Raymond Cotter Roanoke, VA | 7-12, Science, 2021

The official biography below was current at the time of the award.

Raymond Cotter has been an educator for 20 years. He currently teaches Engineering to grades 9-12 at Charles W. Day Technical Education Center. Previously, he was the Roanoke Technical Education Center (ROTEC) teacher at William Fleming High School, after teaching various forms of engineering at the main ROTEC campus. He began his career teaching Network Engineering, Computer Repair, Architecture, and Introduction to Technology at Battlefield High School. Raymond shares his enthusiasm for technology and problem solving through innovative hands-on projects based on real-world problems. He recruits engineers as guest speakers, mentors, and judges, and uses their input to ensure projects provide an authentic engineering experience. Raymond has mentored teams for a variety of robotics competitions including For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST) and VEX. Three of his teams have competed at the world-championship level, including one World Champion Rookie All Star team. He includes VEX Robotics in his teaching and coordinates multiple robotics competitions. Raymond has participated in two NSF grants to increase the supply of engineering technicians in his area and serves on the ROTEC Industry Advisory Board. He enjoys mentoring new teachers and helping others integrate STEM into their subject areas. In 2019, he was recognized as the Roanoke City Public Schools Teacher of the Year. Raymond has a B.S. in technology and human resource development from Clemson University and is currently completing an M.Ed. in administrative leadership at James Madison University. He is certified in technology education and as a Siemens Mechatronics Systems Level One Instructor, Manufacturing Technician One Instructor, and is a Certified SolidWorks Associate.

• High-resolution version of the teacher profile photograph

Know a great teacher like Raymond Cotter? Nominate them for PAEMST!