COE NAMED EDUCATOR OF THE YEAR BY BUTTE LOCAL DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION

The Butte Local Development Corporation presented its 2023 Educator of the Year Award to Janet Coe.

Coe is the Director of Nursing at the Montana Technological University's Sherry Lesar School of Nursing.

“Janet is a huge advocate for nursing in general, but most notably for her students,” the BLDC noted at its award ceremony.

Coe has spent half of her career as a registered nurse as an educator focused on training the next generation of critical care providers.

"I am humbled and very honored to have received this award,” Coe said. “I am so blessed to have a professional career that combines two passions, nursing and teaching. I believe in accessible, high-quality health care and am proud to be part of this great nursing program training the next generation of healthcare providers, advocates, and leaders."

Montana Tech has been ranked as a Top 20 nursing program in the U.S. by EDSmart. The program has also been ranked as the #1 nursing school in Montana by several publications and numerous ranking systems over the past several years. Graduates also have the highest scores in the state on the NCLEX national licensing exam.  

“Coe took the helm as the new Director of Nursing in 2022, and she has had significant impact on steering initiatives for program growth to address the critical need for more nurses regionally, nationally, and beyond,” said Michele Hardy, dean of the College of Letters, Sciences & Professional Studies. “She and her colleagues have kept growth strategies student success-focused so that the Montana Tech program remains top in the . I applaud their efforts.”

Coe and the Montana Tech Foundation were instrumental in launching the Nursing Simulation Center, which opened in the Fall of 2022 and was constructed with a $7 million private donation from Dave and Sherry Lesar. In addition to funding the Nursing Simulation Center, the donation will allow the program to expand and focus on rural nursing education.