Previous Winners

Jerry Agan teaches agricultural mechanics at Elizabethton High School in Elizabethton, TN. His passion for skilled trades and hands-on work started young with welding lessons from his father, an electrician and HVAC technician. He holds a B.S. in Agriculture with a concentration in Education from Tennessee Tech, has completed the Lincoln Electric Instructor School, and the Briggs & Stratton Vocational Educator Course at Clemson. As someone who has lived their entire life in the Appalachian mountains, his goal as a teacher has always focused on giving rural students the tools to build a better life.

Since starting to work at the school in 2020, Agan has built the Ag Mechanics program from the ground up. This includes acquiring the tools and machinery to execute a curriculum rooted in project-based learning. Students apply what they learn through hands-on, real-world projects that serve the school and local community—like building trailers, installing playground equipment, and constructing a shot-put field for the athletics program. Agan’s shop runs like a business, with students managing every aspect of the process from design and budgeting to fabrication and customer communication. Students also have many opportunities to showcase their knowledge and skills by participating in both SkillsUSA and National FFA. These experiences build leadership, professionalism, and confidence, while connecting students with a national network of peers and industry leaders. Agan has seen his students’ lives change following graduation from his program and believes his greatest success is to see them take their first steps toward stability, financial independence, and a life of which they can be proud.

Notes of Excellence

• Agan’s students put their skills to use to benefit their school district, building a regulation shot-put field for the track team and designing and welding a playground set for a local elementary school.
• Every student in Agan’s program earns their OSHA-10 certification and can gain additional industry-recognized credentials, preparing them for immediate entry to the workforce or for further education in their chosen field.
• 80 percent of Agan’s program completers transition into skilled trades employment, college programs, apprenticeships or military service within six months of graduation.

In 2024, Agan was named Teacher of the Year by the Tennessee Association for Career and Technical Education. He was previously a finalist for the 2024 Harbor Freight Tools for Schools Prize for Teaching Excellence.

Sheila Stalberger teaches Intro to Woodcrafting, Intermediate Wood Custom Design, and Capstone Advanced Wood Crafting in the Technology Education Program at Eden Prairie High School in Eden Prairie, Minnesota. Stalberger’s journey into skilled trades education began with lessons learned alongside her father, who encouraged her curiosity and treated her as a capable partner in every project. That early mentorship inspired a belief in hands-on learning and a passion for empowering others, especially students who don’t thrive in traditional classrooms. Over her 28-year career, she has taught more than 30 courses in metals, welding, machining, web design, engineering, construction, photography, and woodcrafting. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Industrial Arts from Bemidji State University, where she began teaching by guiding students to build homes for Habitat for Humanity, connecting technical skills with real-world impact.

Now teaching in Eden Prairie, Minnesota, Stalberger runs her classroom like a production floor, blending safety, precision, and professionalism with creativity and problem-solving. She draws on strong industry connections, including five brothers in the trades, to keep her curriculum current and aligned with workforce needs. Her leadership has increased female enrollment in wood courses, expanded community partnerships, and connected students to apprenticeships, certifications, and careers. Above all, she measures success by the confidence, skills, and readiness her students carry into their futures.

Notes of Excellence

• Stalberger has coached her students in VICA and Society of Automotive Engineers Supermileage competitions, highlighting innovation and engineering skills, and leading to state and national recognition for her students.
• In Stalberger’s Wood Crafting Capstone class, students design and build projects for real-world community partners; in 2024, they built multiple pieces of custom furniture for a local nonprofit helping young people experiencing homelessness.
• In her time at Eden Prairie High School, enrollment in her courses and graduates of her program entering the trades have both increased by 20 percent. Enrollment of female students has increased by a third since she began teaching the course.

Randy Zimmerman teaches automotive collision repair and finishing at Union County High School in Blairsville, Georgia. His extensive experience began in his youth working alongside his grandfather and includes fleet maintenance and repair, high-end car restoration, and insurance collision repair. After earning an ASE Master certification in 1979 and spending nearly five decades in the industry, he was asked to return to his alma mater to teach in its automotive program. Zimmerman uses rebuilt vehicles to provide real-world, hands-on learning for his students and shape the next generation of skilled technicians.

Zimmerman’s students restore late-model, insurance-salvaged vehicles to pass Georgia state inspection, giving them the chance to learn and practice procedures that meet industry standards. Once students complete restoration and the car passes inspection, it is sold to the public to benefit their program. In their shop, organized into structured workstations with rotations, Zimmerman incorporates industry-recognized checklists, one-on-one coaching, and peer mentoring to keep students engaged and focused. He also uses SkillsUSA competitions to drive students’ technical growth and professional development. Through close relationships with local repair facilities and parts suppliers, Zimmerman shares new techniques and standards to give his students a strong and relevant technical foundation. Drawing on his 46-year career and shop owner experience, he teaches students not just to repair but to communicate effectively and to exercise precision, patience, and pride.

Notes of Excellence

• Zimmerman recently applied to the 3M Collision Instructor Training Program, which focuses on advanced body and refinishing techniques aligned with OEM standards.
• In his first two years of teaching, over 85 percent of his students earned one or more ASE Entry-Level Certifications in areas like safety, non-structural repair, refinishing, and damage analysis.
• The collision repair program follows Georgia CTAE standards and incorporates ASE and I-CAR-based techniques, ensuring that students learn current, industry-relevant skills that meet today’s shop expectations.