Be a teacher leader!
Your voice and experience can open the door to a professional development journey that provides resources to make an impact on the profession through global agriculture literacy.
Educators Empowering Educators (E3)
This work is supported by the Professional Development for Agricultural Literacy (PDAL), grant no. 2024-67037-42817, from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Institute of Food and Agriculture: Project Title: Educators Empowering Educators for Global Agricultural Literacy, Project Director: Daniel D. Foster.
What is the Educators Empowering Educators (E3) Program?
- Educators Empowering Educators, or E3, is a professional development program for educators rooted in collaboration by creating teacher teams. Teams will undergo professional development on global agriculture and sustainable development – and discuss how to implement these topics into their curricula.
- As part of a their investment of approximately 110 hours across 24 months, teacher teams will work to develop resources for educators related to global connections in one of the six USDA Agriculture, Food, and Research Initiative (AFRI) priority areas.
- This program includes a three-day professional development experience in State College, Pennsylvania, meetings and connections with agricultural researchers and experts, and opportunities to share your outputs with educators from across the nation and world as a planning lead of the 2026 Global Ag Literacy Summit!
Our 2024-2025 focus areas and teams
What are the objectives of this program?
- Equip teachers with a comprehensive understanding of the linkages between global agriculture, diverse subject areas, and real-world issues, enabling them to integrate agricultural themes into their curricula
- Develop a collaborative platform that connects teachers across disciplines, allowing them to exchange insights, share best practices, and collaboratively develop cross-curricular projects targeting global agriculture topics.
Who can apply for this program?
This is a federally funded program that is intended for a specific educator audience. Our two applicant requirements are that participants must be:
- K-14 educators
- Currently teaching in a U.S. school system
Interested in applying to be a teacher team member? Learn more about the benefits and requirements here.
Ways to Engage:
There are two primary ways to engage with this program:
- Teacher Team Members – educators who participate in all aspects of programming (110-hour time commitment). Team Leaders for each teacher team will be solicited from accepted participants. (one-pager linked here)
- Agricultural Science Research Team Members– Scientists and content experts who support the teacher teams (30-hour time commitment). Interested in serving on our agricultural science research teams? Contact Thomas Gabel at tgabel@psu.edu
What do I get if selected to be an E3 Team Member?
- Stipends for your time ($1,750 per teacher!)
- Connections with a team of 12 outstanding teachers
- Connections with leading agricultural scientists
- Travel expense to an exclusive three-day professional development domestic immersion in University Park, PA
- Opportunity to develop a 45-60 minute on-demand professional development course for educators
- Opportunity to lead a mini-grant program for educators
- Funding to lead an educator professional development workshop at regional and national educator conferences
Cohort 2 Timeline
2025:
- June 2025 – Applications Open
- August 15, 2025 – Applications Close
- September 15, 2025 – Applicants Notified of Decision
- Fall 2025 – Virtual Orientation and Training Sessions
2026:
- January 14-17, 2026 – Happy Valley Immersion Training in State College, PA
- Spring 2026 – Virtual Team Meetings and Development of Courses, Mini-Grants, Workshops, etc.
- June 16-18, 2026 – Global Ag Literacy Summit (Virtual)
- Fall 2026 – Facilitate mini-grant program, face-to-face workshops, and mentorship of cohort 3
2027:
- Spring 2027 – Mentorship of cohort 3 and conclude any remaining grant deliverables
Cohort 2 applications OPEN NOW!
Preview the application form here:
2024-2025 Cohort
Plant Health and Production and Plant Products Team
Plant Health and Production and Plant Products – Teacher Team Members
Jeff Klose – Team Lead
Agriculture teacher at Canyon High School (TX)
Kristin Beery:
Agriculture Teacher at Valley Career and Technical Center (VA)
Nicolette Cusate:
Agriculture teacher at Mifflin County Academy of Science and Technology (PA)
Amy Mire
Agriculture teacher at Southside High School (LA)
Plant Health and Production and Plant Products – Scientist Team Members
Francesco Di Gioia, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Vegetable Crop Science
Radhika Chalam
Research Technologist
Rishi Ravichandran
Ph.D Candidate
Food Safety, Nutrition, and Health Team
Food Safety, Nutrition, and Health – Teacher Team Members
Julia Hudyncia – Team Lead
Agriculture teacher at Oppenheim-Ephratah-St. Johnsville Jr./Sr. High School (NY)
Tambra Clark
Library/media specialist at South Hampton K-8 School (AL)
Tiffany Gauthier
Agriculture teacher at Lafayette High School (LA)
Myken Poorman
Agriculture teacher at Bellefonte Area High School (PA)
Food Safety, Nutrition, and Health – Scientist Team Members
Josephine Wee, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Food Science
Ashley Ohstrom
Ph.D. Candidate
Quinn Burnett
Undergraduate Researcher
Bioenergy, Natural Resources, and Environment
Bioenergy, Natural Resources, and Environment – Teacher Team Members
Jerry Comellas – Team Lead
Agriculture teacher at Wilson Middle School (FL)
Patricia Dennis:
Library media specialist at Forest Street Community School (NJ)
Nicole Hall
Agriculture teacher at Millville Area High School (PA)
Krista Pontius
Agriculture teacher at Greenwood High School (PA)
Bioenergy, Natural Resources, and Environment – Scientist Team Members
Christina Grozinger, Ph.D.
Publius Vergilius Maro Professor of Entomology, Director, Center for Pollinator Research, Insect Biodiversity Center
Natalie Boyle, Ph.D.
Assistant Research Professor of Entomology
Questions? Please contact Thomas Gabel, GTAN Program Manager at tgabel@psu.edu
