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The best ideas come from the American people. Everyone has a story to tell, everyone has a part to play. Together as Americans, we do big things.
All across the country, ordinary Americans are doing extraordinary things in their communities to out-innovate, out-educate and out-build the rest of the world. Every week we will invite these Champions of Change to the White House to share their ideas to win the future.
Week 5: Educators
Investing in education is a key pillar in President Obama’s plan to secure America’s economic competitiveness in the 21st century. Educators from across the country came to the White House to discuss how to ensure every child receives a first-rate education. These Champions of Change are working day in and day out to prepare our students to be competitive in an increasingly global market.
Sandi Rosa Acosta
Sandi is a National Board Certified Teacher in Science/Early Adolescence and teaches in the Miami-Dade County Public Schools. Prior to teaching, she was an attorney with the U.S. Department of Justice.
Sherlynn Aurelio
Sherlynn has 16 years of teaching experience. She has been an active participant in the Rodel Foundation's Teacher Network Leadership Institute and is a member of the Delaware Early Childhood Council.
Lisa Coates
A 2010 U.S. Department of Education Classroom Fellow at Liberty Middle School, Lisa was named the Teacher of the Year at her school and the Virginia Association of Science Teachers (VAST) Teacher of the Year for outstanding science teaching to at-risk students.
Jemal Graham
In 2008, Jemal was selected as a Master Teacher with Math for America, a national organization dedicated to improving mathematics education. As a Teaching Ambassador Fellow, Jemal has been active in promoting the role of black males and effective math teachers as key to our educational futures.
Tamra L. Jackson
Tamra currently serves as the principal and high school English for Bridgeport High School, a small, rural, agricultural community largely dependent upon a migrant, agrarian labor force.
Eric Kehn
Eric was Louisiana's 2010 Regional Teacher of the Year. He is an instructional coach at Central Middle School, Ascension Parish, Louisiana.
Becky Martinez
Becky Martinez has taught middle school language arts and humanities since 1997 in a variety of contexts spanning suburban Houston, inner-city Oakland, and a Pacific atoll.She currently serves teachers and students as an instructional coach at Bruce Randolph School in Denver, CO.
David Meek
David is a high school science teacher at the Marble Hill School for International Studies in the Bronx. David has worked as a New York City Public School teacher for six years and teaches Environmental Science, Living Environment, Health, and AP Biology.
Lisa Mills
Lisa has been a Speech Language Pathologist for more than 17 years and currently works at Barstow Elementary School in southern Maryland.
Pam Smith
Pam has taught for 27 years, most recently as an online learning instructor at both the high school and college level for Okaloosa Online, Blue Ridge International Academy, and Troy University.
Wendy Uptain
Wendy worked as a teacher for four years in both a charter school and a traditional public school. She is pursuing her MPA in Education Policy at George Washington University while working part-time on teacher outreach and engagement.
Tracey Van Dusen
For 24 years, Tracey has taught American history, Western civilizations, and government at accelerated and AP levels, as well as general levels, at Pioneer High School in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Kristine Woleck
Kristine works as a staff developer/coach, a K-5 mathematics specialist/coach and a curriculum coordinator in the New Canaan Public Schools, a suburban town in Fairfield County, CT.
