GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas - The 80th Training Command, The Army School System (TASS), held their annual Instructor of the Year competition from Feb. 24-26, 2026.
Top competitors in every category move on to compete against other instructors from the U.S. Army Reserve Command.
This year saw a total of nine competitors including officers, non-commissioned officers, and warrant officers.
The annual competition allows the best instructors to demonstrate their skills and proficiency to teach other soldiers the critical skills they need within their career field.
“To be a great instructor requires more than just subject matter expertise,” said Command Sgt. Maj. Rogelio James, the senior enlisted leader for the 80th Training Command. “It demands passion, patience, and an unwavering commitment to the success of every single soldier who walks into your classroom or steps onto your training ground.”
“This competition is more than just a test of your knowledge and skills,” James told the assembled competitors. “It is a celebration of the spirit of instruction, a testament to the profound impact you have on the readiness and lethality of our force.”
Instructors chosen by their command to compete for instructor of the year come from a variety of backgrounds and diverse skill sets which better enable them to teach other soldiers and develop fellow instructors by sharing best practices to use in the learning environment. Lt. Col. Bernadette McCrory, a small unit instructor and Director of Instruction for the Command and General Staff College (CGSC) with the 95th Training Division since 2024, is one of the competitors this year selected by her commander due to her years of expertise.
“As a medical officer, I teach the S block which focuses on sustainment and how do we have the competitive advantage against our adversaries,” said McCrory.
In her civilian job, McCrory is an associate professor at Montana State University where she teaches mechanical and industrial engineering. She uses her experience as a professor to be a better instructor for the Army Reserve. McCrory said her students at CGSC learn a variety of topics such as technical writing, technical communication, ethical leadership, systems thinking and more. One of her favorite things about being a CGSC instructor is developing junior field grade officers.
“I get to see the growth of our field grade majors and that really brings me a lot of satisfaction,” McCrory said. “We are focused on student learning outcomes and really want to create an environment where they are taking as much of this out as possible and make really competent, professional majors.”
Other competitors had similar feelings about helping develop the knowledge and skills of other soldiers, many of which will take on leadership roles within their units. Chief Warrant Officer 4 Lourdes Rideaux of the 83rd Army Reserve Readiness Training Center (USARRTC) who teaches the Unit Movement Officer and has only been with the unit for eight months said, “I think being an instructor you leave a legacy behind, because we always remember our first drill sergeant, or we remember that one instructor that made a difference,” Rideaux said.
Rideaux is one of two warrant officers competing this year for the 80th TC. “To me, if you want to make a difference in some soldier’s life, you can be an instructor and show them that leadership,” said Rideaux.
Being teachable is a key characteristic of successful instructors. Sgt. 1st Class Jennifer Horvath, an instructor since 2019 with the 83rd (USARRTC) who was an evaluator for this year’s competition believes one of the things which makes a great instructor is a willingness to learn.
“I think it is someone who is humble and willing to learn from their peers,” Horvath said. “But that also includes instructors who come in after them and willing to learn from someone with less experience and get insights from all sorts of people.”
Command Sgt. Maj. James had some inspirational words of encouragement for the competitors to start off this year’s event.
“The role of an instructor is one of the most critical in our force,” said James. “You are the guardians of our standards, the mentors to our future leaders, and the ones who forge raw talent into the disciplined, lethal, and resilient soldiers our nation depends on. The knowledge you impart, the skills you hone, and the values you instill in your students are the very bedrock of our Army's readiness.”
This year’s top instructors for the 80th TC were Chief Warrant Officer 3 Matt Bielli of 4th Brigade, 102nd Training Division, Sgt. 1st Class Kenneth Nkum of the 3rd Brigade, 94th Training Division, and Maj. Jacob Miskulin of the 83rd Army Reserve Readiness Training Center (USARRTC) under the 100th Training Division. These winners will compete against other instructors from across the Army Reserve.
The 80th Training Command (The Army School System) has a force of over 6,000 Army Reserve Soldiers and 270 Civilians authorized to 85 units across 37 states nationwide, while resourcing and conducting almost 1,700 courses each year.
| Date Taken: |
03.02.2026 |
| Date Posted: |
03.02.2026 14:48 |
| Story ID: |
559217 |
| Location: |
GRAND PRAIRIE, TEXAS, US |
| Web Views: |
84 |
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0 |
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