UCM Assistant Professor Named Finalist for National ACTE Award

By Nicole Lyons, December 20, 2024

UCM assistant professor Krystle Gremaud is pictured with her husband while attending the ACTE awards gala in December.

 

An assistant professor at the University of Central Missouri (UCM) was named one of four finalists for the 2025 Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE) Teacher Educator of the Year. 

Krystle Gremaud, Ed.D., Career and Technical Education (CTE) undergraduate program coordinator, was named the 2025 ACTE Region III Teacher Educator of the Year. This award recognizes teacher educators, secondary or postsecondary, who are committed to preparing teachers to deliver high-quality CTE programs and demonstrate innovation in teacher education and leadership in improving CTE.

The journey to the national level has taken almost two years. Gremaud was named the 2023 Missouri Educators of Family Consumer Science (MoEFCS) Teacher Educator of the Year, followed by the 2024 Missouri Association for Career & Technical Education (MoACTE) Teacher Educator of the Year. She then advanced to the regional level, which includes Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota, Missouri and Wisconsin, and was named the 2024 ACTE Region III Teacher Educator of the Year.

The regional recognition meant Gremaud was one of four finalists for the 2025 national title. The national winner was announced at the ACTE Awards Gala on Dec. 4. 

“I was honored the first time and the second time. I was a little shocked when I actually won at the regional level; I did not expect that,” Gremaud said. “When I knew I was going to the national level, it was just overwhelming, humbling. I’m very appreciative of the recognition.”

Michelle Conrad, Ph.D., associate professor and CTE graduate program coordinator, said Gremaud’s nomination and awards are well deserved.

“Her nomination signifies the contributions she makes as an innovative educator to ensure the success of UCM students and their CTE programs, as well as her role as a leader to improve CTE in Missouri and nationwide,” Conrad said. “Her nomination also signifies the quality of UCM's Career and Technical Education program by being recognized as a national leader in preparing career and technical educators.”

Gremaud has been an educator for 20 years. She spent the first decade teaching Family Consumer Sciences at the middle and high school levels and the second decade at UCM. 

Gremaud is also a two-time alumna of UCM, where she earned her master’s in Instructional Technology and her educational specialist in Human Services. She said her time in UCM’s graduate program taught her to think outside the box, a lesson she passes on to her students.

“What I learned in my master's program really has influenced me to teach the students to push the boundaries and think outside of the box. To not be what I'm going to call your stereotypical teacher – to think more creatively, think more project-based learning strategies, instructional technology, not just textbooks and worksheets,” Gremaud said.

Conrad said Gremaud also helps other faculty to integrate new knowledge and skills. She leads UCM’s program in adding new instructional technologies and techniques, such as AI and virtual reality, differentiating curriculum, and expanding course delivery options. 

“Career and technical education programs are preparing students for careers that do not yet exist,” Conrad said. “CTE teachers then need to be prepared as flexible, adaptive leaders who can effectively communicate with business and industry partners, teach diverse groups of students to be problem solvers, and stay current with new trends and technologies for our global economy. Krystle's ability to model this for her students better prepares them for their future CTE roles and responsibilities.”

Gremaud said her favorite part of working with future educators is witnessing their full-circle moments when they put what they’ve learned into practice.

“I love watching them gain that confidence throughout the program,” she said. “Sometimes they come in here a little quiet freshman and we have a lot of work to do, but you get them up to their senior year and they're confident and they're ready. It's just a lot of fun to see them grow throughout the program and be successful once they graduate.”

For more information about UCM’s Career and Technical Education program, visit ucmo.edu/cte.