2024 Award Winners
ACTEN Administrator of the Year
Jennifer McConville, Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture
Dr. Jennifer McConville is the Associate Dean for Finance, Operations, and Student Services at the Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture in Curtis, Nebraska. She received her AA from McCook Community College, her bachelor’s degree from Bellevue University, her MBA from the University of Nebraska at Kearney, and her doctoral degree in Education from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. She came to higher ed in 2012 as an assistant professor in agribusiness management, where she taught for three years before joining the administrative team at NCTA.
Jennifer’s passion in higher education is directly associated to the benefits of two-year colleges and workforce development for rural revitalization within the state of Nebraska. Her experiences in a family agriculture business, and as a resident of a small community, reinforces her personal commitment to workforce development, rural revitalization, and sustainability of our communities.
Jennifer’s supervisor states, “Jennifer is a consummate professional and is always looking for opportunities to improve herself for the ultimate betterment of the campus. Jennifer attends professional development conferences and brings back ideas that we can and do implement on our small campus.”
Dr. McConville has become involved with ACTE/ACTEN at the state, regional, and national level. Jennifer currently serves as the Administrative Division Representative for the ACTEN board and is a Region V Fellow.
ACTEN Carl Perkin’s Community Service Award
Britton Andreasen, Twin River Public Schools
Britton Andreasen is a dedicated Family & Consumer Sciences Educator and FCCLA Adviser. She has a strong passion for inspiring students to become strong leaders in their families and communities. With ten years of experience in education, she has a proven track record of fostering a classroom and CTSO environment inclusive of developing these skills and cultivating a strong sense of community within her students.
Britton is know for her value of community both professionally and personally and will often state that family and community are two of the most important values in her life. She is actively involved in spearheading yearly community service activities in collaboration with the local Chamber of Commerce, in the classroom, and through FCCLA. She often states “strong families make strong communities”, which creates an emphasis around family involvement in community activities.
In addition to being an FCCLA advisor, Mrs. Andreasen is president of the Twin River Teacher Association, a member of the Family and Consumer Science Teachers of Nebraska, and the Association for Career and Technical Education of Nebraska.
A colleague writes, “Mrs. Andreasen is known for making strong partnerships between our school and several local business and community organizations. She is constantly developing more outreach opportunitities for her students in her classes. It’s rare that a weekend goes by without our FCCLA Chapter holding some type of event or community-engagement activity.”
ACTEN Outstanding Business Teacher of the Year
Shelly Mowinkel, Milford Public Schools
Shelly Mowinkel is the teacher for business and technology and the technology coach at Milford Public Schools. Mrs. Mowinkel’s robust learning environment impacts student learning in several ways: giving students real-world relevance, fostering career exploration, engaging students in community service, and building a sense of belonging and purpose. These opportunities ensure students explore their interest and passions while understanding the vitality of community support. Cross-collaboration stands as a crucial element in the success in her classrooms.
Shelly’s numerous accolades include being honored as a 2023 Nebraska Teacher of Excellence, 2015 National Business Middle-Level Teacher of the Year, and the 2013 Outstanding NETA Teacher in Technology. She is currently a NETA board member and a member of ACTEN. Shelly served as the 2014-15 president of the Nebraska State Business Education Association. Shelly presented over 50 times at local, state, and national conferences on classroom strategies and innovative technologies. Beyond her teaching role, Shelly is the FBLA Co-Advisor, Head Junior High Track Coach, and Senior Class sponsor.
The Director of Learning at MPS states, “One of Shelly’s greatest strengths is her ability to connect with area businesses and other educators. She understands the importance of closing the gap between classroom learning and real-world application. By connecting her students with these external opportunities, she not only enhances their academic knowledge but also equips them with practical skills and industry experiences that will empower them in their future.”
ACTEN Outstanding Trades and Industrial Education Teacher of the Year
TJ Hilsinger, Bancroft-Rosalie Community Schools
Mr. Hilsinger is in his 16th year as an Industrial Technology instructor at Bancroft-Rosalie Community Schools. TJ graduated from Wayne State College in 2006 with a bachelor’s degree and in 2013 for his master’s degree. He taught seven years at Lyons-Decatur Northeast High school before teaching at Bancroft-Rosalie High School. The courses he teaches include Technical Drafting, Architectural Drafting, Electricity, Automation and Robotics, Welding, Small Engines, Woods and Construction.
In addition to teaching, he is the Skills USA advisor. TJ started the SkillsUSA Chapter at Bancroft-Rosalie. The chanpter as qualified several students for national competition each of the past six years of its existence. He led the Leadership Team in working with the school staff to develop a scope and sequence coverage map for each Nebraska Standard for Career Readiness. As part of this process, the Leadership team developed proficiency scales for each of the standards to measure proficiency at each assessment point.
