PEMBROKE, N.C. — Sarah Griffin-Greene, a STEM teacher at Rowland-Norment Elementary School and the 2024-25 Teacher of the Year for the Public Schools of Robeson County, has been selected as a 2025-26 Kenan Fellow. This opportunity will provide her with a year-long STEM immersion fellowship with Lumbee River EMC.
“We are honored to support Sarah Griffin-Greene’s Kenan Fellowship and to play a role in strengthening STEM education in our community. By opening our doors and sharing the inner workings of the electric cooperative model, we hope to inspire the next generation of innovators and problem-solvers. Partnerships like this are essential to building a brighter future, it starts in the classroom,” said Jon T. Locklear, CEO of Lumbee River EMC.
STEM Industry Immersion
Through a partnership between North Carolina’s Electric Cooperatives, Lumbee River EMC, and the Kenan Fellows Program for Teacher Leadership at N.C. State, Griffin-Greene’s fellowship will involve collaborating with industry professionals to understand the electric cooperative business model and electricity distribution. This experience will inform her development of resources designed to help students grasp the science of energy distribution, the grid, and potential careers within the energy sector.
“One of my goals is to make real-world connections for my students. I want them to see that STEM isn’t just a class they come to once a week. They can fall in love with one or more of the disciplines, study it in college, and make it their life’s work,” Griffin-Greene stated.
Competitive Fellowship Award
The Kenan Fellows Program for Teacher Leadership annually provides K–12 educators with immersive experiences in local industries and higher education, enriching their teaching and connecting students to future career opportunities.
“This fellowship allows the teacher to bring applied STEM knowledge and examples directly to her students,” said Vance Kite, Director of the Kenan Fellows Program for Teacher Leadership. “Crucially, it also reflects our program’s commitment to investing in teachers’ professional growth, ensuring they have the resources and experiences to become even more effective leaders in their classrooms and communities.”