Apr 29, 2025

35 NEW Distinguished Educators

Here's a way to wrap up Financial Literacy Month in style! Introducing 35 educators from 21 states who have newly earned their NGPF Distinguished Educator recognition.

To earn the NGPF Distinguished Educator award, teachers complete a combination of six or more NGPF Certification Courses.

Each of their 6+ courses requires teachers to:

  • participate in nine hours of live or asynchronous instruction to boost their content mastery in a core personal finance unit (e.g. Banking & Budgeting, Career, Investing) AND
    ace the corresponding 1-hour exam at the end of the cohort
  • If you're doing the math at home, the teachers we're celebrating today have each completed 60+ hours professional development tailor-made for personal finance content!
  • Altogether, NGPF Distinguished Educators have completed 98,620 hours of financial literacy professional development just via Certification Courses with NGPF.
  • Teachers, register for your next NGPF Certification Course to get one step closer to your award and join this rockstar group!

Meet the Distinguished Educators for April 2025:

  • Amber Achterberg from Oregon High School (WI)
  • Silvia Ahn from Sojourn Together (CA)
  • Jeremy Anderson from Preble High School (WI)
  • Holly Benton from Cowley College (KS)
  • Alex Bouwman from Academy at Palumbo (PA)
  • Jennifer Cisco from Garnet Valley Middle School (PA)
  • Monica Cummings from Goshen High School (IN)
  • Jennifer Davis from Lakeside High School (AR)
  • Lawrence Fain, MBA from Cristo Rey Philadelphia High School (PA)
  • Katie Formicola from Fruita Monument High School (CO)
  • Samantha Gambles from Hill Freedman World Academy (PA)
  • Christian Holler from Odyssey Charter School (DE)
  • Kendra Husband from Carrie P. Meek / Westview K-8 Center (FL)
  • Alissa Iida from Herbert A. Derfelt Elementary School (NV)
  • Valerie Jackson from Beaufort High School (SC)
  • Ashley Kaster from Seymour High School & Mormon Trail High School (IA)
  • Anna-Marie Leon from Palmdale Academy Charter School (CA)
  • Zachary Malegiannakis from Collegiate Institute For Math And Science (NY)
  • Jessica Martin from York County School of Technology (PA)
  • James Martin from Walnut Hills High School (OH)
  • Jim McKowen from Hopatcong High School (NJ)
  • Steven Melo from Somerset Berkley Regional High School (MA)
  • Rebecca Myers from Warwick Senior High School (PA)
  • Eli Neitzel from Ashland-Greenwood High School (NE)
  • Whitney Newey from Davis Connect (UT)
  • Julie Oglesby from Horizons High School (KS)
  • Brad Pollack from Waukegan High School (IL)
  • Chelsea Pollock from Prairie Seeds High School Academy (MN)
  • Susan Robida from Alexander High School (GA)
  • Manon Romash from Great Bridge High (VA)
  • Robbyn Sarmiento from Northview High School (CA)
  • Amanda Savidge from East Career & Technical Academy High School (NV)
  • Maggie Steiner from Casa Grande High (CA)
  • Kimberly Welsh from North Cache Middle School (UT)
  • Dave White from Chaparral High School (AZ)

Meet ALL the Distinguished Educators

There are now 1,204 NGPF Distinguished Educators!

About the Author

Christian Sherrill

Former teacher, forever financial education nerd. As NGPF's Director of Growth & Advocacy, Christian is laser-focused on our mission to guarantee all students a rigorous personal finance course before crossing the high school graduation stage. Having paid down over $40k in student loans in the span of 3 years - while living in the Bay Area on an entry level teacher's salary - he's eager to help the next generation avoid financial pitfalls one semester at a time.

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