FOR PUBLIC POLICY
Director
Kathleen (KT) Tobin, Ph.D., is responsible for designing, managing, and publishing studies focused on regional and statewide issues. She is a graduate of SUNY New Paltz (Sociology, ’92), holds an M.S. in Social Research from CUNY Hunter, and a Ph.D. in Sociology from SUNY Albany. Before returning to her alma mater in 2008, she led survey research projects at the Marist Institute for Public Opinion for over a decade (1997–2008). From 2009 to 2012, Dr. Tobin served on the New Paltz School Board and she is also the former Deputy Mayor of the Village of New Paltz (2017–2021). In 2018, she received a Chancellor Awards for Excellence in campus service.
Benjamin Center Emeritus Founding Director
Gerald Benjamin joined the New Paltz faculty as an assistant professor of political science in 1968 and achieved the university's highest rank in 2002 when he was appointed as a distinguished professor by the SUNY Board of Trustees. He served as chair of the Department of Political Science, presiding officer of the faculty, and Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences from 1996-2008.
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Director of Education Projects
Robin Jacobowitz is the director of education projects at the Benjamin Center at SUNY New Paltz. She taught for many years as an adjunct in SUNY New Paltz's School of Education. Previously, Jacobowitz worked at New York University's Institute for Education and Social Policy, where her research centered on the growth and development of charter schools in New York State, the organizational structures that facilitate teaching and learning in New York City small high schools, and leadership transitions in new schools in New York City. She also worked with the University of Chicago's Chapin Hall Center for Children, where her research focused on the relationship between constituency building and policy work in affecting systemic school reform in New York State. Prior to beginning her career in research, Jacobowitz worked with the Public Education Network in Washington D.C., where she provided technical assistance to local education funds around the country on issues of school governance, school health, and public engagement. Jacobowitz holds an M.Ed. in education policy from the Harvard University Graduate School of Education, and a Ph.D. from the Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service at New York University. She served as a trustee on the Kingston City School District Board of Education from 2011 to 2024 and is a former member of the executive committee of the Ulster County School Boards Association.
1 Hawk Drive
New Paltz, NY 12561
845-257-SUNY (7869)
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