March 24, 2026 – Theresa Miller, an Amarillo High School career and technical education teacher, is the 2026 Chick-fil-A Leader Academy National Teacher of the Year. Local and national representatives from Chick-fil-A surprised Miller and her students with the news Tuesday morning in her classroom.

Miller, an educator for more than 30 years, is the teacher for the Chick-fil-A Leader Academy at AHS. Chick-fil-A Leader Academy is an action-oriented leadership program empowering students to make an impact in their schools and local communities.

She was nominated for Chick-fil-A Leader Academy Regional Teacher of the Year by Allie Brinza, the owner/operator at Chick-fil-A South Coulter Street. Theresa was selected for the regional honor and advanced to the national competition for recognition. She was named Chick-fil-A Leader Academy National Teacher of the Year from a pool of 1,600 CFA Leader Academy teachers nationwide.

“I’m kind of speechless and overwhelmed,” Miller said.

After the surprise announcement, Miller told a crowded classroom of students, Amarillo Mayor Cole Stanley, and leaders from AHS, AISD, and Chick-fil-A that when she first learned about the Chick-fil-A Leader Academy, she immediately knew she wanted to be involved.

“This academy has been so special in my heart,” Miller said. “I taught about Chick-fil-A for a long time because it is the epitome of what a successful business should look like. The TEKS (Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills, the state’s curriculum standards for public schools) of leadership align with what Chick-fil-A teaches in the academy, and I see that it has a lasting impact because of the academy.”

Principal Andrea Pfeifer said the Chick-fil-A Leader Academy class at AHS grows every year and has a wait list, thanks to Mrs. Miller and the kind of teacher she is.

“When she asked me a few years ago to partner with Chick-fil-A Leader Academy, that was an easy yes, because that program embodies everything that Mrs. Miller teaches her students,” Pfeifer said. “It’s such an honor to work with a teacher like Mrs. Miller. It’s humbling for us to be honored nationally, but at the same time, she deserves it because if I could gift Mrs. Miller to every high school in America, I would, because she’s exactly who we want to have in our classrooms and who we want to have teaching our students.”

As part of her award, Miller was presented with an iPad, a Chick-fil-A-branded pickleball set, and a $10,000 grant for Amarillo High School.