National Financial Education
Instructor of the Year:

Past Winners & Application for
Next Years FEIY Award

Educators are the single most important influence on participants’ success. The Financial Education Instructor of the Year is given to distinguished financial education instructors who are not merely dispensers of knowledge; they are learning facilitators who can mold and modify participants’ behavior to guide them toward financial wellness.

The FEIY Award is part of the National Financial Educators Council’s (www.FinancialEducatorsCouncil.org) commitment to recognizing financial educators who propel the financial literacy movement forward in significant ways. The award encourages other financial educators to push the boundaries as they promote global financial wellness on a growing scale.

Each year the National Financial Educators Council selects an educator that represents the best practices in financial education to receive the Financial Education Instructor of the Year award.

The Financial Education Instructor of the Year award was created to highlight the work of those that are making a lasting difference in the lives of whom they reach. Although the financial literacy curriculum that is used for instruction is important, the NFEC recognizes that educators play the most significant role in improving the financial capabilities of the students.

Past national award winners were selected for the Financial Education Instructor of the Year based on three primary areas:

Education

The NFEC seeks to recognize those people that have a passion for improving the financial capabilities of those they serve. Their instruction style should motivate, engage, educate and move participants to take positive action. The NFEC seeks financial educators that not only show positive pre- and post-test results but also make a long-term impact on the financial behaviors of those they teach.

Awareness

The Financial Education Instructor of the Year (FEIY) has been successful in raising awareness for the financial literacy movement. The ‘movement’ to improve the financial capabilities of the world’s citizens is at a tipping point – the NFEC seeks to reward those that are helping to further this mission.

Sustainability

The FEIY has developed a business model that will support their outreach efforts in perpetuity.

FEIY Application & Benefits: Apply or Nominate an Educator

Each year the NFEC selects one recipient of the FEIY award. There is no ($0) fee to apply or for the winner the Financial Education Instructor of the Year award.

The NFEC commends those with a passion for improving the financial capabilities of those you serve. Thank you. You are making a lasting difference in the lives of those you reach. We welcome all with a passion to promote financial wellness to apply.

The National Financial Education Instructor of the Year Award Recipient Award Receives a Comprehensive Benefits Package:

The Right to Leverage the Financial Education Instructor of the Year Award Recipient Title (Only 1 Award Given Annually)
Custom Educator and Organization Spotlight Webpages Highlighting your Efforts and Promoting your Initiatives
Online Promotions the Generate 125,000+ Impressions
Featured on NFEC Website with Award Honors Page
Financial Education Instructor of the Year Plaque
National Press Release Announcing your Receipt of the Award
Featured in NFEC Twitter, Facebook, Google+ & Linkedin Social Media Posts
Featured in NFEC Newsletter and Electronic Communications

The Financial Education Instructor of the Year (FEIY) award winner will receive a comprehensive benefits package, including a national press release and high-profile mentions on the NFEC’s website. Additionally, the person selected will be eligible for NFEC paid speaking opportunities.

Past Financial Education Instructors of the Year

Past Recipients

Each year the National Financial Educators Council selects an educator who represents the best practices in financial education to receive the Financial Education Instructor of the Year award. The Financial Education Instructor of the Year award was created to highlight the work of people who are making a lasting difference in the lives of the students they reach.

Skyler Harwood, Financial Education Instructor of the Year 2024

Skyler Harwood

Skyler Harwood, a Certified Financial Education Instructor® serving New York’s Southern Tier, has been selected to receive the coveted Financial Education Instructor of the Year (FEIY) Award for 2024. Skyler has provided financial instruction to more than 60 schools and community organizations since 2016, reaching over 25,000 students – preschool through college – with these vital life skills.
View Skyler Harwood's CFEIY Profile

2023 Financial Education Instructor of the Year Paul Goebel

Paul Goebel

Financial educator Paul Goebel is the 2023 recipient of the National Financial Educators Council’s prestigious Financial Education Instructor of the Year (FEIY) Award. This award is designed to honor a single outstanding financial educator each year for making significant contributions to the financial literacy movement. Paul Goebel’s innovation, the University of North Texas Student Money Management Center, came into being over the course of just a single semester in 2005. Since then, Paul and his team have reached nearly 167,000 students.

