r. Deena Bishop is being honored as the Junior Achievement (JA) of Alaska Educator of the Year for her outstanding support of community partnerships, JA’s experiential programs, and emphasizing career readiness for students. “Dr. Bishop’s hands-on approach to leadership is admirable, and her commitment to delivering the best education to Anchorage students every day is outstanding. Strong, collaborative partnerships between the business community and schools are important for students,” says JA President Flora Teo.

In her role as superintendent for both Anchorage and Mat-Su schools, Bishop has attended JA in a Day events for many years, spending time in classrooms and sharing real-world lessons that connect what students are learning in schools to how they will use that knowledge in the future. Last May Bishop attended JA’s Volunteer Appreciation event where she thanked members of the business community for volunteering their time and investing in Alaska’s students. JA’s programs teach financial literacy, workforce readiness, and entrepreneurship and are provided to teachers and schools at no cost.

Nominations for Educator of the Year are made through a statewide nomination process. Candidates must demonstrate above-average commitment to JA and volunteerism and promote the pillars of Junior Achievement: financial literacy, workforce readiness, and entrepreneurship.