Iowa Teacher of the Year

The Iowa Teacher of the Year (TOY) Award was established in 1958 and is sponsored by the Iowa Department of Education through an appropriation from the Iowa legislature. The award provides an opportunity to recognize an Iowa teacher who motivates, challenges, and inspires excellence; who is respected by students and peers; who is a dedicated professional that helps nurture hidden talents and abilities; who is a creative, caring individual; who takes teaching beyond textbooks and blackboards; and who is an exceptional teacher helping to redefine American education.

The Iowa TOY may serve as the Iowa Ambassador to Education, acting as an education liaison to primary and secondary schools in the state.

Nomination Information

Anyone, including school administrators, colleagues, students, parents, college faculty, and associations, may nominate teachers for the award. Self-nominations and nominations by family members are not accepted. Winners are chosen by a committee that includes representatives of the Iowa Department of Education, the Iowa State Education Association, the School Administrators of Iowa, the Parent Teachers Association, the past Iowa TOY, and representatives from higher education institutions.

Nominations for the 2025 Iowa TOY are closed. Nominations for the 2026 Iowa TOY will be available on January 2025.

2024 Iowa TOY Ann Mincks

Ann Mincks, a 15-year teacher, is the 2024 Iowa Teacher of the Year during an assembly at Hoover High School in Des Moines. The Teacher of the Year award recognizes exceptional teachers who demonstrate excellence in the classroom and who have made a significant impact on student outcomes and their fellow educators.

See photos and watch the announcement video from the event.

“Each day, Iowa’s outstanding teachers, like Ann Mincks, provide students with what they need to meet high expectations and realize their incredible potential,” Snow said. “Ann is an expert in meeting the needs of students who are English language learners and leverages the Science of Reading to best support students. On behalf of Governor Reynolds and all of us at the Iowa Department of Education, we thank Iowa’s dedicated educators and congratulate Ann on this honor!”

Mincks, 39, teaches English to English language learning high school students, many of whom are newcomers, in the Des Moines Community School District. She comes from a family of teachers and has helped to increase literacy proficiency at her school through the use of evidence-based, effective literacy instruction grounded in the Science of Reading.

“I believe our actions as educators matter,” she said. “I want students to have an experience that truly breaks down the walls of the classroom and connects students to their future successes in a career and as a community member.”

2025 Iowa Regional Teachers of the Year and TOY Finalists

Central Rivers Regional Teacher of the Year

Kevin Gartman, Montezuma Community School District

Gartman is a ninth year business teacher at Montezuma Community School District, specializing in personal finance. He has been recognized as a 2023 Distinguished Educator of Personal Finance and serves in the district as a lead teacher with a focus on school curriculum. He also coaches both cross country and track.

Meet Kevin Gartman

Grant Wood Regional Teacher of the Year

Susie Stark, Cedar Rapids Community School District

Stark is a veteran elementary teacher with 24 years of experience. For 20 years, Stark inspired young minds in fifth grade classes, and in the past four years, she has served as a second grade teacher for the Cedar Rapids Community School District.

Meet Susie Stark

Great Prairie Regional Teacher of the Year

Samantha Freeman, Mount Pleasant Community School District

A 14-year educator at Mount Pleasant Community School District, Freeman currently serves as the talented and gifted coordinator for K-5 students. She holds a Master’s degree from Morningside College and has coached middle school girls' track to four conference championships.

Meet Samantha Freeman

Green Hills Regional Teacher of the Year

Sarah Stephens, Creston Community School District

Stephens, a special education teacher at Creston Elementary School, is a veteran educator with 14 years of experience working with first through fifth grade students. She has served as an instructional coach, lead team member, peer mentor and middle school basketball coach. Stephens also serves as a Paraeducator Certification Course instructor. 

Meet Sarah Stephens

Heartland Regional Teacher of the Year

Blake Hammond, Des Moines Public Schools

Hammond earned his teaching degree at University of Northern Iowa and a Master’s degree in school administration from Viterbo University. He has been igniting a spark in science at Merrill Middle School in Des Moines since 2001.

Meet Blake Hammond

Keystone Regional Teacher of the Year

Alyssa Dalsing, Western Dubuque Community School District

Raised in Dubuque, Dalsing pursued her Elementary Education degree at Clarke University after starting at the University of Northern Iowa. Since returning to teaching in 2014, she has taught various grades and currently teaches fourth grade at Epworth Elementary at Western Dubuque Community School District.

Meet Alyssa Dalsing

Mississippi Bend Regional Teacher of the Year

Kaitlin Mahoney, Bettendorf Community School District

Mahoney is a math teacher at Bettendorf High School, now in her 11th year of teaching and seventh year as a student council advisor. She graduated from the University of Iowa with a degree in mathematics and is passionate about creating a positive and engaging learning environment for her students.

Meet Kaitlin Mahoney

Northwest Regional Teacher of the Year

Beth Oolman, MOC-Floyd Valley Community School District

As a middle school language arts teacher since 1989, Oolman currently teaches eighth grade English language arts (ELA) at MOC-Floyd Valley in Orange City. With a Master’s degree in Education and 20 years as the school’s 6-12 ELA Curriculum Specialist, she also serves as an adjunct instructor at Morningside University and Northwestern College.

Meet Beth Oolman

Prairie Lakes Regional Teacher of the Year

Melanie Bloom, Sioux Central Community School District

Bloom has spent 16 years teaching agriculture at Sioux Central Community School District in Sioux Rapids. A former FFA member and farm kid, Bloom helps students explore the field of agriculture through hands-on learning and FFA activities. She is also a farmer and is pursuing a PhD in Agricultural Education from the University of Missouri-Columbia.

Meet Melanie Bloom

Past TOY Recipients

**One of four contenders for National Teacher of the Year
*National Teacher of the Year