The National Science Teachers Association and the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics have announced the selection of 10 math and science teachers from across the country to serve as 2018 STEM Teacher Ambassadors.

The Ambassadors are all recipients of the Presidential Award for Excellence in Math and Science Teaching, the nation's highest honors for teachers of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) including computer science.

This year’s cohort of teacher leaders was chosen from a pool of more than 125 winners of the Presidential Award for Excellence in Math and Science Teaching. The Ambassadors were selected on several criteria, including showing evidence of teacher leadership, a solid background in education, and displaying a strong interest in growing as a professional STEM educator.

“At the heart of the NSTA/NCTM STEM Teacher Ambassador program are dedicated teacher leaders who have thoughtful insights to contribute to the national education dialogue,” said Dr. David Evans, National Science Teachers Association executive director. “During their ambassadorship, the STEM Teacher Ambassadors will work with various education stakeholders to lend their voice and unique classroom perspective to bring greater awareness about the importance of high-quality STEM education.”

“As the groups that represent the interests of math and science educators, we share a mission to provide them with a voice,” said Ken Krehbiel, executive director of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. “We look forward to offering opportunities throughout the year for the Ambassadors to share their stories with influencers and thought leaders.”

The Ambassadors participated in intensive communication, media, and policy training created by NSTA and NCTM designed to expand the classroom teacher voice at the local, state, and national levels.

During the weeklong training in Washington, D.C. the Ambassadors met with thought leaders to discuss major issues including:

They received rigorous media training and learned how to conduct media interviews and write op-eds; communicate more effectively and deliver important messages to the public; communicate new research results in STEM education; engage with local and state officials, and use social media to amplify messaging.

The ten 2018 STEM Teacher Ambassadors include:

Alison "Sunny" Mall currently serves as an Assistant Principal at Homer High School in Homer, Alaska. She has a Ph.D. in Curriculum & Instruction (emphasis in rural mathematics education). Following three years as a mathematics teacher and teacher trainer in the US Peace Corps in Nepal, she taught high school mathematics for the Anchorage School District and trained secondary mathematics teachers at the University of Alaska Anchorage. Her educational interests include applying mathematics to real-life situations.

Camilla Walck was a Presidential Awardee for Excellence in teaching math and science in 2016. She has taught Earth Science, biology, higher level biology and Virginia Teachers for Tomorrow for 24 years at Princess Anne High School in Virginia Beach. Walck, who has a Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction, received recognition from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce as the 2012 National Life Science Teacher of the Year and was selected as a Claes Nobel Top Ten Teacher of the Year for 2013 by the National Society of High School Scholars.

Margaret "Peg" Cagle began her working life as an architect, but over the last 17 years, she has taught every math course from 6th grade through honors Algebra II/Trigonometry in the Los Angeles Unified School District. She has also supported chess, robotics, and math clubs/teams. She is the math department chair at Reseda High School in Los Angeles and has been recognized as LA County Teacher of the Year, Raytheon Math Hero, member of USA-Today's All-USA Teacher Team and received the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics Teaching.

Renae Pullen has been an educator for 20 years. She currently serves as K–6 Science Curriculum Instructional Specialist for Caddo Parish Public Schools in Shreveport, Louisiana. Pullen has received numerous awards including the Wal-Mart Local Teacher of the Year award in 2007, a fellowship from the National Endowment for the Humanities to study the American Skyscraper in Chicago, Northwest Louisiana Young Professionals Initiative's 40 Under 40 in 2015, and the Presidential Award for Excellence in Math and Science Teaching in 2008.

Maria McClain has been teaching math for the past 30 years, the last 22 of which have been at Deer Valley High School in Antioch, CA, where she teaches Algebra 1, Pre-Calculus, Advanced Placement calculus, and Statistics. She has served as a District Mentor Teacher for the past 18 years. Her awards include Antioch Unified School District Teacher of the Year (2001, 2015), Contra Costa County Teacher of the Year (2015), California Teacher of the Year Semi-finalist (2016), and the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (2015).

Applications for teachers of grades 7-12 will open in the fall of 2018. Every year, PAEMST selects up to six finalists at the state level.