Dominic V. Belmonte Golden Apple Foundation, Chicago, IL

Dominic Belmonte serves the Golden Apple Foundation for Excellence in Teaching in Chicago as its director of teacher preparation. A Golden Apple Award recipient, in 1989 he co-created the Golden Apple Scholars of Illinois program, a pre-induction teacher preparation experience that is now the Golden Apple Foundation's largest program. In 1996 he also co-created the GATE (Golden Apple Teacher Education) program, an alternative pathway to teacher certification for mid-career adults wishing a career in teaching secondary math or science or elementary school children. Belmonte is the author of two books, Teaching on Solid Ground (2005) and Teaching from the Deep End (2003), both published by Corwin Press. At York Community High School in Elmhurst, where he taught for 20 years, Don was an English teacher and chairman of the English department. He earned his B.A. and M.A. in English at the University of Illinois at Chicago.