College of Education Announces 2026 Distinguished Educators of the Year

College of Education Announces 2026 Distinguished Educators of the Year

With a proud legacy as a pioneer in teacher preparation, Sam Houston State University has long been at the forefront of shaping Texas’ finest educators. Year after year, Bearkat teachers do more than teach; they ignite change, inspire growth and leave a mark on the world. With so many alumni making a profound impact, choosing just a few is no easy feat. That’s why this spring, the College of Education (COE) at SHSU will celebrate six extraordinary alumni at the Distinguished Educator of the Year (DEOY) Gala, honoring their remarkable contributions to the field of education.

The DEOY Award is the highest honor the COE can bestow on its former students. The recipients of the 2026 DEOY Award consist of Duana Brashear, Georgina Foroi, Alison Frost, Jarod Lambert, Margarita Longoria and Alan Moye.

 This spring’s honorees exemplify leadership that transcends the classroom. Their work is shaping the future of education and inspiring generations to come.

On March 28, the DEOY Gala will begin with a cocktail reception at 5:30 p.m. in the Lowman Student Center Orange Ballroom. Formal dinner and drinks will be served, with tickets available for purchase. Tickets for the event may be purchased by contacting Amy McCormick at coe.events@shsu.edu or 936.294.1101.

2026 College of Education Distinguished Educator of the Year Recipients

Duana Brashear (’05, ’15)

Duana Brashear has served as superintendent of Rogers Independent School District since 2024, leading the district through a year of historic progress. With nearly 20 years in education, Brashear worked as a teacher, principal and district administrator before assuming her current role.

Under her first year of leadership, the district passed a critical bond measure. She implemented comprehensive communication plans, collaborated closely with architects and construction partners, built comprehensive project scopes and ensured the community understood both the immediate and long-term needs of the district. She launched major infrastructure projects designed to benefit students for years to come.

She is committed to service and excellence, and believes schools thrive when students and educators are seen, supported and empowered. Her initiatives bring that philosophy to life. By introducing Capturing Kids’ Hearts, she has reinforced relationship-driven instruction, elevating the district’s internal systems, culture and overall student engagement. Driven by a commitment to support educators, she introduced the district’s first Teacher Incentive Allotment system, widening eligibility from STAAR/EOC teachers to all core content teachers and preparing the district for a full expansion to all instructional staff.

From relationship-centered instruction that drives student engagement to targeted teacher mentoring and coaching, Brashear has championed programs that strengthen school culture and family connections. In her role as assistant superintendent of leadership and learning for Royal Independent School District, she distinguished herself through a series of impactful initiatives that strengthened the district’s leadership capacity and school culture. From the ground up, she built a robust leadership pipeline by establishing both an assistant principal academy and an aspiring leaders academy. Additionally, her work with Capturing Kids’ Hearts and Leadership Blueprints districtwide culminated in all campuses being nominated as National Showcase Schools.

Beyond the many impactful initiatives she has led, her influence extends statewide through her conference presentations, professional memberships and growing contributions to Texas’s conversations on instructional leadership, accountability and school culture.

Georgina Foroi (’10)

Georgina Foroi is currently the executive director of professional learning and leadership development at Aldine Independent School District, the very district where her journey began. From starting as a para-professional to shaping districtwide leadership today, she has devoted her entire 21-year career to this community. She developed her experience serving in various roles such as bilingual teacher, reading specialist, campus behavior coordinator, assistant principal and principal.

During Foroi’s time as executive director of Family and Community Engagement (FACE), her leadership led her department to become an integral part of the community. The FACE department actively worked on supporting student success by strengthening partnerships with families, communities and business leaders. This team hosted free events to offer Aldine residents valuable education and resources. Their initiative, the Family and Community University (FCU) implemented English as a Second Language (ESL) program for adults, Spanish conversation classes, citizenship classes and classes geared toward knowledge empowerment, earning the district the Promising Practice Award from Region 16.

Her commitment to bilingual education is evident through her membership in the Association of Latino Administrators and Superintendents (ALAS) – Superintendent Leadership Academy and her role on the Aldine Latinx Organizations Board. She is also a member of the Superintendent Advisory Committee, Leadership Awareness Academy and a cohort member of Holdsworth Leadership Development. Throughout her professional career, she’s also presented at the Southwest Educational Research Association, and is widely relied upon as the informal English-to-Spanish interpreter at community meetings. Aside from her professional career, she is a current doctoral and superintendent candidate in the Educational Leadership program at Sam Houston State University. Her commitment to education shines through in her everyday work, demonstrating a strong understanding of the powerful relationship between schools, families and the communities they serve.

Alison Frost (’89)

Rooted in a profound respect for the arts, Alison Frost has spent more than 17 years shaping the next generation through her work that bridges creative practice, teacher preparation and community engagement. She is currently chair of the Department of Theatre & Dance and professor of Theatre at Texas A&M University – Corpus Christi (TAMU-CC).

Frost began her professional journey as a theatre teacher at Klein High School, where she built a program that became known as one of the most dynamic and influential in the state of Texas. She distinguished herself as a mentor to rising educators and performers, with several of her former students achieving recognition at the highest level of the arts, including awards such as Emmys, Tonys, Golden Globes and Grammys.

