Colby Community College music instructor Pat Ziegelmeier has been named a Music Teachers National Association (MTNA) Foundation Fellow, one of the organization’s highest honors. She was recognized during the 2026 MTNA National Conference held March 21–25 in Chicago.

The MTNA Foundation Fellow program honors individuals who have made significant contributions to the music teaching profession. The award is bestowed when colleagues or peers donate $1,500 to the MTNA Foundation Fund in the recipient’s name.

For nearly four decades, Ziegelmeier has contributed to the musical development of students. She has been a music instructor and accompanist at CCC since 1988, teaching piano, keyboard skills, harmony, and fundamentals of music, and regularly accompanies the College’s vocal ensembles.

A piano teacher for 47 years, Ziegelmeier has also maintained extensive involvement in professional organizations. She has served on the Kansas Music Teachers Association Board for more than four decades, including as treasurer and executive secretary. Her work has supported conferences, student auditions, membership coordination, and organizational operations. She also helped establish the association’s nonprofit status and continues to assist with required reporting.

In addition, she has been active in the Northwest Kansas Piano Teachers League, where she has held multiple leadership roles and frequently chairs the annual piano clinic. Locally, she has served as executive director of the Western Plains Arts Association and contributes as an organist and music coordinator at the Colby United Methodist Church.

Ziegelmeier holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Wyoming and a master’s degree from Fort Hays State University. She has twice been named the Northwest Kansas Music Educators Association College Music Educator of the Year, in 2013 and 2017, and was honored with the Colby Community College Tangeman Award for Teaching Excellence in 2011.