Awards & Recognition
Celebrating Excellence in Digital Learning Across Texas
Join the ranks of Texas’s most innovative digital learning professionals and EdTech leaders. Our prestigious awards program recognizes outstanding achievements, leadership, and commitment to advancing education technology across Texas and the Southwest.
Why Recognition Matters
Since 1997, TxDLA has honored the professionals who drive innovation, inspire colleagues, and transform education across Texas. Our awards celebrate not just individual achievement, but the collaborative spirit that makes our community thrive. Who we honor:
- Innovative educators and EdTech professionals pushing boundaries in digital learning
- Digital learning leaders who mentor and develop others in the field
- Institutions pioneering new approaches to education technology in Texas
- Partners who support and advance our digital learning community's mission
Award Categories
Hall of Fame
Recognizing Exceptional Commitment to Digital Learning
Our highest honor recognizes long-term practitioners whose careers demonstrate exceptional commitment, outstanding achievements, and enduring impact in digital learning. Selected with great care, this distinction honors those who have shaped our field.
- Established: 2005 with posthumous induction of Don Foshee and John A. Baker
- Eligibility: Recognizes individuals (not organizations) who are digital learning practitioners or advocates with Texas-based careers. Current or past TxDLA membership not required.
Excellence & Innovation in Digital Learning
Outstanding Achievement in Applied Digital Learning Practice
Recognizes individuals, institutions, or corporations who have done the most to benefit and advance applied digital learning practice. We honor innovation across all sectors: K-12, 2-Year Higher Ed, 4-Year Higher Ed, Corporate, and Government/Nonprofit.
- Eligibility: Open to all digital learning professionals (TxDLA membership not required)
- What We Look For: Innovative solutions, knowledge sharing, and breakthrough applications that advance the field
Don Foshee Outstanding Leadership
Honoring Exceptional TxDLA Leadership
Named for our founding president Don Foshee, this award recognizes Board Members, Officers, or Committee Chairs who demonstrate strong personal commitment, generous service, and vigorous support for developing other TxDLA leaders.
- Eligibility: TxDLA members actively participating in the association
- Recognition Includes: Leadership legacy within our association and mentorship of emerging leaders
John A. Baker Award for K-12
Celebrating K-12 Digital Learning Excellence
Honors K-12 teachers working in public, private, or charter schools who excel in digital learning. Named for Dr. John A. Baker, a longtime champion for educational technology who served as TxDLA President-Elect before his passing in 1997. This $500 award includes complimentary conference registration and TxDLA membership.
- Eligibility: Any K-12 teacher in Texas using educational technology and digital learning innovations (TxDLA membership not required)
Bennie Tschoerner Award for Outstanding Commitment to TxDLA
Recognizing Exceptional Service to Our Organization
Named for longtime TxDLA supporter Bennie Tschoerner, three categories honor those who “make things happen” for TxDLA: Individual, Institutional, and Corporate recognition for outstanding service to our organization.
- Eligibility: TxDLA members or organizations actively participating in the association
- Focus: Dedicated service and commitment that strengthens our entire community
Don Foshee Grant
Supporting Creative Innovation in Digital Learning
This grant recognizes exceptional ideas applied in thoughtful, creative ways through digital learning. Named for our founding president Don Foshee, who was known for his innovative and creative approach to distance learning, it supports projects that demonstrate the creative spirit Don brought to our field.
- Purpose: Funding creative digital learning initiatives that benefit underserved populations or explore new frontiers
Policymaker of the Year
Honoring Leadership in Digital Learning Policy
Recognizes policymakers who champion digital learning initiatives and create supportive environments for education technology advancement across Texas.
- Impact: Policy leadership that enables digital learning growth and innovation
Nomination Process
- Nominations Open: Immediately following each annual conference
- Submission Deadline: February 15 of each year
- Awards Presented: At the spring TxDLA Conference
Hall of Fame Nomination (Special Process)
Nomination Requirements:
Self-nominations not accepted
Online application form
Letter of nomination
Maximum three letters of support
Biography of no more than one page
Selection Process:
The Hall of Fame Committee evaluates nominations and recommends inductees to the TxDLA Board for majority vote approval.
Award Eligibility:
- Recognizes individuals (not organizations or institutions)
- Must be digital learning practitioners or advocates with Texas-based careers (not required to be currently active in digital learning)
- Texas must be a major beneficiary of their accomplishments
- Current or past TxDLA membership not required
- May be awarded posthumously
- Current residence may be in or out of state
Qualities of Hall of Fame Honorees:
- Successful digital learning career of substantial duration
- Accomplishments of exceptional noteworthiness benefiting large numbers of Texas citizens
- Innovators who have pushed the envelope
- Pioneers who have paved the way for others
- Advanced digital learning as a career field or instructional delivery mode
- Exceptional overall impact and commitment to digital learning
Standard Awards Nomination
- Process: Complete online nomination form for your nominee or yourself
Awards Honoring TxDLA Members:
Nominees must be TxDLA members or actively participating organizations
- Bennie Tschoerner Awards
- Don Foshee Outstanding Leadership
Awards Honoring Digital Learning Excellence:
Nominees do NOT need to be TxDLA members
- Excellence & Innovation
- John A. Baker Memorial
Don Foshee Grant Application
- Process: Complete grant application (separate from other awards)
- Purpose: Supporting creative digital learning initiatives that benefit underserved populations or explore new frontiers
Ready to Nominate Someone Exceptional?
Awards are presented annually at the TxDLA Conference. Join us to celebrate Texas’s digital learning champions and be inspired by their achievements in education technology.
Past Recipients
Each award category maintains a complete archive of recipients, showcasing decades of digital learning excellence across Texas. Browse by category to see the distinguished professionals who have shaped our field.
John A. Baker
- Hall of Fame
- 2005