The expansion is supported by renewed funding from Class Act Federal Credit Union, which has committed $450,000 to support scholarships and programmatic needs.

The Louisville Teacher Residency, the first program of its kind in Kentucky, provides college graduates who did not major in education the opportunity to earn a master’s degree and Kentucky teaching certification in just one year, in exchange for a commitment to teach in a high-needs JCPS school.

“UofL is deeply grateful for our partnership with Jefferson County Public Schools to implement a teacher residency program that recruits, retains and elevates future educators,” said President Gerry Bradley. “We are also grateful to Class Act for their generous scholarship support, which enables us to create new pathways for educators pursuing careers in Early Childhood ����ֱ�� and Special ����ֱ��.”

During the residency year, participants spend four days each week embedded in JCPS classrooms, gaining hands-on teaching experience under the guidance of master teachers. On Fridays and throughout the summer, residents attend classes at UofL, completing coursework co-designed by JCPS and university faculty to ensure alignment with classroom realities and district needs. Upon completion, residents transition into full-time teaching roles within JCPS.

“I am thankful for Class Act’s continued support, which plays an important role in providing our residents with the guidance, resources, and preparation needed to succeed in the classroom,” said Stefanie Wooten Burnett, assistant dean at UofL’s College of ����ֱ�� and Human Development. “This partnership reflects our shared commitment to strengthening the teacher pipeline and supporting students in JCPS.” 

Class Act Federal Credit Union has now committed more than $1 million to the Louisville Teacher Residency program since its creation.

“Supporting the Louisville Teacher Residency aligns with our credit union philosophy of ‘people helping people,’ and specifically with Class Act’s mission of supporting education in our community” said Tom Anonson, president and CEO at Class Act Federal Credit Union. “By partnering with UofL and JCPS, we are helping prepare educators who will make a lasting difference for students and families across our community.”

Now, as a part of the inaugural class of graduates from the Louisville Teacher Residency program, Daugherty has signed a contract to launch her career as a teacher in a Jefferson County Public Schools classroom.

“I’m so glad I did the residency program,” Daugherty said. “There is no other teaching program in the state that prepares you to provide an equitable education to a diverse group of students like this one does.”   

The program is a collaboration between the UofL College of ����ֱ�� and Human Development and JCPS to recruit and train more teachers of color for JCPS schools.

Of the 28 students receiving their Master of the Arts in Teaching degree from UofL, 21 are teachers of color. The students received a reduced tuition rate, $30,000 stipend and were paired with a mentoring teacher from JCPS. The accelerated degree program required students to teach four days a week with instruction from UofL professors on the fifth day. It also allowed students to complete their master’s degree in just one year. In return, they have agreed to teach in a JCPS Accelerated Improvement School, or a school approved by the district, for five years.

The interim dean of UofL’s College of ����ֱ�� and Human Development, Amy Lingo, sees the first year of the teacher residency program as a huge success on many levels.

“This has expanded our relationship with JCPS, furthered UofL’s commitment to equity, and brought talented people into teaching who might not have otherwise considered it as a career,” Lingo said. “We look forward to watching them make their mark with the students in our community.”

Sixty percent of JCPS’ enrollment is students of color, and JCPS Superintendent Marty Pollio says the school district is committed to recruiting, training and retaining more diverse teachers.

“The Louisville Teacher Residency program is a key piece in our equity effort, putting more teachers in classrooms who look like our students,” Pollio said.

These newest teachers range in age from 23 to 60 and come from a broad range of backgrounds. For several, teaching will be a second or third career.

“We have a great faculty – a truly amazing faculty – at the University of Louisville,” Pinto said. “We have a faculty who excel in teaching, service, scholarship, research, and creative activity. You are a faculty who care. You are a faculty who raise the bar for all of us as a university.”

The award winners included:

Outstanding Scholarship, Research and Creative Activity

Paul Griner, English

Rich Lamont, Dental-Oral Immunology and Infectious Diseases

Jeffrey Valentine, Counseling and Human Development

Distinguished Faculty Award in Service

Vicki Hines-Martin, Nursing ����ֱ��

David Richardson, Surgery

Krzysztof Wolek, Music

Jean Wolph, Middle and Secondary ����ֱ�� 

Distinguished Faculty Award in Teaching

Mark Austin, Sociology 

Jennifer Brueckner-Collins, Anatomical Science/Neurobiology 

Penny Howell, Middle and Secondary ����ֱ�� 

Heather Mitchell, Nursing ����ֱ�� 

Exemplary Multicultural Teaching Award

Derrick Brooms, Sociology 

Community Engagement Faculty Award

Mary-Beth Coty, Nursing ����ֱ�� 

Carol Hanchette, Geography/Geosciences

Carlee Lehna, Nursing ����ֱ�� 

John Myers, Pediatrics 

Paul Weber Departmental Excellence in Teaching Awards

Middle and Secondary ����ֱ��

Distinguished University Scholar

Jan Potempa, Dental-Oral Immunology and Infectious Diseases 

Endowed Faculty

Michael Foster

Michele Foster

Sean Francis

Christian Furman

Eyas Hattab

Elizabeth Jones

Donghan Lee

Gilbert Liu

Joseph Neimat

Dan Popa

Jesse Wright

Patents and Licenses

Amir Amini

Roberto Bolli

Michael Bousamra

Donald Demuth

Neal Dunlap

Ayman El-Baz

Xiao-An Fu

Guruprasad Giridharan

Ronald Gregg

Gerald Hammond

Susan Harkema

Jeffrey Hieb

James Hoying

Kurtis James

Kyung Kang

Henry Kaplan

Steven Koenig

Magdalena Kucia

Chi Li

Frederick Luzzio

Mary Nan Mallory

Nobuyuki Matoba

Curtis McKenna

Shamus McNamara

Robert Mitchell

Michael Nantz

Janina Ratajczak

Mariusz Ratajczak

Haval Shirwan

Michael Sobieski

John Trent

Victor van Berkel

Michael Voor

Kevin Walsh

Stuart Williams II

Shiao Woo

Bo Xu

Esma Yolcu

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