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Stephanie Bishop
Stephanie Bishop is vice president of the Milken Educator Awards at the Milken Family Foundation, where she champions educator excellence and helps lead one of the nation's premier networks of outstanding educators. A 2001 Milken Educator from Virginia, Stephanie works alongside Milken Educators across the country to expand and strengthen strategies that Celebrate, Elevate, and Activate educators and the profession.
She leads Activating Milken Educators (AME), an initiative that harnesses the collective strength of the Milken Educator Network through collaboration and innovative approaches to attracting, retaining, and developing exceptional teachers. Through AME, Stephanie empowers educators to amplify their impact beyond their classrooms and communities.
Stephanie also serves as co-chair of the Teachers of Promise Institute, a role she has held since 2004. The Institute brings together top aspiring educators from more than 30 Virginia colleges and universities, pairing them with master teachers and school leaders for an inspiring experience that celebrates their commitment to teaching while preparing them to thrive in the profession.
In 2020, Stephanie co-chaired the inaugural I, Too, Am the Dream Contest for the Milken Center for Advancing the American Dream. The contest empowered students to reimagine the American Dream through essays, poetry, spoken word, and short stories, encouraging young people to become ambassadors for hope, opportunity, and change.
The Lowell Milken Center for Unsung Heroes enlisted her expertise in 2007 for its production of Life in a Jar, the inspiring story of Irena Sendler. In 2012, she and her students received the Discovery Award for their original one-act play, Walk With Me, which tells the story of unsung hero Ken Reinhardt and his courageous efforts to defend and befriend the Little Rock Nine during school integration in 1957.
Before joining the Milken Family Foundation, Stephanie served as a public school educator for 25 years in Virginia, including roles as Director of Secondary Education, principal, and teacher. As principal of J.E.J. Moore Middle School in Prince George County, she led a transformation of the school's learning culture through process- and project-based learning that emphasized meaningful, relevant outcomes for students.
At the time of her Milken Educator Award, Stephanie was a theatre arts teacher and chair of the Fine Arts Department at Prince George High School, where she created an award-winning theatre arts program.
Stephanie earned a Bachelor of Arts in theatre arts and English, as well as a Master of Arts in education with a major in curriculum and instruction, from Virginia Tech. She later earned a Master of Education in educational leadership from Virginia Commonwealth University.