DES MOINES — The Iowa Department of Education today announced nine teachers, representing all education regions of the state, as the first-ever Iowa Regional Teachers of the Year. Each teacher represents outstanding achievements in K-12 instruction within Iowa’s nine education regions.

“This year, the Department of Education was excited to establish a new Regional Teacher of the Year designation that celebrates excellence in teaching across all corners of our state,” said Iowa Department of Education Director McKenzie Snow. “We recognize the expertise, commitment and care of each of Iowa’s inaugural 2025 Regional Teachers of the Year, and we thank them for choosing this honored profession, putting students at the center of all they do.”

From nominations submitted by educators, students, families and fellow Iowans, Kevin Gartman, Susie Stark, Samantha Freeman, Sarah Stephens, Blake Hammond, Alyssa Dalsing, Kaitlin Mahoney, Beth Oolman and Melanie Bloom have been selected as Iowa’s 2025 Regional Teachers of the Year. Each of these incredible teachers will now serve as finalists for the 2025 Iowa Teacher of the Year award, which will be announced later this year.

“With the support of educators across Iowa, we had the privilege of selecting nine teachers representing different grades and subjects, including elementary special education, middle school science and high school personal finance teachers among many other incredible educators,” Snow said.

Established in 1958, the prestigious Teacher of the Year award recognizes an Iowa teacher who advances student learning through evidence-based instruction, empowers students with multiple pathways to postsecondary success, learns from and invests in fellow educators and serves students in partnership with families. Last year, Ann Mincks, an English Language Learner educator from Des Moines Public Schools’ Herbert Hoover High School, was named as the 2024 Iowa Teacher of the Year. The Iowa Teacher of the Year serves as an ambassador for the Iowa Department of Education and a representative of and liaison for all Iowa educators.

Central Rivers Regional Teacher of the Year
Kevin Gartman, Montezuma Community School District
Gartman, a high school and junior high business teacher at Montezuma Community School District, specializes in personal finance. He holds a business education degree and a Master’s degree in educational leadership from the University of Northern Iowa. 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 cross country and track. He is a leader in personal finance, having presented on how to teach personal finance concepts at the local, state and regional levels.

More information about the Regional Teachers of the Year and the Iowa Teacher of the Year process is available on the Department’s website.