Alumni Awards

Awards Ceremony

Learn more about the lives and careers of our award-winning alumni

Each spring, the Bank Street College Alumni Association presents its annual awards to celebrate excellence in our alumni community. The 2025 honorees are Dr. Karen Baptiste, GSE ’12; Jacob Dixon, GSE ’10; Lisa Galeano, GSE ’00; Kristen Kaelin, GSE ’10; and Tarima Levine, GSE ’01 & ’23.

Please scroll to read more about our honorees. To register to join us at our upcoming BSCAA Awards Ceremony & Reception on Thursday, May 15 at 6:00 PM, follow the button below.

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Dr. Karen Baptiste, GSE ’12
Recognition Award

Karen “Dr. K” Baptiste is the founder and CEO of the Preschool to Prison Consultancy. Through strategic coaching, transformative dialogue, and action-driven solutions, they equip leaders with the necessary behaviors to create liberatory habits while cultivating new leaders to transform communities and build generational success. Other standout achievements include her appointment to the Educational Legislative Committee—where she shaped groundbreaking national policy points and advocates to Congress for increased funding to meet the diverse needs of students and educators—and her election to the ASCD International Board of Directors. Her personal experience and her work in education inspired her to produce and direct the documentary Preschool to Prison, which has gone on to win 12 awards and is now streaming on Amazon Prime. The film is a compelling examination of how the US public school system is built and operated, likened to prisons; zero-tolerance policies are used to justify suspension and arrests for minor infractions, which set up a pathway to send children of color and children with special needs from school to prison.

Dr. Karen Baptiste

Jacob Dixon, GSE ’10
Recognition Award

Jacob Dixon is an educator-activist and founder & CEO of Choice for All. With a bold vision where one day, all children will be healthy and thrive on Long Island—regardless of zip code—Jacob and his team lead programs, initiatives, and community leadership development toward education, health, and economic justice impacting over 300 neighbors annually in Roosevelt, Freeport, and 18 other communities. Jacob also serves as the center director for the Long Island Regional Technical Assistance Center for Pre-K and Early Childhood Education, the state’s first funded technical assistance center focused on Universal Pre-K and early childhood expansion across Long Island. Prior to founding Choice for All, Jacob was a public-school special education teacher in Washington Heights. Jacob also leads cross-sector regional and statewide efforts focused on early childhood education access, preventive youth services, environmental health, food justice, and more. He is adjunct faculty at Bank Street Graduate School of Education and a 2019 Culture of Health Leader with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Jacob has a BA from Penn State University, an MSEd from Bank Street Graduate School of Education, and is pursuing his doctoral studies at Hampton University.

Jacob Dixon

Lisa Galeano, GSE ’00
Recognition Award

With over 30 years of experience in education, Lisa has dedicated her career to fostering the academic, social, and emotional growth of young learners. She has spent more than two decades in the classroom, teaching both dual language and gifted & talented kindergarten programs, and has served as an assistant principal for the past three years. She has worked extensively with gifted & talented students, English Language Learners, and students with IEPs. Her approach to education emphasizes mindfulness and social-emotional learning, ensuring that students receive a well-rounded, supportive foundation that nurtures the whole child. Lisa strives to create dynamic learning environments that inspire curiosity, critical thinking, and collaboration. She holds a master’s degree in Administration and a Master of Science in Early Childhood Education from Bank Street Graduate School of Education, as well as a Master of Science in Bilingual Education from City College. Additionally, she earned a Certificate in Literacy and Language Development with a focus on children with reading difficulties from Fordham University. Born and raised on the Upper West Side of New York City, Lisa is deeply committed to fostering inclusive, engaging learning experiences for all students.

Lisa Galeano

Kristen Kaelin, GSE ’10
Recognition Award

Kristen Kaelin started teaching at age 9 when she removed all of the clothes and shoes from her bedroom closet, converted it into a classroom, and persuaded her younger sister to be her first student. She went on to pursue a more formal career in education after getting her bachelor’s degree in education at Smith College and her master’s degree in special education at Bank Street Graduate School of Education. She has taught for 21 years in public, charter, and private schools in New York, New Jersey, and Italy. Kristen currently teaches fourth grade at the Brooklyn New School (PS 146), is a consulting teacher for the Center for Responsive Schools, and adjuncts at Bank Street. She strongly believes in the importance of creating classroom communities in which students are cared for and valued holistically while feeling empowered to reach their potential.

Kristen Kaelin

Tarima Levine, GSE ’01 & ’23
Distinguished Service Award

Tarima Levine began her career over 25 years ago as an early childhood special education teacher at the Bank Street Family Center.  Over the course of her career, she has worked with various organizations and school systems as an early childhood specialist and director, family engagement consultant, graduate school instructor, and strategic systems leader. In her current role as the managing director of content, design, and strategy at the Bank Education Center, Tarima Levine works with partners to develop and scale high-quality adult learning agendas to address complex instructional challenges and, in turn, support equitable student learning outcomes. In her role, Tarima ensures that the design and strategy align with the Bank Street approach and are designed to improve district-wide systems and instructional practices. Prioritized content that she is responsible for includes continuous improvement processes, culturally responsive practice, equity-oriented systems and instruction, and high-quality developmentally meaningful practice. She has developed and facilitated professional learning experiences across the United States and abroad.  Tarima holds a BA from Barnard College, and both an MSEd in Early Childhood Special Education and an EdM in Progressive Leadership from Bank Street Graduate School of Education.