After leaving public school, she successfully ran her own studio and a London summer training program partnering with the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA). She transitioned into higher education, teaching undergraduate courses, assisting in directing Broadway productions, creating a London/Scotland study abroad program and honing other creative skills such as videographer, graphic design, web design and arts marketer.

Additionally, Frost contributed to the professional resources such as The Living Theatre: A History of Theatre and The Bedford Introduction to Drama and Teachers with the Courage to Give by Jackie Waldman. Her “Measure 4 Measure” production led her to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2016. Her dedication has earned her numerous accolades both regionally and nationally, such as presenting workshops and panels at Mid-America Theatre Conference (MATC), Texas Educational Theatre Association (TxETA) and more. She is a founding officer and long-standing member of the Texas Theatre Adjudicators and Officials (TTAO). With a passion for connecting the arts and the community, she secured a grant from the H-E-B Foundation to make TAMU-CC Theatre affordable for the community with free or discounted admission. Her teaching has been recognized with Texas A&M System Teaching Excellence Awards and Texas A&M – Corpus Christi’s Outstanding Islander and Creativity Activity Awards. She also has been the recipient of the Texas Academic Leadership Academy Fellowship and the White House Presidential Scholar Outstanding Teacher Award.

Jarod Lambert (’16)

Jarod Lambert’s passion for professional learning and technology began in his first year of teaching, when he was invited to present technology resources for their staff development. This early experience set the foundation for a 25-year career centered on supporting colleagues and strengthening technology integration. Since December 2025, Lambert has served as the executive director of technology services for Klein Independent School District.  

At Conroe ISD, Lambert spent most of his career in technology, from instructional technology specialist to his most recent position, executive director of technology services. With no existing standard for classroom technology in the district’s history, Lambert and his team created a comprehensive technology standard for the seventh-largest school district in Texas. Beyond ensuring technology is current and available in all classrooms, a key project he was able to culminate was creating a single unified Technology Services Department, which is a result of combining departments from different reporting structures. His commitment to supporting school districts extends even further, as he actively works to obtain grant funding that strengthens technology access and district-wide initiatives.

In addition to his contributions in public education, Lambert is a professor who has taught a wide range of courses, from internet and instructional technology to research methods and educational theory. He is a member of the Texas Educational Technology Leaders (TETL), Texas Computer Education Association (TCEA) and Consortium of School Networking (CoSN). His expertise has earned recognition across other districts, where he has been called upon as the primary contact for technology staff development consultations as well as for guiding magnet school curriculum.  

Margarita Longoria (’11)

For over 20 years, Margarita Longoria has dedicated her career as an educator, librarian and author to sparking curiosity and fostering a love for books. Now a librarian at Mission High School, she continues to advocate for access to books while empowering students to discover their strengths.

In 2016, Longoria made a lasting impact on her community by founding a literary festival that connects young readers with authors and elevates voices often overlooked in mainstream literary spaces. The Border Book Bash: Celebrating Teens and Tweens of the Rio Grande Valley has grown into an annual event featuring both in-person and virtual programming, becoming a cornerstone of literacy and empowering young readers to see themselves as an essential part of the broader literary landscape.

Developed in partnership with a former student, the Hygiene Closet has grown into a vital resource for the school community. Located in the library, the closet provides students with hygiene products, school spirit shirts, winter clothing, prom dresses and other formal wear.  

Beyond her role in education, Longoria also serves as the editor of “Living Beyond Borders: Growing Up Mexican in America,” an acclaimed anthology showcasing stories, essays, poems and comics by Mexican-American writers. Her book is being used in high school and college classes around the country. Her efforts have earned widespread recognition, including being named a Mover & Shaker by Library Journal in 2023, Region One Innovative Librarian Award in 2025, Texas Library Association’s Branding Iron Award in 2021 and the South Texas Literacy Coalition Librarian of the Year Award in 2018.

Alan Moye (’20)

Professional athlete turned educator, Alan Moye spans nearly two decades across these careers, shaping him into who he is today. Moye is currently the principal of Woodcreek Middle School, where he’s made a lasting impact on the curriculum and student resources. His journey began in professional baseball when he joined the Cincinnati Reds and the Kansas City Royals. It was these experiences that gave him the foundation of accountability, teamwork and continuous improvement.

After his time on the field, Moye transitioned into education as a coach and social studies teacher. Since 2019, he’s been able to make a lasting impact on the students and the district of Humble Independent School District. Moye implemented Be ELITE, a campus initiative that strengthens expectations, reinforces culture and enhances community engagement. In an effort to enhance student opportunities, he developed a variety campus-specific initiatives, including a science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) and eSports program, as well as a University Interscholastic League A+ Academic program with a strong history of district championships. Under his leadership, the campus earned four state distinctions: Academic Achievement in Science, Academic Achievement in Social Studies, Comparative Academic Growth and Comparative Closing the Gaps.

Because of his work, Moye has been recognized as a Registered Texas School Business Administrator (RTSBA) and became a semifinalist for the H-E-B Excellence in Education in 2024-2025. He is an active member of national and regional organizations, such as the National Association of Black School Educators (NABSE), Texas Association of School Administrators (TASA), the Texas Association of Secondary School Principals (TASSP), the Association of Texas Professional Educators (ATPE), Houston Alliance of Black School Educators (HABSE) and many more.