Arizona Educational Foundation

Arizona Educational Foundation Celebrating excellence & cultivating opportunity in PK-12th grade AZ public education.

Join the Arizona Diamondbacks as they take on the Philadelphia Phillies on Monday, August 31st for a special Teacher App...
08/28/2026

Join the Arizona Diamondbacks as they take on the Philadelphia Phillies on Monday, August 31st for a special Teacher Appreciation celebration dedicated to honoring educators and administrators!

Your Exclusive Teacher Appreciation Package Includes:
☕️ A limited-edition D-backs teacher-themed coffee mug (included with every ticket!)
👏 Pregame, on-field parade access for teachers and administrators to be recognized in front of fellow fans
🎟️ Game ticket to D-backs vs Phillies on Monday, August 31st @ 6:40pm

https://www.gofevo.com/event/AZEF26

Grab your ticket through our exclusive link to support AEF as we continue to hit home runs in education! See you there!

Our team spent some time up in the pines this week! 🌲We love any opportunity to visit our schools and partners in Northe...
08/27/2026

Our team spent some time up in the pines this week! 🌲

We love any opportunity to visit our schools and partners in Northern AZ, especially during the summer!

The visit kicked off with a moving grant ceremony with ACF of Flagstaff, where AEF was awarded a grant from their Flagstaff Education Fund to bring our Spheres of Industry program up north.

After connecting with more partners, we visited Prescott High School, where we volunteered at their Reality Store, helping 9th graders envision their careers and finances through an immersive exercise.

We loved connecting with partners along the way, and sharing all the ways we can support and shine a light on our public schools!

We’re proud to close out our celebration of the 2026 Arizona Education Hall of Fame inaugural class with the Amphi Found...
08/22/2026

We’re proud to close out our celebration of the 2026 Arizona Education Hall of Fame inaugural class with the Amphi Foundation, our School District Foundation of the Year! 🎉

The Amphi Foundation, serving Tucson-area students and educators, provides clothing and shoes for students in need, food drives, emergency family funding, scholarships, teacher grants, classroom supplies, and academic programs across the Amphitheater School District.

Congratulations to the Amphi Foundation on this well-deserved honor, and thank you for all you do to help students, educators, and families thrive.

08/21/2026

And to close out our finalist recognitions, we'd love for you to meet Lisa Scott, our 2027 Arizona Teacher of the Year! 🎉

Lisa Scott is a dynamic 8th grade science teacher at Esmond Station K-8 School Tucson, Arizona. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education from the University of Arizona, and holds approvals in middle grades science, social studies, and language arts. She has been teaching for 21 years.

Scott began her career teaching 1st grade in the Vail School District but switched to teaching middle school when she moved to New Jersey, where she found her true calling in educating adolescents. She returned to Vail where she found her home at Esmond Station K-8. She is passionate about getting her students to think and act like scientists in the classroom to prepare them for becoming critical thinkers in any future they choose. She strives to provide an inquiry-based learning environment that fosters curiosity and problem solving, while making learning accessible for all students, regardless of background or challenges.

She is committed to inclusivity, making sure that every student in her classroom feels seen, supported, and empowered to succeed. Scott was named the 2023 Teacher of the Year for Esmond Station School. In 2025, she was selected as an Arizona finalist for the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching, the highest award in the nation for math and science educators. She was also selected as a Pima County Metro Education Commission Exemplary Educator for 2025. Scott further serves on the Board of Directors for Southern Arizona Adaptive Sports and as a peer mentor for amputees.

👏 Determined teachers like Lisa deserve to be celebrated. Know an Arizona educator who inspires, leads, and makes a lasting impact? Nominations for the 2028 Arizona Teacher of the Year are now open! https://form.jotform.com/262025982959167

Michelle Bugh Doherty embodies the spirit of Carolyn Warner’s founding vision for AEF: a lifelong commitment to recogniz...
08/21/2026

Michelle Bugh Doherty embodies the spirit of Carolyn Warner’s founding vision for AEF: a lifelong commitment to recognizing and empowering Arizona’s educators and strengthening public education. We’re thrilled to honor her as the recipient of the Carolyn Warner Legacy Award and welcome her to the Arizona Education Hall of Fame! 🎉

Michelle, the 2017 Arizona Teacher of the Year, is the recipient of the Carolyn Warner Legacy Award, endowed by the Warner family to honor a past Arizona Teacher of the Year who has continued making a difference well beyond their award year. A 35-year classroom veteran, Michelle now coaches and mentors first-year teachers through the Arizona Teachers Academy at the Arizona K12 Center at NAU, and serves on AEF’s board of directors.

We’re so proud to celebrate Michelle and the lasting difference she continues to make for Arizona’s educators and students!

08/20/2026

Meet Emily, a 2027 Ambassador for Excellence! 🍎

Emily Godlove teaches 7th grade English and Targeted English Language Development at Flowing Wells Junior High School in Tucson, Arizona. She began teaching social studies at Flowing Wells after earning a Master of Education and Bachelor of Arts at the University of Arizona.

After five years in the classroom, Godlove relocated to Australia, where she taught English online to Chinese students. This move abroad sparked a deep interest in English language instruction and created the turning point in her professional trajectory. She experienced an epiphany, realizing she belonged in a traditional classroom within this field. Motivated to come home to Arizona, she taught at Blue Ridge in Pinetop-Lakeside, before returning to Flowing Wells to work with English Language Learners.

