Year
2024
Award Winners
2023: U.S. Congressman Andrew Garbarino, 2nd Congressional District (R-NY)
2022: Senator Gary Peters (D-MI)
2021: The Honorable Rep. Doris Matsui (D-CA) and The Honorable Kay Ivey (R-AL)
2020: The Honorable Sen. Tom Udall (D-NM) and The Honorable Sen. Cory Gardner (R-CO)
2019: The Honorable Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR) and The Honorable Tom Cole (R-OK)
2018: Governor Steve Bullock (D-MT) and Governor Doug Ducey (R-AZ)
2017: Tom Wheeler, Former Chairman, FCC
2016: Senators Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and Orrin Hatch (R-UT)
2014: Jessica Rosenworcel, Commissioner, FCC
2013: Karen Cator, former Director of the Office of Educational Technology, US Department of Education
2012: Michael J. Copps, former Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Commissioner
2011: Congressman George Miller (D-CA)
2010: Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-CA)
2009: Congressman Edward Markey (D-MA)
2008: Senator Patty Murray (D-WA)
2007: Governor Edward G. Rendell (D-PA)
2006: Senator Olympia Snowe (R-ME)
2005: John Bailey (former Director, Office of Educational Technology, US Department of Education)
2004: House Speaker Rick Johnson (R-MI)
2003: Senator Patrick Leahy (VT)
2002: Senator John (Jay) D Rockefeller IV (D-WV)
2001: Governor Angus I. King (I-ME)
2000: Senator Jeff Bingaman (D-NM)
All elected and appointed officials are eligible for recognition. Past winners have included congressmen and senators, officials of the U.S. Department of Education, and leaders from the Federal Communications Commission. The winner is selected each year by CoSN leadership and announced at the CoSN Annual Conference in April. There is no nominations process for this award.
2025 Award Winners: Excellence in Public Service Award
Nathan Miller, Chief Technology and Information Security Officer, Georgia Department of Education
&
Vanessa Wrenn, CETL®, CeCTO, Chief Information Officer, North Carolina Department of Public Instruction
This award celebrates Nathan’s exceptional dedication to advancing CoSN’s mission and his impactful advocacy within the state of Georgia. His visionary leadership has significantly influenced educational technology and district-level initiatives across the state. Over the past two years, Nathan has spearheaded the creation and execution of a transformative statewide training program, equipping districts with critical knowledge and tools to address cybersecurity and data privacy challenges. Thanks to his collaboration and commitment, districts throughout Georgia are now better prepared to safeguard sensitive information and strengthen their digital security frameworks.
This award honors Vanessa’s unwavering support for education technology leaders within the state of North Carolina. Under her visionary leadership, she has spearheaded the statewide initiative to provide CoSN membership to all K-12 institutions across North Carolina, now successfully in its third year. Regardless of size or affluence of the district, every North Carolina leader is supported. Furthermore, her commitment to professional development has been instrumental in ensuring that the North Carolina Department of Instruction supports a full cohort of CETL® training annually. The CETL® program is the only accredited practice-based certification program available to education technology leaders that bridges technical knowledge, understanding of the educational environment, leadership and vision, and the management of technology and support resources needed to integrate technology across the curriculum to advance student outcomes. This initiative has propelled North Carolina to the forefront as one of the leading states in CETL®-certified professionals for several years.
How to Apply
Selected by Committee
