We are thrilled to announce the 2020 STEM Excellence Awards awardees. The STEM Excellence Awards are designed to recognize a phenomenal teacher, a leader of a school, district, or regional/state organization, and an exceptional advocate for STEM education. Nominations were open to
the public in the Spring of this year.
“This year’s
award winners are role models in advancing STEM for all through creative
instruction, effective alignment, and strong leadership. Their geographic
diversity highlights the statewide reach of STEM education in Tennessee” said Brandi
Stroecker, Director of TSIN. “In these unprecedented times, we are privileged
to be able to recognize the efforts of these amazing individuals and the
contributions they have made in their communities.”
This year’s
awardees of the STEM Excellence Awards include: (biographies included below)
Excellence in STEM Teaching Award
Nikki Russell, STEM
Teacher, Orchard Knob Elementary, Hamilton County Schools
Excellence in STEM Leadership Award
Tommy Elliott,
Principal, Whitehaven Elementary, Shelby County Schools
STEM Advocate Award
Candice Halbert, Founder,
Youth Outreach in STEM (YO-STEM) and Scientific Associate at Oak Ridge National
Lab
STEM Innovator Award
Dan Caldwell,
Senior Manager, Learning Pathways at Nissan
Excellence in
STEM Teaching Award
The Excellence in STEM Teaching
Award recognizes a teacher who exemplifies integrated, STEM-infused teaching strategies,
classroom innovation, and whose work has led to positive student learning
outcomes. This awardee engages students in inquiry-based learning to develop
creativity, teamwork, communication, and problem-solving skills.
Nikki
Russell
STEM Teacher, Orchard Knob Elementary, Hamilton County Schools
Nikki Russell teaches STEM at Orchard Knob Elementary in Chattanooga,
Tennessee, where she is passionate about providing students authentic opportunities
to explore challenges, design solutions, and engage in scientific approaches to
real-world problems that are relevant and practical. In her sixteen years of classroom experience,
Russell has taught a variety of elementary grades and now serves as Orchard
Knob Elementary’s STEM Lab Facilitator. In conjunction with the STEM Lab,
students annually receive numerous field experiences both inside and outside of
her school through Chattanooga-area partnerships. Russell further serves as an Opportunity
Zone Model Classroom teacher, where she provides job-embedded professional
development by modeling best practices and coaching teachers during instruction
each week. Additionally, she leads community-wide STEM collaboration for
educators quarterly across Hamilton County Schools. Russell earned a BS in Early
Childhood Education at the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga and a MEd from
Tennessee Tech University in Instructional Leadership and Administration. “Mrs.
Russell amazes me with the projects that she implements in STEM Lab as they are
always highly engaging and expose students to material that encourages out-of-the-box
thinking,” said colleague E’tienne Easley. “She is a tremendous advocate of STEM
for all
, with a deep passion for serving underserved communities in STEM. She
continually improves her skill set and shares her learning with other educators
throughout the district,” added Mary Avans from Lookout Mountain Elementary.
Excellence in
STEM Leadership Award
The Excellence in STEM
Leadership Award recognizes a school-level, district, or regional leader with a
proven track-record of developing effective STEM programs. This awardee supports and encourages teachers
and schools to continually infuse STEM teaching strategies and embrace
classroom innovation.