View Paul Goebel's FEIY Profile

2022 Financial Education Instructor of the Year Sunny Istar Lee

Sunny Istar Lee

Financial educator Sunny Istar Lee is the 2022 recipient of the National Financial Educators Council’s prestigious Financial Education Instructor of the Year (FEIY) Award. This award is designed to honor a single outstanding financial educator each year for making significant contributions to the financial literacy movement. Through Money Master Kids, Sunny has been responsible for educating over 100,000 children and families around the globe about money mastery and financial health.
View Sunny Istar Lee's FEIY Profile

Bola Sokunbi, Financial Education Instructor of the Year

Bola Sokunbi

Financial educator Bola Sokunbi is the 2021 recipient of the National Financial Educators Council’s prestigious Financial Education Instructor of the Year (FEIY) Award. This award is designed to honor a single outstanding financial educator each year for making significant contributions to the financial literacy movement. Sharita has a long history of empowering people through financial capability and is a strong match for the stringent award criteria.
View Bola Sokunbi's FEIY Profile

Sharita Humphrey, Financial Education Instructor of the Year

Sharita Humphrey

Financial educator Sharita Humphrey is the 2020 recipient of the National Financial Educators Council’s prestigious Financial Education Instructor of the Year (FEIY) Award. This award is designed to honor a single outstanding financial educator each year for making significant contributions to the financial literacy movement. Sharita has a long history of empowering people through financial capability and is a strong match for the stringent award criteria.
View Sharita Humphrey's FEIY Profile

Maria Riofrio

Each year the National Financial Educators Council honors an outstanding financial educator by presenting him or her with the coveted Financial Education Instructor of the Year Award. The 2019 recipient is Maria Riofrio, whose history of empowering people through financial literacy make her a strong match for the NFEC’s award criteria.
View Maria Riofrio's FEIY Profile

Sonia Anderson

Each year the National Financial Educators Council honors an outstanding financial educator by presenting him or her with the coveted Financial Education Instructor of the Year Award. The 2018 recipient is Sonia Anderson, whose history of empowering people through financial literacy make her a strong match for the NFEC’s award criteria.
View Sonia Anderson's FEIY Profile

Ben-Joergens-Featured

Ben Joergens

Each year the National Financial Educators Council honors an outstanding financial educator by presenting him or her with the coveted Financial Education Instructor of the Year Award. The 2017 recipient is Ben Joergens, whose commitment to bringing financial education to the at-risk and underserved, all conducted in a strong spirit of partnership and collaboration, make him a strong match for the NFEC’s award criteria.
View Ben Joergens's FEIY Profile
Sharon-Lecture-Featured

Sharon Lechter

Each year the National Financial Educators Council honors an outstanding financial educator by presenting him or her with the coveted Financial Education Instructor of the Year Award. The 2015 recipient is Sharon Lechter, whose history of delivering practical financial education programming, raising mainstream awareness, and promoting legislation to encourage improved financial competency among our nation’s citizens make her a strong match for the NFEC’s award criteria.
View Sharon Lechter's FEIY Profile

Sam X Renick

Sam X Renick

Each year the National Financial Educators Council honors an outstanding financial educator by presenting him or her with the coveted Financial Education Instructor of the Year Award. The 2016 recipient is Sam X Renick, whose history of delivering practical financial education programming, conducting financial literacy promotions, and encouraging legislation to encourage improved financial competency among our nation’s citizens make him a strong match for the NFEC’s award criteria.
View Sam X Renick's FEIY Profile

Diane Larsen

Diane Larsen is an award-winning economics teacher who conducts Certified Financial Education Instructor training, as well as other youth and adult programs for the NFEC. Diane was honored as the NFEC’s Financial Education Instructor of the Year (2011), received the Jump$tart Coalition Outstanding Educator of the Year Award in 2008, and her students have won the statewide Stock Market Simulation three times, with the latest victory in 2012.
View Diane Larsen's Speaker Profile