Christa Delaney, Sandy Fitzpatrick, John Palsi, Caroline Mann, Gillian Ober, Natasha Tyjer-Mendez, Jacqueline Castellano, and Alyssa Bitar.

By Cecilia Levine From Daily Voice

Twenty-one educators from across New Jersey have been named the 2025-26 County Teachers of the Year, the New Jersey Education Association announced.

“Each year, the County Teachers of the Year remind us of the incredible talent, dedication, and heart that define New Jersey’s educators,” NJEA President Sean Spiller said. 

“The 2025-26 honorees represent the very best of our profession—innovators, mentors and leaders who not only inspire their students, but their colleagues as well.”

NJEA Vice President Steve Beatty called the honor “a celebration of the relationships these educators build—with students, families, and communities,” while NJEA Secretary-Treasurer Petal Robertson said the winners “are another example of why New Jersey has the No. 1 public schools in the nation.”

The 2025-26 honorees will serve as ambassadors for teaching statewide. This year’s winners include:

  • Atlantic: Christa Delaney, environmental science teacher at Egg Harbor Township High School (Egg Harbor Township School District)
  • Bergen: Aarti Mallya, Ph.D., science teacher at Pascack Hills High School (Pascack Valley Regional High School District)
  • Burlington: Dr. Sean Hoggs I, senior aerospace science instructor at Northern Burlington County Regional High School (Northern Burlington County Regional School District)
  • Camden: Heide Kowalski, sixth-grade English language arts teacher at Ann A. Mullen Middle School (Gloucester Township School District)
  • Cape May: JoDee Sattazahn, Spanish teacher at Lower Cape May Regional High School (Lower Cape May Regional School District)
  • Cumberland: Dr. Tiffanie ThrBak, special education teacher at Cherry Street School (Bridgeton City School District)
  • Essex: Andrew Vander Horn, social studies teacher at Cedar Grove High School (Cedar Grove Township School District)
  • Gloucester: Sandy Fitzpatrick, kindergarten teacher at Birches Elementary School (Washington Township School District)
  • Hudson: John Palsi, culinary arts instructor at County Prep High School (Hudson County Schools of Technology School District)
  • Hunterdon: Caroline Mann, special education teacher at Round Valley School (Clinton Township School District)
  • Mercer: Shakida Faniel, special education teacher at Joyce Kilmer Intermediate School (Trenton Public School District)
  • Middlesex: Pamela Eng, third-grade teacher at Lincoln Elementary School (Edison Township School District)
  • Monmouth: Gillian Ober, seventh-grade English as a second language teacher at Freehold Intermediate School (Freehold Borough School District)
  • Morris: Natasha Tyjer-Mendez, fourth-grade teacher at Riverdale Public School (Riverdale School District)
  • Ocean: Jacqueline Castellano, biology teacher at Brick Township Memorial High School (Brick Township School District)
  • Passaic: Alyssa Bitar, engineering and STEM teacher at Passaic County Manchester Regional High School (Passaic County Manchester Regional High School District)
  • Salem: Robert Fitzpatrick, eighth-grade English language arts teacher at Penns Grove Middle School (Penns Grove-Carneys Point Regional School District)
  • Somerset: Kiran Masud, teacher for the academically independent program at Hillside Intermediate School (Bridgewater-Raritan School District)
  • Sussex: Amy Stevens, eighth-grade English language arts teacher at Byram Intermediate School (Byram Township School District)
  • Union: Karen Carey-Lynch, English language arts and gifted and talented teacher at Roselle Park Middle School (Roselle Park School District)
  • Warren: Laura Wojick, computer science and information technology teacher at Phillipsburg High School (Phillipsburg School District)