2025 KEA ESP of the Year Award Application

2025 KEA ESP of the Year Award Application

The KEA Education Support Professional of the Year Award recognizes the contributions of Education Support Professionals to their schools, communities, and their profession. The award is presented to an ESP member of KEA who demonstrates outstanding accomplishments and reflects the contributions of ESPs to public education. The award is $1,000 cash and is given at the KEA Delegate Assembly each year.

The 2025 KEA ESP of the Year will be submitted to NEA to be considered for the 2026 NEA ESP of the Year. NEA has very specific requirements for submission of nominations for the national ESPOY; this application reflects those requirements.

Eligibility: All current Active ESP members of a KEA local affiliate or bargaining unit who have been KEA members for at least three years as of December 31, 2024 are eligible. Please note that retired members are not eligible for the award.

Deadline for nominations: 5:00 PM Eastern, Friday, January 31, 2025. The application must be completed using this online form and must include all required attachments.

Important: The online form cannot check for spelling or grammatical errors and does not allow you to save and then edit or complete at a later date. Nominees are strongly encouraged to print a copy of the form and complete the questions separately in a Word document. Once complete, the final responses should be copied and pasted into the electronic form.

Your application will not be complete and will not be considered without all the required information. Required attachments:

THREE (3) LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION, which must comply with these criteria:

Each nomination must include three (3) Letters of Recommendation (no more, no less).

Letter writers should be from the nominee's school/worksite, local/state union, and community.

Letters should note how long the writer has known the nominee and should describe the capacity (e.g., school/worksite, local/state union, community) through which the writer is commenting on the nominee's accomplishments and impact.

Letters must be typed, one-page maximum, with one-inch margins and minimum 11-point font. They should include the signature of the person writing the letter and must be uploaded as a PDF document.

If more than three (3) letters of recommendation are submitted, only the first three (3) will be included in the nomination package and reviewed by the selection committee. All others will be discarded.

Letters must be uploaded as .PDF files. (Photos of letters will not be accepted.)

Additional guidelines and a resource for letter writers can be found at www.nea.org/espoty-nomination

DIGITAL HEAD SHOT:

Photo must be a high-resolution, digital head shot that is 1200x1200 pixels or 1.4Mb in size and 300 dpi. File must be submitted as a .JPG file.

Photos will be used in communications and promotional materials (e.g., nominee webpage, signage and award ceremony slideshow at the ESP conference, printed materials.)
Photos taken with a good quality smartphone or professional quality photos are recommended.

Additional guidelines can be found in the ESPOTY Overview and Requirements at www.nea.org/espoty-nomination

Please call 1-800-231-4532 if you have any questions about the application process.

Nominee's Personal Information

Nominee's Legal First Name*

Legal first name as it appears on your driver's license, birth certificate, etc.

Nominee's Legal Last Name*

Legal last name as it appears on your driver's license, birth certificate, etc.

Preferred/Chosen Name*

The name by which you want to be referred.

What name would you like to be used on your certificate and in other communications and promotional materials (e.g., webpage, signage)?*

Home City*

Home Street Address*

Home State*

Home Zip Code*

Personal Email*

An email that you check regularly year round. Preferably not a school work email.

Primary Phone Number*

Preferably NOT a school or work phone number

Phone

Alternate Phone Number

Phone

Age Range

Select or enter value

Race/Ethnicity*

Select

Gender Identity*

Select or enter value

Pronouns for inclusion in promotional materials*

Select or enter value

If you selected "prefer to self-describe" or "prefer not to say" above, please enter your desired pronouns

Nominee's Worksite/Career Information

Local Affiliate*

Please spell out the name of your local; do not abbreviate

Local President*

Please provide the name of the nominee's Local President

UniServ Director

Please provide the name of the nominee's UniServ Director

KEA Membership Number*

The KEA membership number is 10 digits long; if you don't have this information, you can find it on the mailing label of your NEA Today magazine or a KEA staff member can get it for you. In the alternative, you may provide the last 4 of your SSN. This information will be used to verify your membership.

Number of Years as a KEA Member*

Must have been a member for at least 3 years as of December 31, 2024

Employment Status*

Select or enter value

Job Title*

No abbreviations, please. The job title provided will be used in communication and promotional materials.

