The 2023 Award Winners Recognized at the
Annual Conference:

Elementary School Teacher of the Year: Jackie Bilotta

Jackie Bilotta has been a Kentucky public school educator for the past 21 years with a focus on advocating for students with special needs.  She is currently an ELA resource teacher serving Kindergarten through 5th grade students at Bloom Elementary School in Jefferson County.  In her free time, she enjoys camping, kayaking, hiking, and all things outdoors with her husband and two sons.

Middle School Teacher of the Year: Tiffany Whaley

Tiffany Whaley is a decorated teacher with nearly 20 years of experience. She currently teaches 5th grade ELA at Mayfield Middle School. The Mayfield, Ky. native is a graduate of Murray State University with a masters in education and a GT endorsement that has provided her the opportunity of working with MSU Super Saturdays to serve gifted students, while working towards her rank I certification. In addition to her passion for investing in her kids she teaches, Tiffany enjoys gardening, traveling and spending time with her husband, David and son, Logan.

High School Teacher of the Year: Heather Miller

Heather Miller is a graduate of Murray State University and is currently serving her eleventh year as a teacher at Graves County High School. She also acts as yearbook adviser, SBDM secretary, New Teacher Coach, and is a member of Graves County's District Instructional Leadership Team. She lives in western Kentucky with her husband, Nick, where they are raising their two sons. Mrs. Miller's passion is building and sharing a love of books with her students as well as supporting new teachers in the profession.

College Teacher of the Year: Dr. Ray Horton

Dr. Ray Horton is Assistant Professor of English at Murray State University in Murray, KY, where he teaches American literature. He lives in Murray with his wife, Erin, and his daughters, Emersyn and Avery. His work has been published in PMLA, Christianity & Literature, LIT: Literature, Interpretation, Theory, and Post45, and he is currently at work on a book project tentatively titled American Fiction's Secular Faith.

Administrator of the Year: Dr. Sandra Hogue

Dr. Sandra L. Hogue is a career educator who has served children, educators, and administrators within and beyond her community for 28 years. As the youngest of six growing up in the west end of Louisville, Sandra was drawn by passion and compassion to serve high-need urban schools. In her current role as ELA Instructional Lead for the 33 elementary, middle, and high schools in Jefferson County's Accelerated Improvement Schools, she continues to inspire urban education competence in others.

Gretchen Niva Service Award: Kate Barrows

Kate Barrows served in Jefferson County Public Schools as an English and reading teacher at Liberty High School in Louisville, Kentucky for 15 years and is a staunch advocate for alternatives to traditional learning  She is currently serving in her 4th year as the library media specialist at W.E.B. DuBois Academy in JCPS. Kate has held a variety of roles in literacy leadership and has presented at the district, state, and national level.  She is an active member of several professional organizations and serves as the SLATE (support for learning and teaching of English) for the Kentucky Council for Teachers of English. An avid reader herself, Kate believes literacy is a basic human right and works diligently to advocate for every human to get the support they need to empower themselves as readers.

Intellectual Freedom Award: Kristen Heckel

Kristen Heckel, a former English teacher, is the Library Media Specialist at Waggener High School and continues to champion students' rights to read in her library. She faced a very difficult challenge from a community member for making inclusive books available to her student readers that went as far as a civil lawsuit. We recognized her for her courage and bravery in the face of harassment, media attention, time away from her beloved family and library, and for refusing to back down. Way to go Kristen!