WASHINGTON, D.C. – Last night, Representative Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA), a former educator, attended President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden’s first-ever “Teachers of the Year” State Dinner at the White House. The event honored the 2024 National Teacher of the Year, Missy Testerman from Tennessee, and the State Teachers of the Year, including Ryan Hardesty from Pennsylvania. The National Teacher of the Year Program is overseen by the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) and identifies exceptional teachers who demonstrate their strong commitment to and positive impact on education.

“The years I spent in the classroom as a high school chemistry teacher and then at a literacy nonprofit working with kids, parents, and teachers were easily some of the most challenging periods of my life. They were also the most rewarding,” said Houlahan. “It was an honor to be invited to the first-ever ‘Teachers of the Year’ State Dinner to celebrate our nation’s teachers. This dinner, a formal recognition of educators’ hard work and sacrifice, is long overdue. I thank President Biden and First Lady Jill Biden, an educator herself, for going above and beyond to show teachers how much we value them by hosting this dinner – I hope it becomes an annual tradition.”

Houlahan continued: “In the words of the National Teacher of the Year, Missy Testerman, ‘Teachers make all the other professions possible.’ To every American and Pennsylvanian working in education, please know you are deeply appreciated and deserving of support. In Congress, I will continue doing everything I can at the federal level to help our teachers, students, and parents create a classroom environment where everyone can flourish.”

This Congress, Houlahan reintroduced her bipartisan Mathematical and Statistical Modeling Education Act, which would modernize K-12 STEM education. The bill was passed unanimously through the Science, Space, and Technology Committee and is awaiting a vote before the full House. 

For the complete list of guests who attended the State Dinner, click here.

Houlahan is an Air Force veteran, an engineer, a serial entrepreneur, an educator, and a nonprofit leader. She represents Pennsylvania’s 6th Congressional District, which encompasses Chester County and southern Berks County. She serves on the House Armed Services Committee and the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. She is the recipient of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Abraham Lincoln Leadership for America Award which “recognizes members who demonstrate the bipartisan leadership and constructive governing necessary to move our country forward” and the Congressional Management Foundation’s 2022 Democracy Award for best Constituent Services in Congress.

###