12th Annual Baird Excellence Awards Honors Louisville Educators
LOUISVILLE, Sept. 8, 2025 – Baird was pleased to honor more than 40 Jefferson County Public Schools (JCPS) teachers and principals at the 12th annual Baird Excellence Awards at The Olmsted on Sept. 8. The awards ceremony, sponsored by Baird, recognizes outstanding teaching and leadership performance from educators across the district.
Baird Vice Chair Jim Allen, JCPS Superintendent Dr. Brian Yearwood and Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg provided remarks at the ceremony.
I can’t say enough about the dedication of our award recipients and their unwavering commitment to JCPS students. Baird is proud to help support their endeavors and celebrate these remarkable educators for all that they have done for their students and for Louisville.
Jim Allen, Baird Vice Chair
Principals and students nominate teacher recipients of the Baird Excellence Awards, while assistant superintendents nominate principal recipients. Educators at all grade levels are eligible to be nominated. A panel of business and community leaders reviews the nominations, which are submitted via the JCPS website, and selects the award recipients. In addition to public recognition, honorees receive cash awards to be used in their classrooms.
In my short time as superintendent, I’ve found incredibly passionate teachers in JCPS. The teachers honored by Baird have passion, intelligence and a work ethic that make them the great teachers they are. They are the best of the best. We thank them for sharing their talents with our students and thank Baird for recognizing our educators, year after year, with this prestigious award.
Dr. Brian Yearwood, JCPS Superintendent
Following are the 2025 Baird Excellence Awards recipients.
Teacher Awards:
- Katrina Pierce, Zachary Taylor Elementary School
- Krista Sipes, Hudson Middle School
- Justin Brown, Fern Creek High School
Student-Nominated Award:
- Marcy Klemenz, Norton Elementary School
- Kennita Ballard, Dr. Grace James Academy of Excellence
- Dustin Lamb, Waggener High School
Principal Awards:
- Nicole Travis, Trunnell Elementary School
- Gwen Snow, Newcomer Academy
- Rebecca Nicolas, Fern Creek High School
Academic Instructional Coach:
- Kelly Milburn, Chancey Elementary School
Special Education Teacher:
- Kimberly Miller, Wheeler Elementary School
Professional Learning Communities (PLCs):
- Angela Wilson, Emily Wilkerson, Pam McAndrew, Hannah Kissel, Greathouse Shyrock Traditional Elementary School-1st Grade
- Erin Herndon, Kirsten Snyder, Kirsten Moody, Lindsey Robinson, Echo Trail Middle School-Math
- Sydney Becker, Rachel Burns, Brent Peters, Kathy Willingham, Eric Koestel, Fern Creek High School-10th Grade English
Health Services Award:
- Stephanie Richardson, Semple Elementary School
FRYSC Champion Award:
- Kevin Gunn, Farnsley Middle School
Financial Literacy Leadership Award:
- Erin Glaser, Louisville Male High School
Community Partnership Awards:
- Audwin and Rae Helton Teacher Award: Nik Williams, Atkinson Academy
- Bellarmine University Teacher Award: Krishna Dhakal, Newcomer Academy
- Bill Alden Special Recognition Award: Katy DeFerrari, Jefferson County Public Schools Chief of Staff
- Class Act Federal Credit Union Teacher Award: Kayce Gibbs, Grace James Academy of Excellence
- Compassionate Schools Project Award: Adrienne Moore-Davenport, Layne Elementary School
- Unistar Purchasing Solutions/FRYSC Award: Elvira Paguada-Gutiérrez, Hawthorne Elementary School
- Fund for the Arts Teacher Award: Denise Webb, Pleasure Ridge Park High School
- Jefferson Community and Technical College Foundation Counselor Award: Tonia Wiggins, Fern Creek High School
- Junior Achievement Teacher Award: Karyn Staton, Layne Elementary School
- Kentucky Science Center Teacher Award: Gary Harper, E.B. Dubois Academy
- Metro United Way Early Care and Education Award: Jessica Clayton, McFerran Preparatory Academy Early Childhood
- Metro United Way Out-of-School Time Leadership Award: Matthew Kaufmann, Graham Brown School
- University of Louisville Teacher Award: Mariah Love, Marion C. Moore High School
- Evolve502 Champion Award: Andrea Atkins, Iroquois High School
- YMCA Award for Youth Development: Darren Atkinson, Fairdale Elementary School
- Barbara Sexton Smith 5x5 School Award, Kenwood Elementary School
About Baird
Established in 1919, Baird has more than 5,300 associates serving the needs of individual, corporate, institutional and municipal clients. Baird has more than $525 billion in client assets as of June 30, 2025. Committed to being a great place to work, Baird ranked No. 13 on the 2025 Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For® list – its 22nd consecutive year on the list. Baird is the marketing name of Baird Financial Group. Baird’s principal operating subsidiaries are Robert W. Baird & Co. Incorporated and Baird Trust Company in the United States and Robert W. Baird Group Ltd. in Europe. Robert W. Baird Limited and Baird Capital Partners Europe Limited are authorized and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. For more information, please visit Baird’s website at www.rwbaird.com.
About Jefferson County Public Schools
Jefferson County Public Schools (JCPS) is a leading urban school district that provides high-quality education for nearly 97,000 students. JCPS is Kentucky's largest school district. One in every seven students in Kentucky attends school at JCPS.
Parents can choose the school and the programs that best meet their child's needs and match their learning style. From preschool to adult education, JCPS is known for educational innovation, dedication to students, and highly qualified teachers and administrators.
For additional information, contact:
Baird Public Relations
(414) 765-7250
publicrelations@rwbaird.com
