A group of the nation’s most accomplished STEM teachers selected as Albert Einstein Educator Fellows Teachers representing 10 states have been selected to apply their classroom experience to federal, congressional, and executive branch offices

June 21, 2023

Sixteen K-12 science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) teachers from across the United States have been named 2023-2024 Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellows. Selected fellows will spend eleven months serving in a federal agency or U.S. Congressional office in Washington, DC, 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 2023-2024 Einstein Fellows are:

• Michele Adams, Martinsburg, WV
• Kelsey Beeghly, Altamonte Springs, FL
• Ashley Benitez-Smith, Frederick, MD
• Jacquelyn Freeman, Waldorf, MD
• Lachanda Garrison, Ellijay, GA
• Rebecca Grella, Northport, NY
• Dorothy Holley, Raleigh, NC
• Pamela Joslyn, Muscatine, IA
• Stacie Marvin, Sparrows Point, MD
• Nomura Reed, Hagerstown, MD
• Sarah Slack, Brooklyn, NY
• Michael Stewart, Manassas, VA
• Amy Szczepanski, Brooklyn, NY
• Melissa Thompson, Stevensville, MD
• Samantha Willsey, Bremen, IN
• Denise Wright, Myrtle Beach, SC

The 2023-2024 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 33rd 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 2023-2024 Einstein Fellows include DOE, the Library of Congress, the U.S. Department of Defense, the U.S. Geological Survey, the National Science Foundation, the U.S. 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.

The U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science is the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States and is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. For more information, visit https://energy.gov/science.

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