Tommy Elliott
Principal, Whitehaven Elementary School, Shelby County Schools
Tommy Elliott serves as the Principal at Whitehaven Elementary STEM School
in Memphis, Tennessee. He is a community STEM catalyst, passionate about
providing engaging learning opportunities for all students. Tommy is passionate
about developing his team at Whitehaven Elementary and providing tools and
strategies to support educators in creating meaningful lessons for students. Tommy
has been a school administrator for fourteen years, nine of them as a STEM
principal and recently served as a supporting faculty member with Tennessee
STEM Innovative Network for the Innovative Leaders Institute. Under his
leadership, Whitehaven Elementary STEM School has received numerous accolades –
including as one of the first fifteen schools in the state to earn Tennessee
STEM Designation. Tommy has led and participated in multiple STEM professional
developments, conferences, and seminars on the local, state, and national
platforms. He earned his EdS in Educational Leadership from Argosy University,
MEd in K12 Studies from Cambridge College, and BS in Human Learning from the
University of Tennessee. “Dr. Elliott’s innovative STEM initiatives, expose our
student innovators daily to real world applications, serving as a spark to
ignite their curiosity and motivate them to explore STEM fields,” said Jacqueline
Brown-Lewis, Assistant Principal at Whitehaven Elementary. “His innovative
vision has created community awareness about the importance of authentic STEM education.”
STEM Advocate
Award
The Tennessee STEM Advocate
Award recognizes a Tennessean who has demonstrated a passion for STEM education
through his or her public advocacy and participation in leadership
organizations that advance STEM for All.
Candice Halbert
Founder & President, Youth Outreach in STEM (YO-STEM) and Scientific
Associate at Oak Ridge National Lab
Candice Halbert is a Scientific Associate at Oak Ridge National Lab in Oak
Ridge, TN, where she is a researcher at the Spallation Neutron Source and a
leader in campus recruiting. As a woman of color in the science community, Candice
is passionate about encouraging girls of color in pursuing STEM fields. To
address this need, Candice founded and currently serves as the President of Youth
Outreach in STEM (YO-STEM), a nonprofit working with underserved communities in
East Tennessee to address the lack of diversity in STEM fields. To date,
YO-STEM has engaged over 1000 students from East Tennessee in engaging hands-on
STEM experiences and career exploration activities. YO-STEM offers several
different opportunities for students in the community, including STEM
Saturdays, Girls in STEM Mentorship Program, and the Build-a-Drone program. Candice
obtained a BS in Chemistry from Illinois State University in 2001 and an MS in Chemistry
from Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) in 2003. “From the beginning,
Candice recognized that to engage minority students in STEM, they must be able
to see themselves represented in those careers,” said LaKeisha Walker, Candice’s
colleague at Oak Ridge National Lab. “Candice founded YO-STEM based on this
principle, and through the innovative programming, underrepresented students
learn that STEM is within their reach.”
STEM Innovator
Award
The
Tennessee STEM Innovator Award recognizes a Tennessean that has demonstrated an
outstanding contribution to the support of STEM education and outreach within his
or her region. This awardee is a leader
that identifies, supports, and promotes innovative teaching practices
regionally. The success of this awardee serves as a catalyst for STEM
integration across the state.
Dan Caldwell
Senior Manager, Learning
Pathways, Nissan/TCAT-Smyrna
Dan Caldwell is the Senior Manager of Learning Pathways for Nissan’s U.S.
manufacturing operations, where he launched and currently leads Nissan’s
training operations in their public-private partnership with the Tennessee
College of Applied Technology. Dan actively seeks opportunities to align K-12
education initiatives with higher education and workforce needs, particularly
in the manufacturing and engineering fields. His team serves a population of 17,000,
enabling their personal and professional growth in the fields of leadership, engineering,
and maintenance. Dan is the 2019 Tennessee ACT College and Career Readiness
Workforce Champion. He is also the 2019 Junior Achievement Champion for the
Middle Tennessee region. He is a passionate advocate for STEM education, and has
lead innovative programming and partnerships between K-12 educators and higher
education and workforce partners. “A class act, Dan Caldwell embodies
enthusiasm, commitment, perseverance, kindness, servant leadership, and hope
for the future. He is the consummate
cheerleader for innovation and application of academics in the real world,
because he understands that simply having knowledge does nothing; it is when
knowledge is applied that possibility occurs,” said Linda Gilbert, Director of
Schools for Murfreesboro City Schools. “In Rutherford County, Murfreesboro
City, and beyond, Dan has been a masterful catalyst for change.”