Throughout her career, Godlove has demonstrated a strong commitment to leadership and professional growth. In just her second year, she was selected to mentor a first-year teacher and has since mentored four additional novices. She serves on the School Improvement Committee, has been promoted to Department Chair, and was chosen by the district to design and facilitate professional development workshops. She has also been elected to the Flowing Wells Education Association Executive Board, serving two terms as President. Her recognized expertise in English led to her selection as Associate Editor for the journal "Women & Criminal Justice".

Her greatest achievement, however, is her dedication to her students. She deliahts in participating in spirit weeks, reading alongside students in beanbag chairs, and equipping them with the skills and confidence they need to thrive.

👏 Motivating teachers like Emily deserve to be celebrated. Know an Arizona educator who inspires, leads, and makes a lasting impact? Nominations for the 2028 Arizona Teacher of the Year are now open! https://form.jotform.com/262025982959167

We’re incredibly proud to celebrate Marianne Lescher, a longtime champion of Arizona public education, as the 2026 Educa...
08/20/2026

We’re incredibly proud to celebrate Marianne Lescher, a longtime champion of Arizona public education, as the 2026 Education Leader of the Year! 🍎

A 45-year veteran of public education as both teacher and principal, Lescher is the only Arizona principal to hold the A+ School of Excellence Award for eight consecutive years. She was named the 2025 National Distinguished Elementary School Principal of the Year, and Kyrene Traditional Academy is a National Blue Ribbon School.

We’re so excited to welcome Marianne to the Arizona Education Hall of Fame and celebrate her incredible legacy of leadership and excellence. Her dedication to students, educators, and schools has made a lasting impact, and we’re proud to honor all she has done, and continues to do, to support Arizona public education!

08/19/2026

Michael Haslanger is one of our incredible 2027 Ambassadors for Excellence! 👏

Michael fell backwards into education, and subsequently found his calling. After working in the entertainment industry to begin his career, Haslanger now loves getting to share what he learned backstage, on stage, and on the sidelines with the next generation of Theatre Artists.

After graduating from Viterbo University in LaCrosse, Wisconsin, Haslanger moved to Arizona to work as a master electrician and scenic carpenter. From there he started freelancing and ended up serving as the lighting director for both the Arizona Coyotes and the Arizona Cardinals. During his time as a designer, Haslanger was recognized with an AriZoni Award and was a frequently requested collaborator within the community. During his tenure in education, he has been honored with multiple awards, including Teacher of the Year (2020) for the Buckeye Union High School - BUHSD #201, multiple Employee of the Month awards, and a nomination for the Carnegie Mellon Excellence in Theatre Education Award through the Tony Awards.

Haslanger earned his Master's in Theatre Education from the University of Houston in 2024. As part of that program, he was able to study with the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts and the Globe Theatre in London, with the Lincoln Center in New York City and with the Acting Studio of Chicago. Now serving as the Theatre Teacher for Buckeye Union High School, he is committed to making the entertainment industry accessible to all students.

👏 Empowering teachers like Michael deserve to be celebrated. Know an Arizona educator who inspires, leads, and makes a lasting impact? Nominations for the 2028 Arizona Teacher of the Year are now open! Visit our website to learn more.

We were honored to present the inaugural Spirit of Education Award to Salt River Project! 🍎Salt River Project was recogn...
08/19/2026

We were honored to present the inaugural Spirit of Education Award to Salt River Project! 🍎

Salt River Project was recognized for its long-standing investment in Arizona classrooms and communities. The nonprofit utility’s contributions include award-winning educational resources and teacher training, classroom grants that offset the cost of school supplies, and millions of dollars in support for Arizona nonprofits—work that has helped generations of students understand the connections between water, energy, and sustainability.

We’re so excited to welcome SRP to the Arizona Education Hall of Fame and celebrate the lasting impact they’ve made on students, educators, and communities across our state!

08/18/2026

Meet Lauren Lundeberg, one of our 2027 Ambassadors for Excellence! ✨

Lauren currently serves in her most beloved capacity - a general education classroom kindergarten teacher. She has the honor of teaching at Rattlesnake Ridge Elementary School in Tucson, Arizona. Lundeberg holds a Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education with a Structured English Immersion Endorsement from Northern Arizona University and an Associate of Arts in Liberal Studies/Elementary Education. She is a newly National Board Certified teacher who achieved in the category of Early Childhood Generalist.

Lundeberg highly values collaboration, innovation, compassion, and rigor. On her campus she leads in capacities such as the Kindergarten Educational Leadership Facilitator, guiding coalition team member, and 'Empowered Teaching' cohort one member. Lundeberg strives to create an environment in which every child, regardless of their assigned teacher, feels safe, loved, and extraordinary. To students, she serves as one that creates environments that enhance learning, provide safe and comfortable spaces to grow, and offer innovative and engaging learning opportunities. To colleagues, she serves as the encourager who opens her door to collaborate on student challenges, celebrate successes both big and small, create innovative learning experiences, and share her instructional practices and passion for teaching.

She remains in education on the stance that she will always be in one of three places to each child that she comes into contact with: in front of them to clear their path, next to them so they are never walking alone, or behind them to provide a gentle push towards challenging and achievable growth.

👏 Dedicated teachers like Lauren deserve to be celebrated. Know an Arizona educator who inspires, leads, and makes a lasting impact? Nominations for the 2028 Arizona Teacher of the Year are now open! https://form.jotform.com/262025982959167

Address

326 E Coronado Road, STE 207
Phoenix, AZ
85004

Telephone

+14804219376

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