Every year, Educators Rising honors partners who go above and beyond to support the organization and its work for students. At this year’s conference, the National Student Officers introduced the 2025 Educators Rising Champions. They are the adults in students’ communities who rise to the top with their unwavering commitment to students, the community, and beyond.
The 2025 awardees were:
Teacher Leader Division
Tracy Kern, Harrisburg High School, South Dakota
School Leader Division
Karley Picou, Dean of Operations, Washington-Marion Magnet High School, Maryland
District Leader Division
Gladys Cruz, District Superintendent of Questar III BOCES, New York
Higher Education Division
Janet Kim, University of Hawaii
State Department Division
John Wilson, North Carolina Department of Education and Teacher Cadet
Partner Organization Division
Archie McAfee, Texas Association of Secondary School Principals
Partner Funder Division
Elizabeth Bennett, Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
PDK Funder Division
Randall Schmalz, Phi Delta Kappa member, Maryland
This article appears in the Fall 2025 issue of Kappan, Vol. 107, No. 1-2, p. 80.
