Skip to content

2020 Prize for Teaching Excellence

Honoring Outstanding U.S. Public High School Skilled Trades Teachers

$1 Million in Prize Awards

2020 Grand Prize Winners

Brian Manley

Automotive Technology

Cherry Creek Innovation Campus, CO

2020 Prize Winners

Shawn Burns

Mechatronics and Robotics

Burton Center for Arts and Technology, VA

Wayne Violet

Automotive Technology

Washington County Technical High School, MD

Travis Wyrick

Agriculture

Visalia Technical Early College High School, CA

Demetrius Wilson

Engineering, Robotics, and Mechatronics

Oakland Technical Schools Northeast, MI

2020 Finalists

Jay Abitz

Automotive and Collision Repair Freedom High School, WI

Betsy Anderton, Luke Stewart

Agriculture

Daphne High School, AL

Angela Arnett

Technical Theater

Escondido High School, CA

Crystal Aukema

Agriculture

Marathon High School, NY

Kent Brady

Small Engine Equipment Technology

Dauphin County Technical School, PA

James “Jim” Buck

Electrical

Wayne Technical and Career Center, NY

Francis Carlson

Cabinet Making and Millwork

Bonners Ferry High School, ID

Benjamin Carpenter 

Welding

Kennedy High School, CA

Kevin Cornell

Automotive Technology

Carver Career and Technical Center, WV

Dave Darden

Automotive Technology

Cedar Shoals High School, GA

Brian Diehl

Diesel Technology

Dauphin County Technical School, PA

John Gunderson

Automotive

John Jay High School, TX

Jay Hales

Automotive Technology 

Riverton High School, UT

Josh Hall, Connor Lee Bratton

Construction and Agriculture

Statesboro High School, GA

Coley Hanes

Agriculture

Schuyler R-1 Schools, MO

Nicholas Jordan

Construction

Montecito High School, CA

Scott Leffler, Scott Frischmon, Ryan Dewey

Industrial Technology

Chisago Lakes High School, MN

Stephen Marsh

Advanced Digital Manufacturing

Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo High School, CA

Erik Mortensen

Automotive

Watuaga High School, NC

Eric Morton

Skilled Trades Pre-Apprenticeship

Peninsula High School, WA

Robert Mroz, David Krawczyk

Automotive

Potter Career and Technical Center, NY

Raul Ortega

Plumbing

Sam Houston Math, Science and Technology Center, TX

Hunter Parrott, Justin Smith, Mindy Howard

Agricultural Science

Troy High School, TX

Kelli Prescott

Agriculture

Lake Placid High School, FL

Thomas Ritchey

Agriculture

Central High School, PA

Andrew Saweikis

Welding

Rockland BOCES CTEC, NY

Leif Sorgule

Technology and Engineering

Peru High School, NY

Jeremy Tarbet

Automotive

Canyon del Oro High School, AZ

A.J. Tinker

Construction

Salem R-80 Schools, MO

Andrice Tucker, Steve Owen

Automotive Service Technology

Central Nine Career Center, IN

Robert Verone

Technical Theater

Lawrence High School, NY

Jeff Webb

Mechatronics

Southern Michigan Center for Science and Industry, MI

2020 Final Round Judges

Dan Belcher

Director of Workforce Development

National Center for Construction Education and Research; Build Your Future

Gary Bronson

2018 Grand Prize Winner

Laurel Oaks

Elyse Burden

CEO

Real World Scholars

Dr. Mittie Cannon

Founder

Power UP Inc.

Kathy Goodacre

Executive Director

CTE Sonoma County Foundation

Anita Landecker

Executive Director

ExEd

Doug Major

President

ACTE

Monica Pfarr

Executive Director

American Welding Society Foundation

Wendy Schepman

2019 Grand Prize Winner

South Fork High School

Charles Sanville

Humble Mechanic

Jonathan Schwartz

2017 Grand Prize Winner

Colfax High School

Brent Trankler

2019 Grand Prize Winner

Sikeston Career and Technology Center

Anne Stanton

President

Linked Learning Alliance

2020 Round 2 Judges

Ryan Anderson

Texas State University

Chet Andes

SkillsUSA (ID)

Kimberly Bertocci

NEA

Sarah Burtner

CA Department of Finance

Joe Campbell

Glendale High School (CA)

Gerald Chaleff

LA Police Department (Retired)

Bryan Cook

AGC

Wes Crawford

2018 Prize Winner

Brad DeMent

2018 Prize Winner

Eric Dyer

2019 Prize Winner

Michael Gaudet

East Baton Rouge Parish (LA)

Peyton Holland

National Technical Honor Society

Henrietta Jutson

2019 Prize Winner

Jessica Kim

LAEDC

Charles Klasman

Subaru

Jodi Lancaster

2019 Prize Winner

Jacob Leair

2019 Prize Winner

Juliet Marshall

SAMPE

Justin Pickard

2018 Prize Winner

Troy Reichert

2019 Prize Winner

Bill Ryan

University of Arkansas-Pulaski Tech

Robert Sainz

City of Los Angeles Community Development Department

Cameron Sublett

WestEd

Quentin Suffren

ExcelinEd

Baxter Weed

2019 Prize Winner

John Yi

LA Walks

2020 Round 1 Judges

A special thanks to our colleagues at the Association of Career and Technical Education (ACTE) for their stewardship of this Round.