Accomplished class of STEM teachers selected as Albert Einstein Educator Fellows Teachers representing 11 states and the District of Columbia will apply classroom experience to federal, congressional, and executive branch offices

May 14, 2021

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Eighteen K-12 science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) teachers from across the United States have been named 2021-2022 Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellows. The fellows will spend 11 months serving in a Federal agency or U.S. Congressional office in Washington, D.C., engaged in the national STEM education arena.

The Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellowship (AEF) Program provides a unique opportunity for accomplished K-12 STEM educators to apply their extensive classroom knowledge and experiences to their host offices to inform Federal STEM education efforts.

The 2021-2022 Einstein Fellows are as follows:

• Kama Almasi – Toledo Junior/Senior High School, Toledo, OR
• Lesley Anderson – High Tech High School, San Diego, CA
• Svea Anderson – Flowing Wells Junior High School, Tucson, AZ
• Shakiyya Bland – Lawrence Public Schools, Lawrence, KS
• Kelly Day – Westfield Middle School, Westfield, IN
• Sergio de Alba – R. M. Miano Elementary School, Los Banos, CA
• Peter DeCraene – Evanston Township High School, Evanston, IL
• Michael Guarraia – The Park School of Baltimore, Baltimore, MD
• Christine Hirst – Arroyo Seco Junior High School, Valencia, CA
• Chanda Jefferson – Fairfield Central High School, Winnsboro, SC
• Ashley Kearney – Ron Brown College Preparatory High School, Washington, DC
• Stephanie Klixbull – Pinewood Preparatory School, Summerville, SC
• Kathryn Kogge – Murray Community School, Charlottesville, VA
• Laura Larkin – Sequoia High School, Redwood City, CA
• Holly Miller – Riverside Intermediate School, Fishers, IN
• Joel Truesdell – Kamehameha Schools Hawai‘i Campus, Keaau, HI
• Michael Vargas – Pinnacle High School, Phoenix, AZ
• Selene Willis – Shorecrest Preparatory School, St. Petersburg, FL

The 2021-2022 Einstein Fellows come from K-12 schools across the country and represent diverse teaching backgrounds—with expertise in science, engineering, computer science and mathematics. Federal agencies and U.S. Congressional Offices will benefit from Fellows’ real-world experiences as educators. In return, Einstein Fellows will gain understanding of the role of the Federal Government in the U.S. education enterprise, knowledge of resources available to students and educators, and broader perspectives on national education issues that can be applied to the classroom or to leadership positions in their districts or elsewhere.

The AEF Program, now celebrating its 31st year of operation, is managed by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science’s Office of Workforce Development for Teachers and Scientists in collaboration with the sponsoring agencies and the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE).

Sponsoring agencies for the 2021-2022 Einstein Fellows include DOE, the Library of Congress, the Department of Defense, the U.S. Geological Survey, the Smithsonian Institution, the Department of Interior, the Department of Homeland Security, and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. In addition to sponsoring placements at DOE headquarters, DOE sponsors five placements in U.S. Congressional offices.