NEW JERSEY — Twenty-one educators from across the state have been honored as New Jersey’s 2025-2026 County Teachers of the Year, the New Jersey Department of Education (NJDOE) announced Wednesday during an awards ceremony at The College of New Jersey.
“Great teachers make for great schools, and New Jersey is home to the best public school system in the nation,” Gov. Phil Murphy said. “I applaud this year’s 21 County Teachers of the Year for their hard work and dedication to uplift young learners across our state.”
Education Commissioner Kevin Dehmer said the honorees “serve as an inspiration to a new generation of young minds who, one day, might explore a career in education themselves.”
The County Teachers of the Year were selected through the Governor’s Educator of the Year Program, which recognizes outstanding teachers and educational services professionals. These educators will serve as ambassadors for public schools during the school year and will network with colleagues statewide.
A panel will choose the New Jersey State Teacher of the Year from among the 21 county winners based on applications, video submissions, and interviews. That educator will then represent the state in the National Teacher of the Year competition.
New Jersey’s 2025-2026 County Teachers of the Year
- Atlantic: Christa Delaney, Environmental Science Teacher, Egg Harbor Township High School, Egg Harbor Township School District
- Bergen: Aarti Mallya, Science Teacher, Pascack Hills High School, Pascack Valley Regional High School District
- Burlington: Sean Hoggs, Senior Aerospace Science Instructor, Northern Burlington County Regional High School, Northern Burlington County Regional School District
- Camden: Heide Kowalski, English Language Arts Teacher, Ann A. Mullen Middle School, Gloucester Township School District
- Cape May: JoDee Sattazahn, Spanish Teacher, Lower Cape May Regional High School, Lower Cape May Regional School District
- Cumberland: Tiffanie ThrBak, Special Education Teacher, Cherry Street School, Bridgeton City School District
- Essex: Andrew Vander Horn, Social Studies Teacher, Cedar Grove High School, Cedar Grove Township School District
- Gloucester: Sandy Fitzpatrick, Kindergarten Teacher, Birches Elementary School, Washington Township School District
- Hudson: John Palsi, Culinary Arts Instructor, County Prep High School, Hudson County Schools of Technology
- Hunterdon: Caroline Mann, Special Education Teacher, Round Valley School, Clinton Township School District
- Mercer: Shakida Faniel, Special Education Teacher, Joyce Kilmer Intermediate School, Trenton Public School District
- Middlesex: Pamela Eng, Third Grade Teacher, Lincoln Elementary School, Edison Township School District
- Monmouth: Gillian Ober*, English as a Second Language Teacher, Park Avenue Elementary School, Freehold Borough School District (*currently at Freehold Intermediate School)
- Morris: Natasha Tyjer-Mendez, Fourth Grade Teacher, Riverdale Public School, Riverdale School District
- Ocean: Jacqueline Castellano, Biology Teacher, Brick Township Memorial High School, Brick Township School District
- Passaic: Alyssa Bitar, Engineering & STEM Teacher, Manchester Regional High School, Manchester Regional High School District
- Salem: Robert Fitzpatrick, English Language Arts Teacher, Penns Grove Middle School, Penns Grove-Carneys Point Regional School District
- Somerset: Kiran Masud, English Language Arts Teacher, Hillside Intermediate School, Bridgewater-Raritan School District
- Sussex: Amy Stevens, English Language Arts Teacher, Byram Intermediate School, Byram Township School District
- Union: Karen Carey-Lynch, English Language Arts & Gifted Education Teacher, Roselle Park Middle School, Roselle Park School District
- Warren: Laura Wojick, Computer Science & Information Technology Teacher, Phillipsburg High School, Phillipsburg School District
