The Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) has named the new class of ambassadors for the GoTeachKY initiative.
The mission of GoTeachKY is to ensure that all students across the Commonwealth have equitable access to effective educators. GoTeachKY seeks to recruit and inspire the next generation of teachers in Kentucky, helping address the critical teacher shortage that affects every state in the nation.
Ambassadors were selected from a pool of applicants across the state who answered the call for teachers interested in supporting the initiative and promoting the teaching profession. The 2025–2026 cohort represents a diverse mix of grade levels, subject areas and geographic regions across Kentucky.
Ambassadors have three primary goals:
• Communicate with and inspire students in high school and college to consider teaching as a career.
• Engage with potential and current teachers to highlight the rewards and opportunities of the profession.
• Support and promote the central focus areas, programs and organizations of GoTeachKY, such Educators Rising Kentucky and the Teaching and Learning career pathway.
During their term, ambassadors will participate in professional learning and outreach opportunities designed to amplify educator voices and strengthen Kentucky’s teacher pipeline. They will represent GoTeachKY at career fairs, conferences and community events, as well as share their stories through social media to encourage future educators to pursue teaching in Kentucky.
“GoTeachKY ambassadors are passionate educators who embody the heart of our profession,” said Veda Stewart, director of Kentucky Department of Education’s Division of Educator Recruitment and Development. “Their leadership helps inspire the next generation to see teaching not only as a career, but as a calling.”
Ambassadors must be in-service teachers in a Kentucky public school and have at least four years of experience as a teacher, principal or other certified school staff member. Each ambassador has a unique story that brought them into the teaching profession, and their experiences will be featured throughout the year as examples of the many pathways available to future educators.
The 2025–2026 GoTeachKY Ambassadors are:
• Shannon Barnes, Fulton County High School
• Chrystel Blair, Hartstern Elementary School (Jefferson County)
• Neal Bryant, Crittenden County Middle School
• Jennifer Costello, Bowling Green Junior High School (Bowling Green Independent)
• Emily Creech, Ryland Heights Elementary School (Kenton County)
• William Downing, Rockfield Elementary School (Warren County)
• Gregory Edens, Rosspoint Elementary School (Harlan County)
• Whitney Jo Farmer Gonzales, Northern Elementary School (Pulaski County)
• Jessica Helton, Louisa East Elementary School (Lawrence County)
• Lindsay Johnson, Rowan County Senior High School
• Kaitlyn Kelly, Coventry Oak Elementary School (Fayette County)
• Paul Lamb, Sharpe Elementary School and Calvert City Elementary School (Marshall County)
• Joie Logsdon, Union County High School
• Rebecca Pearcy, Dr. William H Perry Elementary School (Jefferson County)
• Katelynn Priddy, Churchill Park School (Jefferson County)
• Melissa Reed, Burns Middle School (Daviess County)
• Vanessa Rush, Arnett Elementary School (Erlanger-Elsmere Independent)
• Tyler Saylor, Harlan High School (Harlan Independent)
• Paul Stepp, Simons Middle School (Fleming County)
• Ashley E. Tackett, Royal Spring Middle School (Scott County)
• Jessica Talley, Mt. Washington Middle School (Bullitt County)
• Joanna Trautman, Southwestern High School (Pulaski County)
• Jennifer Weaver, TK Stone Middle School (Elizabethtown Independent)
• Amie Greshen Willis, Great Crossing High School (Scott County)
For more information, visit the GoTeachKY Ambassador Program webpage.
Kentucky Department of Education