challenge her high school students.  She begins each academic school year by handing out copies of Plato’s Parable of the Cave, lighting a candle in the center of the room and asking students to tell her the course expectations, to encourage her students to construct their own learning experience.