This year’s Teacher of the Year is Kristen Portalea, a dedicated math teacher with 14 years of experience at Rockville High School. Known for her creativity and commitment to all learners—especially students with IEPs and Emergent Multilingual students—Ms. Portalea makes every student feel welcome. Whether it’s using erasable highlighters, color-coded notes, or hot chocolate to keep lessons engaging, she goes above and beyond to help every student succeed.

Darine Haddad earned her Ph.D. in Optics from the University of Versailles in 2004, where she taught and conducted research in optical sensors and metrology. She has worked on precision experiments to measure the Planck constant and define the unit of mass, first in France at LNE and since 2008 at NIST in the U.S. She now leads NIST’s efforts on the primary realization of mass (NIST-4) and the Quantum Electro-Mechanical Metrology Suite (QEMMS).

Lasse V. Syversen is a seasoned business leader and entrepreneur with a background in executive roles at General Electric, Olivetti, Honeywell Bull, and Dell. He is the owner of Ritmarine Ltd, Bloksberg Inc, and Flagship Trade Net, focusing on trade technology and strategic consulting.

A graduate of INSEAD with a Master’s in Change Management, Lasse is known for leading business transformations and currently serves on 10 corporate boards. His career blends corporate expertise with entrepreneurial drive, making him a respected voice in strategy and innovation.