At the 24th annual Teacher of the Year Recognition Gala by MMABSE, 139 Milwaukee-area educators were honored for their dedication to providing high-quality, equitable education for schoolchildren.  

Of those, 104 teachers receiving the recognition are from Milwaukee Public Schools. 

MMABSE, the Metropolitan Milwaukee Alliance of Black School Educators, works to develop equitable educational opportunities for all children.  

This year’s gala celebrating the winners and the impact they make on children’s education was held at the Baird Center rooftop downtown on May 16.

Dr. Shalanda Driver and Deirde Lafford, co-chairs of the gala, said in a joint statement: “The MMABSE Teacher Recognition Gala celebrates the dedication, passion, and unwavering commitment of our educators across the metropolitan Milwaukee area. Their impact extends far beyond the classroom, inspiring students, strengthening our school community, and shaping the future through education. We are grateful for their service and proud to recognize their outstanding contributions."

The 2026 honorees from Milwaukee Public Schools are: 

• Caitlin Acker, Manitoba School  
• Jenna Alioto, Hartford Avenue University School 
• Dawn Amen, Gilbert Stuart Elementary School 
• Erin Anderson, Academy of Accelerated Learning 
• Shameka Anderson, Hawley Environmental School 
• Lashaun Banks, Oliver Wendell Homes School 
• Capri Bauer, Victory School 
• Semini Berken, Sherman Multicultural Arts School  
• Hillary Bishop, Ralph Waldo Emerson School  
• Colton Boggs, Casimir Pulaski IB High School 
• Molly Bonner, Clement J. Zablocki School 
• Anna Boortz, Samuel Clemens School  
• Cory Bova, Rufus King International High School 
• Mercedes Buck, Lancaster School  
• Sabrina Bukvich, Starms Early Childhood Center 
• Julie Busch, Clement Avenue School 
• Matthew Butters, Milwaukee High School of the Arts 
• Anita Carter, Westside Academy  
• Brandt Champion, Ronald Wilson Reagan College Preparatory High School 
• Therese Claire, Roosevelt Creative Arts Middle School 
• Jacqueleen Clark, Rufus King International Middle School 
• Lakesha Clark Willis, Congress School 
• Robert Costilla, Hamlin Garland School 
• Elsa Cramer, La Escuela Fratney 
• Sandra Cruz, Allen-Field School 
• Samantha Denzel, Walt Whitman School 
• Kylie Dolphin, Rogers Street Academy 
• Raymond Duncan, Milwaukee Marshall High School 
• Linh Duong, Lincoln Avenue School 
• Marcy Ehlers, Ninety-Fifth Street School  
• Matthrew Enegare, North Division High School,  
• Valerie Erby-Walker, Louisa May Alcott School 
• Christine Eschrich Pollesch, William Cullen Bryant School  
• Anne Feldner-Acosta, Alexander Mitchell Integrated Arts School 
• Constance (Connie) Gordon, Richard Kluge School of the Arts 
• Taylor Gray, George Washington Carver Academy 
• Andre Hardy, Albert Story School 
• Shunda Harper, Ralph H. Metcalfe School 
• Amy Hendricks, Eighty-First Street School 
• Mark Hoedel, Bradley Technology and Trade School 
• Tamara Holmes, Fifty-Third Street School 
• Hope Holubowicz, Jeremiah Curtin Leadership Academy 
• Adenike Ibitoye, Golda Meir School 
• Reginald Ivy, Milwaukee School of Languages 
• Demond Jude, Milwaukee Academy of Chinese Language 
• Emily Kaphaem Veriga, Audubon High School 
• Christopher Kell, Riverside University High School 
• Liam Kellogg, Hi-Mount Community School 
• Ronald Kendrick, Andrew S. Douglas Middle School 
• Muzi Khumalo, Neeskara School 
• Daniel Koeller, Barack Obama School of Career and Technical Education 
• Diane Komberec, Robert M. LaFollette School 
• Kory Koneazny, Milwaukee Sign Language School 
• Elizabeth Kosmach, John Greenleaf Whittier School 
• Madeline Kreis, Gwen T. Jackson School 
• Rachel Krueger, Greenfield Bilingual School 
• Maimuna Sulaiman Isah, James Madison Academic Campus 
• Pao Li, W.G. Bruce School 
• Erica Little, GreenTree Preparatory Academy 
• Kelly Lockett, Benjamin Franklin School 
• Alyssa Martin, Milwaukee French Immersion School  
• Suzan Matzek, Browning School 
• Terry McGreehin, A.E. Burdick School 
• Sue Mersenski, IDEAL School 
• Laura Meyer, Project STAY High School  
• Haley Miller, Hampton School  
• Cheryl Moore, Clarke Street School  
• Sarah Jane Moreland, Lincoln Center of the Arts 
• Abigail Morris, Lowell P. Goodrich School 
• Nichole Nichols, Luther Burbank School  
• Marchelle Odom, Wisconsin Conservatory of Lifelong Learning 
• Katie Oglesby, Grant School 
• Ann Ogren, Milwaukee Spanish Immersion School  
• Lisa O’Keefe, Audubon Middle School  
• Olufolakemi Omoruyi, Hopkins Lloyd Community School 
• Kayla Parker, Honey Creek Continuous Progress School 
• Camille Parra, Milwaukee Spanish Immersion School  
• Angela Perrow, Bay View High School 
• Jenna Peters, Milwaukee German Immersion School 
• LaTonya Price, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. School 
• Christopher Rack, Engleburg School 
• Nell Reinke, Wedgewood Park International School  
• Joanna Rizzotto, MPS Department of Restorative Practices 
• Lakaya Rogers, Elm Creative Arts School  
• Melissa Rosado, Forest Home Avenue School 
• Takiranesha Saffold, NOVA High School 
• Lauren Schaefer, Bay View Montessori School 
• Mary Lou Schowalter, Mary McLeod Bethune Academy 
• Yvette Sims, Auer Avenue School  
• Nicholas Sprague, South Division High School 
• Tiffany Stephens, Harold S. Vincent High School of Agricultural Sciences 
• Alysia Stewart-Brown, Parkview School 
• Gao Thao-Yang, River Trail School of Agricultural Science 
• Kristy Trower, Thurston Woods Campus 
• Scott Uehling, Riverwest School 
• Michelle Van Drisse, Lloyd Barbee Montessori School 
• Marissa Virrueta, La Causa Charter School 
• Tasha Warner, Henry David Thoreau School  
• Dawn Williams, Townsend Street School 
• Shunita Williams, Siefert School 
• Bobby Windom, Escuela Vieau 
• Anna Wolfson, Lowell International Elementary School 
• Dr. Enock Yeng, Morse Middle School for the Gifted and Talented 
• Mary Zarnowski, Brown Street Academy 

MMABSE represents educators, parents, and guardians throughout greater Milwaukee and is one of the oldest affiliates of the National Alliance of Black School Educators (NABSE).