Sarasota Military Academy employee named STEM Teacher of the Year

Sarasota Military Academy's Outreach Director Todd Brown was named STEM Teacher of the Year by the Florida West Coast chapter of the Air Force Association.

As the SMA outreach director, Brown’s role includes enhancing the academy’s curriculum and bringing new programs to cadets. 

Brown, who was nominated for the award by Col. Tom Vara, the head of school, received recognition for his "Inspire Project" curriculum. The program, which Brown created, connects Sarasota Military Academy cadets with global experts and guest speakers to learn about a variety of topics including Earth, equality and health.  

This year's Inspire Project speakers include but are not limited to: Time Magazine's Person of the Year Pardis Sabeti, journalist Sebastian Junger, YouTube star Lauren Findley Raf Ratinam, actor Christopher Sean, one of three FIFA-licensed female referees Christina Unkel and photographer Kate Brooks.

In the nomination letter, Vara describes Brown as “truly inspirational, not only to our cadets but our entire staff, the SMA community and those like-minded individuals around the globe that seek ways to use education as a powerful tool to inspire young people to make connections and have a positive impact on the world around them.”

Previously, Brown received the “Ignite Innovation” award from the Education Foundation of Sarasota County and the Henry Ford Innovator Award. In addition to his role at Sarasota Military Academy, Brown serves as a Teach Sustainable Development Goals Ambassador for the United Nations and has a year-long Centers for Disease Control and Prevention fellowship.