WASHINGTON—The National Education Association announced that Dr. Teresa M. Hodge, a mathematics professor at Broward College in Florida, will be awarded the 2025 Higher Educator of the Year award.
The Higher Educator of the Year award is sponsored by the NEA Foundation and recognizes a postsecondary education professional who demonstrates outstanding service to students, excellence in teaching and educating students, and exemplary state or local labor-based advocacy.
“The best educators understand how their roles are not just about contributing to an excellent education in the classroom, but also to their community—and Dr. Hodge is exactly one of those educators,” said NEA President Becky Pringle. “On behalf of the NEA’s more than three million members, we congratulate Teresa for creating an environment where every student feels welcome, no matter their race, background, or ability, and for sparking imagination, cultivating curiosity, and encouraging critical thinking in her classroom and her union work every day.”
“Teresa stands out as a true unionist and education advocate, and her superpower is her unwavering perseverance,” said Andrew Spar, president of the Florida Education Association. “Even in the face of attacks and challenges, Teresa shows us what’s possible when we stand together in solidarity. Through her leadership and determination, she lifts up and inspires those around her. When we lost payroll deduction in Florida, under her leadership, UFF not only successfully transitioned members to eDues, but also now has almost 1,500 more members than it did before losing payroll deduction. Her union work is a powerful example for us all. We are proud and lucky to know her and work alongside her.”
Hodge attended Hampton University, a historically Black university in Virginia, where she performed in Hampton’s famous marching band, clarinet quartet, and as a vocalist, while also participating in Naval ROTC and spending countless hours in the physics lab. Her first internship was at a NASA lab, studying unsteady aerodynamics.
Hodge earned her bachelor’s degree in mathematics and her master’s degree in applied mathematics. She also worked as a graduate assistant at Florida A&M University while earning her doctorate in curriculum and instruction from Florida State University.
“My style is unique, it’s fun, it’s approachable, and it is loud!” Hodge said. “Because of my ADHD, passive note taking was never going to work for me. You’ll never come into my classroom and see students sitting in rows, quietly. Math is meant to be loud! They’ll be running around, putting their names on the steps of problems that I have up around the room.” Hodge also ensures that her students’ racial diversity and lived experiences are represented in the math materials that she provides to them.
In 2010, Hodge was accepted into NEA’s then-Emerging Leaders Academy, an intensive, yearlong training program for NEA Higher Ed members. During this time, Hodge made the connection between her father’s historic work with USVI’s taxi drivers and her own work as a campus union leader. Hodge went on to serve as chapter president of Broward’s faculty union across two decades, and then as the statewide membership chair for United Faculty of Florida. Today, she is its president. “I love all aspects of union work,” said Hodge. “But my heartbeat is organizing.”
“What sets Teresa apart is not just her impressive resume, but her unwavering commitment to justice and equity,” wrote Adela Ghadimi, the executive director of the United Faculty of Florida, in recommending Hodge for the award. “Whether she is leading bargaining efforts, defending faculty rights through grievances and arbitrations, or mentoring emerging union leaders, she brings an unmatched level of expertise, integrity, and passion. She is a trailblazer, a fighter, and a role model.”
The recipient of the Higher Educator of the Year is decided annually by representatives of the NEA’s National Council for Higher Education, a group composed of NEA members working in or retired from higher education across the country. The committee reviewed numerous applications, which all detailed candidates’ impressive contributions to their students, schools, unions, and communities.
Hodge will be presented with the honor at the 2025 NEA Representative Assembly this July in Portland, Oregon.
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The National Education Association is the nation’s largest professional employee organization, representing more than 3 million elementary and secondary teachers, higher education faculty, education support professionals, school administrators, retired educators, students preparing to become teachers, healthcare workers, and public employees. Learn more at www.nea.org.
Media Contact
- Nico Ballón, NEA Communications
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