BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Elizabeth Eubanks Von Hofe, a special education teacher at Spanish Fort Elementary School in Baldwin County, has been named Alabama’s 2026-27 Teacher of the Year, according to a news release from the Alabama Department of Education.
Von Hofe will serve as the state’s official ambassador for public education and the teaching profession during the coming school year. She also will represent Alabama in the National Teacher of the Year program.
She succeeds Hoover first-grade teacher Katie Collins, Alabama’s 2025 Teacher of the Year, who was named one of five finalists for the 2026 National Teacher of the Year award.
State education officials announced the award Wednesday evening during an event at the Alabama Shakespeare Festival in Montgomery.
Von Hofe, the daughter of two Limestone County educators, began her career outside the classroom. She earned bachelor’s degrees in business and church vocations from Martin Methodist College and a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Alabama before working more than a decade as a licensed administrator in the nursing home industry.
She later changed careers to teach and went on to earn a master’s degree in collaborative education and become National Board Certified during her third year in the classroom. She now serves as an IEP chair and teacher mentor.
Von Hofe said one of the most meaningful initiatives of her career has been sponsoring her school’s Project Outreach Gulf Coast chapter, a school-community partnership designed to build inclusion, empathy and belonging for students with significant disabilities.
Eshwaa Godfrey, an anatomy and physiology teacher at Selma High School in Selma City Schools, was named Alabama’s Alternate Teacher of the Year.
Godfrey, who graduated from Georgiana High School, said teachers who mentored him as a student helped inspire him to become an educator.
State Superintendent Eric Mackey said both teachers exemplify classroom excellence and a commitment to student success.