Teachers College will honor five recipients of the 2025 Alumni Awards at this year’s TC Alumni Day on Saturday, Oct. 18 — a dynamic reunion for College alumni, friends, students and more.
“Serving others is what TC alumni are called to do,” says Jane Elizabeth Brown (M.A. ’10), who will become President of the Alumni Council on June 1. “The recipients of this year’s Alumni Awards embody that profound duty, and to honor them at TC Alumni Day is among our most meaningful experiences as a community in our shared work.”
Learn more about this year’s honorees below, and join the TC community in our celebrations on campus this October.
Monique Herena (M.A. ’17)
The Distinguished Alumni Award
Monique Herena (M.A. ’17) is the Chief Colleague Experience Officer at American Express, where she leads all aspects of Human Resources (HR) and collaborates with leadership to build a culture that attracts, retains and develops the best colleagues. Herena has 30 years of experience in HR across various industries, leading global teams and driving cultural transformations at organizations such as BNY and PepsiCo. She holds leadership roles with the Human Resources Policy Association and has been honored as a National Academy of HR fellow and by American Banker, as one of the most powerful women in banking. At TC, she serves as a guest lecturer and with her husband, Lou, established the Herena Family Endowed Scholarship.
Rebecca Winthrop (Ph.D. ’08)
Rebecca Winthrop (Ph.D. ’08) is Director of the Center for Universal Education at the Brookings Institution. Her research focuses on the skills young people need to thrive in work, life, and as constructive citizens. Winthrop’s expertise is sought by many, including parent networks, schools, district education leaders, the White House, the United Nations, and Fortune 500 companies. She currently serves as a board member and adviser for a number of global education organizations and lectures at Georgetown University. In addition to her doctorate from TC, she earned a M.A. from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs.
Alexandra DeSorbo-Quinn (Ed.D. ’16)
Early Career Award
Alexandra DeSorbo-Quinn (Ed.D. ’16) is the Founding Executive Director of Pilot Light, a food education nonprofit that has worked in hundreds of schools nationwide, and developed a groundbreaking academic framework to empower teachers to connect food to core subjects and equip students with lifelong skills for health, critical thinking, and community engagement. DeSorbo-Quinn previously managed the Stroke Center at Harlem Hospital Center, served on the research faculty at Columbia University's Neurological Institute, and was on the founding team of Hip Hop Public Health. In addition to her doctorate from TC, she holds a Master’s in Public Health from Columbia University’s Mailman School.
Gabrielle Oliveira (Ph.D. ’15, M.A. ’14)
Gabrielle Oliveira (Ph.D. ’15, M.A. ’14) is the Jorge Paulo Lemann Associate Professor at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. She researches the dynamics of — and solutions to — migration, education, and inequality as experienced by Latin American children and youth. Oliveira is the author of the award-winning book, Motherhood Across Borders: Immigrants and Their Children in Mexico and in New York City, and will publish Now We Are Here: Family Migration, Children’s Education, and Dreams for a Better Life later this year based on research conducted during her postdoctoral fellowship from the National Academy of Education and Spencer Foundation.
William Baldwin (Ed.D. ’82, Ed.M. ’81)
Alumni Award for Outstanding Service
William Baldwin (Ed.D. ’82, Ed.M. ’81) is Professor Emeritus of Higher and Postsecondary Education at Teachers College. Since Baldwin’s arrival in 1977, his diligent service across the TC community has included both faculty and administrative leadership. Before serving as the College’s Interim Provost in 2022, Baldwin was the Vice Provost from 2005 to 2015, and served as Chair, Department of Organization and Leadership, from 2015 to 2021. His service to the College has also included numerous college-wide and policy committees. Baldwin’s areas of academic interest include higher education administration, finance and technology, as well as institutional research and planning.