39th Annual William T. Dwyer Awards for Excellence in Education Announces Finalists

West Palm Beach, FL – The Economic Council of Palm Beach County Foundation is thrilled to announce the twenty-eight finalists for the 39th Annual William T. Dwyer Awards for Excellence in Education presented by Hanley Foundation. The announcement was made via Facebook @DwyerAwards on March 31. The finalists were honored with a beautiful waterside reception at Rybovich Marina on April 11, 2023, hosted by Huizenga Holdings.

The Dwyer Awards, an annual program developed in 1984 and supported by the Economic Council of Palm Beach County, honors outstanding educators from public and private schools in Palm Beach County. The program seeks to increase awareness of the exemplary teaching in our community and promote high standards of excellence in education. The Awards recognize educators and provide financial awards. 

The Economic Council of Palm Beach County comprises business leaders committed to educational excellence as a key tenet for creating a prosperous environment for businesses. Nearly 450 nominations of educators from public, private, and charter schools were considered for the 2023 Dwyer Awards. The nominees complete a comprehensive application process carefully evaluated by Palm Beach County business leaders. Judging takes place over a multi-round process to identify the top four applicants in each of the seven categories. 

“We are thrilled to continue the rich tradition of the Dwyer Awards, celebrating remarkable teachers in Palm Beach County,” said Michele Jacobs, President and CEO of Economic Council of Palm Beach County, Inc. “The Economic Council of Palm Beach County Foundation has had the privilege of honoring outstanding teachers in our community for the past 39 years.

The seven categories for the 2023 Dwyer Awards include Elementary Education, Grow Up Great: Early Learning Education, Middle School Education, Senior High School Education, STEM Education, Special Programs, and Student Advancement & Career Education. 

The award recipients will be announced and honored along with all finalists, nominees, and past recipients at the Dwyer Awards ceremony, presented by The Hanley Foundation, on Monday, May 1, 2023, at the Kravis Center in West Palm Beach. Felicia Rodriguez, anchor at WPBF 25, will serve as emcee. Tickets to attend the 39th Annual William T. Dwyer Awards for Excellence in Education are $40 each. Guests will enjoy a cocktail reception at 5:30 pm and the awards ceremony at 7:00 pm. To purchase tickets and information, visit https://www.economiccouncilpbc.org/dwyerawards/.

The 2023 Dwyer Awards would like to thank Presenting Sponsor Hanley Foundation; Excellence Sponsor  Pratt & Whitney; Award Presentation Sponsors Comcast, FPL, PNC Bank, and UnitedHealthcare; Staging Sponsor Elmore Family Foundation; Reception Sponsors Gunster, Mariaca Wealth, and Moss Construction; Finalist Reception Sponsor Huizenga Holdings; Teacher Sponsor Bank of America;  Knowledge Sponsors Blue Ocean Capital, The Breakers, I.T. Solutions of South Florida, Kitson & Partners, Shutts & Bowen, Vecellio Group, Oxbow Carbon; Creativity Sponsors Eastwind Development, Jones Foster, United Way of Palm Beach County, Gast Construction, Keiser University, Palm Beach State College Foundation, The Weitz Company, Lesser, Lesser Landy & Smith, CareerSource Palm Beach County, SBA Communications, and Max Planck Institute for Neuroscience; Teacher Sponsors Sugar Cane Growers Cooperative of Florida, 2GHO, Dr. Dennis Gallon, Engineered Design Services, M&T Bank, Tortoise Properties, Plastridge Insurance, Dr. Debra Schwinn, Urban Design Studios, USPA Global Licensing Inc., Wellington Regional Medical Center and Akerman, LLP; and Media Sponsors The Palm Beach Post and WPBF 25. 

About Economic Council of Palm Beach County:

Established in 1975, the Economic Council of Palm Beach County is a non-profit, non-partisan organization that supports an open and collaborative relationship between the public and private sectors in Palm Beach County. Membership of the Council is comprised of a diverse mix of different industries of varying sizes in the area whose leaders have an active and influential role in the community. Learn more about the Economic Council at www.economiccouncilpbc.org. The Economic Council of Palm Beach County Foundation serves as the philanthropic arm of the Council.

2023 FINALISTS

• GROW UP GREAT: EARLY ELEMENTARY EDUCATION

Cathy Eckstein, Wellington Elementary School; Courtney Ensor-Acevedo, Manatee Elementary School; Courtney Ensor-Acevedo, Manatee Elementary School; Cindy Fakhoury, Lake Worth Elementary; Magaly Hodgkiss, South Olive Elementary School

• ELEMENTARY EDUCATION

Jacqueline Barreras, New Horizons Elementary School; Amy Carroll, Marsh Pointe Elementary School; Susana Diaz Hernandez, Greenacres Elementary School; Will Rhymes, Northmore Elementary School

• MIDDLE SCHOOL EDUCATION

Steven Gordon, Western Pines Middle School; Fern Long, Emerald Cove Middle School; Rebecca Patterson, The Conservatory School; Shannon Solis, Village Academy

• SENIOR HIGH EDUCATION

Arnekua Jackson, Boynton Beach High School; Adiane Leon, Lake Worth Community High School; Alison Moe, Santaluces High School; Monica Russell, Suncoast High School

• SPECIAL PROGRAMS

Ashraf Abdelsayed, Discovery Key Elementary School; Claudia Bueno, Palm Beach Public Elementary School; Jennifer Tobin, Elbridge Gale Elementary School; Rita Wicks, Lantana Elementary School

• STEM EDUCATION

Kristin Delatorre, The Conservatory School; Charles Fisher, Calusa Elementary School; Amy Goldberg, Del Prado Elementary School; Caroline Westervelt, Western Pines Middle School

• STUDENT ADVANCEMENT & CAREER EDUCATION

Thomas Hrebin, Pioneer Park Elementary School; Olivia James, Discovery Key Elementary School; Karen Kummerien, Palm Beach Gardens High School; Randi Schietz, Binks Forest Elementary School

Photo by Tracey Benson Photography