New Prestigious Teaching Award for Russell Sage College Grad, the New York State Teacher of the Year  

Russell Sage College graduate and New York State Teacher of the Year Colleen Keough has received a 2026 Travelers Award for Teaching Excellence from the NEA Foundation. The award honors K-12 educators nationwide for outstanding teaching, advocacy for students, community engagement, and professional leadership. As one of 48 Travelers Award winners, Keough is now a finalist for the foundation’s Horace Mann Award and NEA Member Benefits Award, which include significant cash prizes and will be celebrated at a gala in Washington, D.C., in early 2026.

Keough earned a B.S. in Childhood Education and B.S. in Psychology at Russell Sage in 2006 and is a second-grade teacher at Hamilton Elementary School in Schenectady, New York. She remains connected to Sage’s Esteves School of Education and spoke at the college’s annual Education Night shortly after the New York State Board of Regents selected her as New York’s 2025 Teacher of the Year. Her remarks, “Teaching, Learning, and Thriving,” drew on her experiences connecting with parents and caregivers; her knowledge of and commitment to trauma-sensitive practices; and her work to foster a strong sense of community at her school — all qualities that have helped her stand out for awards. 

Learn how Russell Sage prepared Keough to make a difference in her classroom and community in this Sage.edu profile of Keough from 2024, shortly after she received the Robert Ludwig Schenectady School District Teacher of the Year award. 

Keough’s Travelers Award is the latest in a string of recent statewide and national honors for professionals affiliated with Sage’s Esteves School of Education: The School Administrators Association of New York State named Pierre Orbe, principal of Dewitt Clinton High School in the Bronx, New York State High School Principal of the Year; Matthew Wentworth, principal of Goshen Intermediate School, was recognized as New York State’s Elementary Principal of the Year by the same organization and as a National Distinguished Principal by the National Association of Elementary School Principals; and Alexandra Estrella, superintendent of Norwalk Public Schools in Connecticut, received the Dr. Effie H. Jones Humanitarian Award from AASA, the School Superintendent’s Association.

Carla Young, a middle school counselor in the Bethlehem Central School District, was the New York State School Counseling Association’s 2023 School Counselor of the Year. Zaquan Irby, a physical education teacher and coach at Shaker High School, was recognized by the National High School Strength Coaches Association as New York State’s Strength Coach of the Year, also in 2023.