Awards

CEL Innovative Leadership Award

2024 Winner: Matthew Helmers

Matthew Helmers has over a decade of experience developing and delivering learning experiences for both students and educators. A frequent presenter at the National Council of Teachers of English Annual Convention and an upcoming Conference Chair for the Conference on English Leadership, Helmers has also facilitated professional development for the Leadership+Design Lab, BASIS schools, and private companies, focusing mainly on systems-thinking, interpersonal communication, and the importance of routine and ritual. He has two forthcoming articles: one on creating a productive meeting culture and the other on reparative thinking modes in middle management. His past publications center on the importance of methodology in curriculum design and the value of “adventurousness.” Helmers is the Ransom Everglades High School English Coordinator and teaches the Advanced American Studies course, AP Literature and Composition, and senior electives in horror literature, desire, and literary theory. He earned his PhD in 2012 from the University of Manchester, where he wrote a cultural history of “panic” in America. He currently lives in Miami, Florida. 

Award Details

Nomination Deadline: April 1

Purpose:  The CEL Innovative Leadership Award recognizes a mid-career literacy leader and NCTE member who has shown innovative leadership that led to a systemic impact at the local, regional, and/or national levels.

Award Criteria:  The award recipient should exemplify the following:

• Innovative literacy leadership activities that impact systems and programs at the regional and/or national level
• Innovative approaches to teaching and/or professional development through new, creative, and progressive methods and delivery models that have made an impact across a school/district or beyond
• Teaching should be less than half of this person’s daily role and/or not part of the role at all.

Award Specifics:  The recipient receives a certificate, which is presented at the CEL Annual Convention.

Nomination Materials:  All nominations must contain the Nomination Form, at least two letters of recommendation, and the candidate’s curriculum vitae.

Judging: The CEL Award Committee determines the recipient from the nominations submitted within the calendar year. For full consideration, nominations must be received no later than April 1.

*If you are unsure which award best matches you/the nominee’s experience, please email cel@ncte.org.
**Note: The CEL Awards Committee may consider nominees for an award different from the one for which they were nominated if they feel it is a better fit.