NJEA is proud to celebrate our amazing members who have been selected as the 2026-27 County Teachers of the Year. These outstanding educators represent the talent, creativity and dedication found in New Jersey’s public schools.
Selected through the Governor’s Educator of the Year Program, County Teachers of the Year are recognized for their impact on students, leadership within their school communities and commitment to the teaching profession.
Throughout the 2026-27 school year, our members will connect with colleagues across the state and serve as ambassadors for New Jersey’s public schools and the teaching profession. Being County Teachers of the Year provides them with opportunities to share their experiences, elevate educator voices and highlight the important work happening every day in public school classrooms.
NJEA congratulates the NJEA Members who make up the 2026-27 County Teachers of the Year:
Atlantic
Kimberley Briles is a social studies teacher at Cedar Creek High School in the Greater Egg Harbor Regional High School District.
Bergen
Thomas Villa is a science teacher at Northern Valley Regional High School at Old Tappan in the Northern Valley Regional High School District.
Camden
Ana Sánchez Hernández is a Spanish teacher at Haddonfield Middle School in the Haddonfield School District.
Cape May
Carly Crisanti is an art teacher at Lower Cape May Regional High School in the Lower Cape May Regional School District.
Cumberland
Jeffrey Martine is a gifted and talented teacher who was teaching at Anthony Rossi Elementary School in the Vineland School District when he was nominated. He currently teaches at Vineland High School.
Gloucester
Pamela DeRose is an art teacher at Delsea Regional High School in the Delsea Regional School District.
Hudson
Shelly Witham is an earth and environmental science teacher at High Tech High School in the Hudson County Schools of Technology.
Hunterdon
Gretchen Biedermann is a special education teacher at J.P. Case Middle School in the Flemington-Raritan School District.
Mercer
Jennifer Vogel is a STEM teacher at Melvin H. Kreps Middle School in the East Windsor Regional School District.
Middlesex
Jessica Miele is a third-grade teacher at James Monroe Elementary School in the Edison Township School District.
Monmouth
Megan Watts is a mathematics teacher at Manalapan-Englishtown Middle School in the Manalapan-Englishtown Regional School District.
Morris
Hannah Olmo is a dance teacher at Dover High School in the Dover School District.
Ocean
Angela Germano is an English language arts teacher at Toms River Intermediate East in the Toms River Regional School District.
Passaic
Gemmerton Reyes is a TV/video production teacher at Manchester Regional High School in the Manchester Regional High School District.
Salem
Michelle Schnetzler is a special education teacher at Paul W. Carleton Elementary School in the Penns Grove-Carneys Point Regional School District.
Somerset
Neil Thompson is a social studies teacher at North Plainfield High School in the North Plainfield School District.
Sussex
James McKowen is a computer science teacher at Hopatcong High School in the Hopatcong Borough School District.
Union
Alice Debowski is a special education teacher at J. Christian Bollwage Finance Academy in the Elizabeth School District.
Warren
Melissa Arrambide is a second-grade teacher at Mountain Villa School in the Allamuchy Township School District.