We are thrilled to share some incredible news — our very own UFF Statewide President, Teresa M. Hodge, Ph.D. has been named the NEA Higher Educator of the Year!
This is an incredibly prestigious honor given by NEA, recognizing one higher educator nationwide for their extraordinary leadership, impact, and unwavering commitment to advancing higher education and union values. Teresa’s tireless advocacy for academic freedom, faculty rights, and public higher education in Florida has not only strengthened UFF — it has elevated our entire movement on a national stage.
This recognition is a powerful reflection of the courageous, strategic, and justice-centered work Teresa leads every day — and of the collective power we are building together in one of the most challenging environments for higher ed in the country.
Please join us in congratulating President Hodge on this well-deserved honor. Her leadership inspires us all — and we’re proud to celebrate this moment with her!
NEA NEWS Five Things to Know About the 2025 NEA Higher Educator of the Year
For her innovative, student-focused approach as an educator, plus her warmth and fierce advocacy as a union leader, Florida’s Teresa M. Hodge is this year’s honoree.
Teresa M. Hodge—an innovative Florida math professor and dedicated unionist who has served in almost every possible local and state union role—has been named the 2025 NEA Higher Educator of the Year. The $10,000 award, funded by the NEA Foundation and awarded annually to an outstanding educator and advocate, will be presented to Hodge at the NEA Representative Assembly in Portland, Ore., in early July.
“What sets Teresa apart is not just her impressive resume, but her unwavering commitment to justice and equity,” wrote Adela Ghadimi, the executive director of the United Faculty of Florida (UFF), in recommending Hodge for the award. “Whether she is leading bargaining efforts, defending faculty rights through grievances and arbitrations, or mentoring emerging union leaders, she brings an unmatched level of expertise, integrity, and passion… She is a trailblazer, a fighter, and a role model.”
“Teresa doesn’t just talk about change—she makes change happen.”
Hodge, who is UFF’s statewide president, recently sat down with NEA Today to talk about her earliest memories of labor activism; her journey from the U.S. Virgin Islands to a historically Black university in Virginia; her love of math, music, and especially of union organizing; and even her dedication to animal rescue. (She’s a cat person!) Here are a few things to know about Hodge, the seventh person to receive NEA’s award as Higher Educator of the Year.
