NAU–Yuma 2018 Teachers of the Year
Full-time Teacher of the Year Dr. Glenn Hookstra, Associate Professor, Education Department.
Dr. Hookstra teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in teacher education at NAU-Yuma. He received his B.S. in Physical Education and his M.Ed. in Elementary Education from the University of Nebraska. He received his Ph.D. in Educational Foundations from Oregon State University. He taught for twelve years for Fort Calhoun Community Schools in Nebraska and for four years at Oregon State University. He has been an Associate Professor at NAU Yuma Branch Campus since 1989 and was Coordinator of Education Programs for NAU-Yuma for eight years. He has taught courses in educational psychology; language arts; reading instruction; elementary, middle, and high school curriculum; and educational research. Dr. Hookstra has a high level of commitment to teaching excellence and consistently receives high ratings for his teaching and strong support for student success. He served as president and membership chair of the Lower Colorado Teachers of Reading Association and served on the State Board of Directors of the Arizona Reading Association. He chaired the NAU-Yuma Curriculum Committee and served on the NAU Faculty Senate. His research interests include the teaching of reading in the content areas and applying reading theory to the elementary classroom. He authored professional articles and presented papers on various topics in international education, research on the education of young children, reading theory and pedagogy, and middle and high school curriculum. During his career, Dr. Hookstra coached boy’s high school football and basketball as well as girls’ basketball and track. Locally, he has been a coach for the Yuma Youth Soccer League and has been very active with both the Cub Scouts and the Boy Scouts.
Part-time Teacher of the Year Mr. Alex Valenzuela, Adjunct Professor, Social Work Program
Mr. Valenzuela teaches undergraduate courses in the Bachelor of Arts in Social Work Program at NAU-Yuma. The classes he has taught include Crisis Intervention, Policy Practice Skills, Spanish for Social Workers, and Social Work Research Methods. He received his Bachelors of Social Work from NAU. He graduated Summa Cum Laude in his Master’s Degree in Social Work from the University of Southern California. Born and raised in south Yuma County, he has worked in the social service sector for over ten years within the medical health, governmental, and non-profit sectors. He is currently the Director of Social Services at the San Luis Walk-in Clinic under the Regional Center for Border Health. He was the first social worker to be employed by that agency. In this position, he supervises the Family Care Coordinators and social workers. Prior to that, he worked as a Case Manager for the Area Agency on Aging under the Western Arizona Council of Governments. In addition, he worked as a Case Manager for Catholic Community Services in Yuma and as a Community Outreach Specialist/Health Promoter for Campesinos Sin Fronteras of Yuma. He received his certification and licensure as a Chronic Disease Self-Management Master Trainer from Stanford University. He served as a Community Partnership Specialist for the U.S. Census Bureau and as a Community Action Board Member for the University of Arizona Preventive Research Center. Mr. Valenzuela actively advocates for parents and children in the Yuma region on a broad range of healthcare issues.