Ann Tollefson2007 State Supervisor of the Year
Ann Tollefson, recently retired foreign language content specialist at the Wyoming Department of Education, was recognized in November 2007 as the State Supervisor of the Year. Ms. Tollefson received the award from Pearson/Prentice Hall and the National Council of State Supervisors For Languages (NCSSFL) at the annual meetings of NCSSFL and the National Association of District Supervisors of Foreign Languages (NADSFL) in San Antonio, Texas.
Throughout her career, Ms. Tollefson has exhibited outstanding leadership, service and innovative contributions at the state, regional, and national level. Described by one of her colleagues as “having the golden touch when it comes to grant writing,” she secured both state and federal funding for numerous projects that she has directed, including the Wyoming Elementary Foreign Language Pilot Program, the Wyoming Middle School Articulation Project, the National Online Early Language Learning Assessment, the U.S. Department of Education Critical Language Project and the U.S. Department of Education WyFLES: A National Model for Delivery of Elementary School Foreign Language Programs. Under her leadership, Wyoming partnered with both Georgia and South Carolina to create Spanish programs for elementary school students.
In addition to this award, Ms. Tollefson was the recipient of the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) 2002 Florence Steiner Award for Leadership in Foreign Language Education K-12. She has also served as president of ACTFL, the Pacific Northwest Council on Foreign Languages, and the Wyoming Foreign Language Teachers’ Association. She has been a frequent presenter at state, regional and national conferences. Additionally, Ms. Tollefson was instrumental in training teachers in the national foreign language standards and in creating the Wyoming foreign language standards.
As one of her colleagues writes, “Ann has single-handedly led our little state into the national limelight, convinced our legislators that foreign language is critical for Wyoming students, and developed future leaders in our profession.”