TESOL members in good standing who are public officials, institutional leaders, or community professionals. Any TESOL member may nominate another member for this award.
Purpose
To recognize an exceptional leader and professional who has demonstrated outstanding advocacy efforts in the TESOL field that are aligned with the vision, mission, values, and commitments of the association.
Application Deadline
Applications open in July annually.
How to Apply
A commemorative plaque is given to the recipient.
Criteria for Evaluating Applications
The recipient is selected according to evidence of:
- Dedication, leadership, and efforts that have positively affected a policy or change with direct positive impact on multilingual learners and/or TESOL professionals.
- A long-standing commitment to equity, diversity, inclusion, and access in the TESOL field.
- Advocacy efforts that have effected positive change over a period of time commitment and passion for advocacy.
You will be asked for the following information to complete the nomination process. You are strongly encouraged to gather this information before you begin the application to expedite the nomination process.
- Nominee's information: full name, institution (place of work), place of residence (city, state/province, country), email address, and phone number.
- The nominee's professional bio.
- Description of the nominee's achievements and activities that demostrate their advocacy at the local/public level and efforts towards advancing DEIA (500 words max).
- The nominee's CV (5 pages max).
For more details, please see the Evaluation Rubric.
2023 Recipient
Grazzia Mendoza, language educator for 30 years, is a consultant and teacher trainer. She has worked in K–12 and higher education, and she has trained teachers worldwide. Grazzia is a USDoS alumna recognized for project development, founder/former president of HELTA TESOL, former president of LAC TESOL, and past member of the TESOL board of directors, where she served as chair of the finance committee.