NEA ESP Career Family*

Check all that apply. Visit nea.org/esp for career family descriptions.

Select

Other - Career Family

If you selected "other" for NEA Career Family above, please explain.

Career Experience*

Select or enter value

School/Worksite*

Please do not abbreviate.

School District*

Please do not abbreviate.

Select or enter value

Work City*

Worksite Level*

Check all that apply.

Select

Other Worksite Level

If you selected "other" as your worksite level above, please elaborate:

School / Community Type*

Select

"Other" School/Community Type

If you selected "other" as a School Community Type above, please identify:

Is your school a Title 1 school?*

If you work in multiple schools, if your main worksite is not a school, or if this otherwise does not apply, please select N/A.

Select or enter value

Personal Statement

Nominees must submit a Personal Statement that provides specific examples of achievement and impact in each of the four award criteria. The Personal Statement cannot exceed 750 words per criterion.

Impact on students:*

Describe specific actions you have taken and how those actions positively impacted student learning, social-emotional well-being, health, and/or safety. Limit 750 words.

Impact on Families and the Community:*

Describe specific actions you have taken and how those actions have positively impacted families and/or the local community. Limit 750 words.

Union engagement and activism, ESP focus*

Describe how your engagement and activism with the local or state union/association have positively impacted ESP's professional stature (e.g., importance and reputation), stability (e.g., wages, benefits, and job security), and/or effectiveness (e.g., professional practice). Limit 750 words.

Impact on colleagues*

Describe specific actions you have taken and how those actions have positively impacted colleagues at your school campus, school district, or worksite. Limit 750 words.

Resume Questionnaire

Nominees should further demonstrate their accomplishments related to the award criteria through the Resume Questionnaire. It should outline the work and professional experiences of the nominee through brief bullets or paragraphs. Nominees may respond with up to 750 words per question.

Professional Positions

What professional positions (e.g., worksite position, job) do you currently hold? Limit 750 words.*

What professional positions (e.g., worksite position, job) have you held in the past? Limit 750 words.*

School/District Positions Appointments

Current appointments*

What additional school or district roles (e.g., committee or workgroup roles; students, athletic club or coaching positions; other engagements outside your job) do you currently have? 750 word limit.

Past appointments*

What additional school or district roles (e.g., committee or workgroup roles; students, athletic club or coaching positions; other engagements outside your job) have you held in the past? 750 word limit.

Education/Training

Please list your education, training and/or certificated, licenses, etc. Limit 750 words.*

External Organizations/Stakeholder Positions

Current external positions*

What positions with external organizations, community groups, or other stakeholders do you currently hold? Limit 750 words.

Past external positions*

What positions with external organizations, community groups, or other stakeholders have you held in the past? Limit 750 words.

Honors/Awards

Please list any honors or awards you have received, including the name of the honor/award and the year received. 750 word limit.*

Association Positions/Appointments

Current Association Positions/Appointments*

What Association positions or committee appointments do you currently hold? Limit 750 words.

Past Association Positions/Appointments*

What Association positions or committee appointments have you held in the past? Limit 750 words.

Required File Upload*

All of the following are required for your application to be complete.

THREE (3) LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION

Be sure you attach three (3) letters that each comply with the requirements listed below:

IMPORTANT!!

Each nomination must include three (3) Letters of Recommendation (no more, no less).
Letter writers should be from the nominee's school/worksite, local/state union, and community.
Letters must be typed, one-page maximum, with one-inch margins and minimum 11-point font.
Letters must be uploaded as .PDF files.
If more than three (3) letters of recommendation are submitted, only the first three (3) will be included in the nomination package and reviewed by the selection committee. All others will be discarded.

Additional guidelines and a resource for letter writers can be found at www.nea.org/espoty-nomination

DIGITAL HEAD SHOT:

Photo must be a high-resolution, digital head short that is 1200x1200 pixels or 1.4Mb in size and 300 dpi. File must be submitted as a .JPG file.
Photos will be used in communications and promotional materials (e.g., nominee webpage, signage and award ceremony slideshow at the ESP conference, printed materials.)
Photos taken with a good quality smartphone or professional quality photos takey by affiliate staff are recommended.
Additional guidelines can be found in the ESPOTY Overview and Requirements at www.nea.org/espoty-nomination

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