TJ’s superintendent has this to say about TJ, “Mr. Hilsinger has developed a very competitive SkillsUSA program at the school. He has worked to ensure that the Nebraska Career Readiness Standards are fully integrated into all curriculum areas. Mr. Hisinger led our College and Career Readiness Leadership Team to develop and implement the reVISION action plan.”
ACTEN Outstanding FCS Teacher of the Year
Michelle Paxton, Palmyra Public Schools
Michelle Paxton is the FCS teacher at Palmyra Jr/Sr High School and also serves as the FCCLA Adviser and one of six Nebraska State Peer Officer Team Advisers. Beyond her engaging classroom approach, she passionately advocates for FCS and CTE within her district and the state, actively participating in mentorship opportunities for new teachers and students pursuing FCS education.
In the professional realm, she plays a pivotal role in FCSTN, having served as membership chairperson from 2018 to 2023 and currently holding the position of president-elect. Michelle represents FCSTN on the ACTEN board, contributing her expertise to the broader CTE community. Her multi-faceted contributions showcase a dedicated commitment to advancng FCS education both locally and statewide, making her a respected figure in the field.
Her superintendent writes, “Mrs. Paxton’s positive interpersonal skills and her innate ability to ‘connect’ with students is one of her strengths. Michelle is also very creative, passionate about promoting student interest in her FCS classes and content-related activity groups, and she is very organized in planning her classroom lessons, labs, and outside activities. This valuable combination of skills has not only helped increase the overall enrollment of students in our FCCLA groups, but it has also increased student interest in our FCS content-related classes.”
ACTEN Member of the Year
Sheree Moser, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Sheree Moser is an Assistant Professor of Practice at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. She teaches within the department of Child, Youth and Family Studies. Her lifelong passion has been to improve the lives of all individuals and families and working with future teachers.
Sheree has been a member of ACTE, ACTEN, and FCSTN since 1985. She has served as the president-elect, president, and past president of the Nebraska Association of Family and Consumer Sciences and the Family and Consumer Scieneces Teachers of Nebraska as well as well as several other leadership positions in AAFCS/NAFCS and FCSTN. From 1999-2008, Dr. Moser served as the FCS Division Representative on the ACTEN Board. Sheree has published several articles, presented at many conferences, and served on a variety of committees for these organizations as well.
She received the UNL Distinguished Alumni Award, Region V Post-Secondary Teacher of the Year, ACTEN Post-Secondary Teacher of the Year, ACTEN Service Award, FCCLA National Service Award, FCSTN State Service Award, and FCSTN Teacher of the Year.
ACTEN Lifetime Achievement Award
Dan Stehlik, Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture
Dan Stehlik serves as an Agriculture Mechanic Lecturer at the Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture. Dan has been involved with CTE his entire career through Nebraska and Kansas. Dan was a 1975 graduate of Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture (NCTA) where he graduated with an associate degree in production agriculture. After graduating, he farmed at his family farm in Dorchester for eight years before returning to college at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and graduating with a general agriculture and agriculture degree in education in 1986. After graduating he taught agriculture education at Red Cloud and Columbus Lakeview. In 1995 Dan moved to Kansas and taught agriculture education at Concordia and Belleville for nearly 20 years. In 2015 he returned to Nebraska as the Agriculture Mechanic Instructor at NCTA. His classes are taken by students in most majors including Agricultural Education, Diversified Agricultural Production, and Agribusiness Management Systems. Dan has created one of the only programs in the nation in irrigation technology.
Outside of the classroom, Dan raises sheep and is the State President of the Nebraska Sheep and Goat Association. He also serves on the National Lamb Council. His supervisor states “Dan is extremely committed to youth education and spends countless hours of his own time supporting both FFA and 4-H students. Dan serves as the FFA State Agricultural Mechanics CDE Superintendent and shares his passion by mentoring teachers and students to improve their skills. He also serves as the Frontier County Sheep Superintendent and donates both time and resources to ensure 4-H members have success in their projects.”
ACTE Region V Outstanding New CTE Teacher of the Year
Sarah Hubel, Cross County Schools
Sarah Hubel has taught Family and Consumer Science and advised FCCLA members for four years. During her years of service, she has emphasized student personal growth through career exploration and FCCLA involvement. She strives to make content connections with students’ interests and CTSO opportunities. She recognizes student potential to succeed and will encourage them to use their skills and classroom success for FCCLA recognition. The importance of FCS and FCCLA opportunities motivates Sarah to make classroom and life connections with her students.
During the two years she has been at Cross County, she has re-written and updated the curriculum for all FCS classes and aligned them to state standards. She created social media campaign materials highlighting FCS career pathways for the students and incorporated career readiness standards in her classes.
Her principal writes, “Besides being an outstanding FCS teacher, she is a phenomenal FCCLA sponsor. Each and every day she is impacting students and teachers. She is providing cutting-edge opportunities for our students in her classroom.”
Sarah was recognized as the Outstanding New Teacher of the Year during the Region V Conference April 9-12, 2024, held in Honolulu, Hawaii.
