Alameda County Teacher of the Year 2026
Alameda County Teacher of the Year
The Alameda County Office of Education is honored to recognize the 2026 Teachers of the Year named by county school districts and regional occupational programs.
Nineteen district-level honorees were selected by the 17 districts and regional occupational programs that have chosen to participate this year. The honorees are recognized for their individual dedication and excellence in the classroom, and they collectively represent the thousands of educators doing amazing work across Alameda County every day.
2026 Honorees
Tyler Rust
Alameda County Office of Education
Katherine Werner
Alameda Unified School District
Effie Hsu
Castro Valley Unified School District
Jericho Griffin
Dublin Unified School District
Megan Bello
Eden Area ROP
Leslie Payne
Emery Unified School District
Cristina Quezada
Fremont Unified School District
Elizabeth Londry
Hayward Unified School District
Melissa Smith
Livermore Joint Unified School District
Michelle Cimino
Mission Valley ROP
John Sowell
New Haven Unified School District
Diana Kotake-Gomez
Newark Unified School District
Dawn James
Oakland Unified School District
Lyla Ollinger
Oakland Unified School District
Megan Hatschek
Oakland Unified School District
Greg Dankwardt
Pleasanton Unified School District
Anthony Farley
San Leandro Unified School District
Anneka Harper-Knox
San Lorenzo Unified School District
Alysa Machado Oliver
Tri-Valley ROP
