On October 8th, Elizabeth Andress, professor in the online M.S. in Foods and Nutrition, Community Nutrition program, was announced as the 2019 ACTE Region II Postsecondary Teacher of the Year. This award recognizes the finest career and technical teachers at the postsecondary level who have demonstrated innovation in the classroom, commitment to their students and dedication to the improvement of career and technical education (CTE) in their institutions and communities.

Winning the Postsecondary Teacher of the Year award has earned Andress a spot to be considered for the national title as she is one of five finalists for the national Teacher of the Year Award by the Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE). The national winner will be declared on December 4 at the ACTE Awards Gala in Anaheim, CA where the best CTE educators in the country will be recognized. 

Andress has been a food safety specialist with Georgia Cooperative Extension since 1994 and is a Professor in the Department of Foods and Nutrition at UGA, teaching classes both in person and online. She teaches a wide array of food safety courses and her areas of expertise lie in the subjects of food service sanitation, consumer food safety and home food preservation. She is also an active member of the National Center for Home Food Processing and Preservation (NCHFP) serving as the director and is the co-author and lead contact for the USDA Complete Guide to Home Canning and the UGA So Easy to Preserve book and videos. Her Extension programs in food safety and quality include home food preservation and food service sanitation, including the ServSafe® food handler certification program. 

An advocate for hands-on learning, Andress teaches many laboratory food science workshops that teach scientific principles and methods of various food preservation methods with demonstrations of instructional activities for the classroom. Her work has made a large impact all throughout Georgia providing youth curricula to teachers and leadership to county Extension educators who have reached an additional 350 teachers through 16 workshops in Georgia.

Among other things, Andress truly cares for her students and demonstrates that through her teaching which is a huge factor in her recognition with this award. 

If you are interested in Community Nutrition, learn more about our online M.S. in Foods and Nutrition, Community Nutrition.