NCTE LGBTQIA+ Advocacy & Leadership Award
2022 Recipient: Henry “Cody” Miller (he/him/his)
SUNY Brockport
Henry “Cody” Miller (he/him/his) is an assistant professor of English education at SUNY Brockport. Prior to that role, he taught high school English in Florida for seven years. He served as the chair of NCTE’s LGBTQ Advisory Committee from 2018 to 2021. He is currently the editor of English Leadership Quarterlyand serves on the EDI committee of the Assembly on Literature for Adolescents of NCTE (ALAN). His research has appeared in English Journal, The ALAN Review, Research on Diversity in Youth Literature, English Leadership Quarterly, Journal of Literacy Research, Journal of Language and Literacy Education, Girlhood Studies, and other publications. He can be reached on Twitter at @CodyMillerELA.
“Public spaces where people can come together and develop social and civic bonds are essential for a pluralistic democracy. Schools are some of the most promising public spaces for those reasons! When literacy educators root our work in love, justice, and community, we can create schools and classrooms that are the thriving democratic spaces they should be.”
Award Details
Members of the LGBTQIA+ community have always been active in literacy teaching and learning; they also have been active members of NCTE. This award demonstrates NCTE’s vision to strengthen an increasingly inclusive organization that provides more access to diverse voices. This award also helps promote cross-community connections and values and supports the agency of diverse leaders in the field.
Purpose:
To recognize a member of the LGBTQIA+ community who has made a significant contribution to NCTE and to the development of our professional community.
Frequency and Number of Awards:
This award will be bestowed only when the Award Selection Committee decides a nomination warrants presentation of the award. This award may not be given each year. This award may be given posthumously. Only one recipient will be selected each year.
Eligibility:
Any member of the LGBTQIA+ community can nominate themselves or be nominated for this award. By LGBTQIA+ we mean lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer/questioning, intersex, and asexual; the plus indicates the inclusiveness of others who don’t identify as L, G, B, T, Q, I, or A, such as two spirit, pansexual, or others. Nominations will be sent to the Award Selection Committee, with the selected candidate forwarded to the Executive Committee. (Given the problematic history of labeling members of the LGBTQIA+ community, NCTE wishes to clarify that specific titles are not required for this award.) The Executive Committee will approve the committee’s selection. All applicants, submitters, and nominees must be NCTE members at the time of submission. We remind nominators, nominees, and selection committee members that members of NCTE Conferences—CCCC, CEL, ELATE, LLA, and TYCA—are members, by definition, of NCTE.
Current NCTE Executive Committee members are not eligible for this award. Recipients for this award are not eligible to receive any other Executive Committee approved awards in the same year, nor in the following year.
Application/Submission/Nomination Requirements:
Required materials for submission are a cover letter or letter of nomination and a resume/CV.
Award Criteria:
The bold statements are the award criteria. The remaining statements are intended to describe some of the possibilities suggested in the criteria and are not intended to be rated individually. Please remember that individuals have different levels of access to various opportunities (for example, rural vs. urban instructors). In other words, what is the level of the nominee’s contribution based on the level of opportunity, resources, and support?
Significant contribution to NCTE
- Service to NCTE (national, regional, local, and campus levels as well as conferences, affiliates, assemblies, caucuses, etc.)
- Committees
- Elected roles
- Service “work” (serve at registration table, read proposals, etc.)
- Write for/present at NCTE-affiliated conferences/publication venues
- Publish
- Present
- Edit or review
Development of our professional community
Professional communities focused on literacy learning can be varied (e.g., global, national, regional, and local/campus).
- Teaching
- Innovate classroom curriculum
- Develop district/state/national curriculum
- Scholarship
- Attend conferences
- Produce and share research or other scholarly activities
- Service
- Participate in and/or lead scholarly organizations
- Participate in and/or lead social justice–oriented organizations
- Professional development
- Design and/or deliver profession learning engagements for community members
Advancing members of the LGBTQIA+ community
- Activities/work/processes that promote and support the advancement of the LGBTQIA+ community in the profession, in literacy-related activities, and in public engagement
- Creating a culture of change in their school, community, and/or professional organization
Strong candidates tend to show strength in all three areas.
Selection Committee:
The NCTE President appoints one Executive Committee member to serve as Chair and four NCTE members-at-large from relevant NCTE groups.
Nature of the Award:
- A plaque is given to the recipient during the NCTE Awards Session.
- The recipient will also receive:
- A complimentary NCTE Annual Convention registration
- Domestic round-trip coach airfare to the NCTE Annual Convention
- One night lodging (Friday) with meals
Deadline May 1
The application period for 2022 is now closed.
Please contact NCTEawards@ncte.org with any questions.
LGBTQIA+ Advocacy & Leadership Award Previous Recipients
2021 Stephanie Anne Shelton, The University of Alabama
2020 Roxanne Henkin, The University of Texas at San Antonio
2019 Mollie Blackburn, Ohio State University