2026 Smithsonian Education Awards Honor Educators and Partnerships Expanding Learning Nationwide

Through dedication, collaboration, and innovation, Smithsonian educators and teams bring world‑class learning to classrooms and communities across the country.

Each year, the Smithsonian Education Awards shine a spotlight on the educators and teams whose work brings the Smithsonian’s mission to life for learners nationwide. The 2026 Smithsonian Education Awards recognized individuals and collaborations whose efforts extend far beyond museum walls—into classrooms, communities, and digital learning spaces across the country. 

The Smithsonian Education Awards honor outstanding staff and team achievements by Smithsonian educators, opening doors for lifelong learners, students, families, communities, fellows, interns, and educators everywhere to discover our extraordinary programming, resources, collections, and research. The awards recognize creativity, excellence, and a commitment to serving the nation through educational programming, distance learning, digital media, publications, and exhibitions.  

The awards are open to all Smithsonian employees and supporting funds may be used to participate in national conferences (to make presentations or serve on committees), purchase professional journals or publications, make site visits to observe other programs, register for continuing education or university coursework, or develop new education initiatives. The Smithsonian Education Awards program is generously supported by the Smithsonian Women’s Committee and was endowed in 2007 to honor the Committee’s fortieth anniversary of service to the Smithsonian. 

Held on Wednesday, April 8, 2026, at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History, the annual Smithsonian Education Awards ceremony brought together educators, collaborators, and supporters (including four D.C. Teachers of the Year) from across the Institution for an evening dedicated to celebrating teaching and learning. Hosted in the museum’s Warner Bros. Theater and followed by a reception, the event honored nominees and award recipients whose work expands access to Smithsonian collections, research, and educational expertise nationwide. With remarks led by Under Secretary for Education Dr. Monique M. Chism, the ceremony highlighted both individual excellence and collaborative projects, underscoring education as a central expression of the Smithsonian’s mission to inspire curiosity, foster understanding, and serve learners of all ages. During her keynote, Dr. Chism emphasized the night’s purpose: to recognize the power of learning, the transformative potential of knowledge, and the enduring spirit of inquiry that defines the Smithsonian. She highlighted the vital role Smithsonian educators play when dedication, perseverance, and creativity are guided by purpose—sparking curiosity, expanding opportunity, and strengthening the fabric of our nation. 

Selected from nominations spanning museums, research centers, and offices throughout the Institution, the 2026 honorees and nominees reflect the breadth of Smithsonian education. Together, they demonstrate how learning happens through individual leadership, cross‑disciplinary collaboration, and innovative approaches that reach learners wherever they are. 

A special award recognition was given to the Smithsonian Community Activation Team to honor their service to Smithsonian educators. During the 2026 Smithsonian Education Awards, the Institution recognized the inaugural Community Activation Team (CAT) with a special honor celebrating its role in building a connected, thriving professional learning community. Formed in 2024, CAT brought together educators from across museums and research units to strengthen collaboration, shared practice, and peer learning throughout the Smithsonian. 

Education Achievement Award 

The Smithsonian Education Achievement Award honors an individual whose sustained dedication has made an outstanding contribution to Smithsonian education. 

2026 Education Achievement Award Recipient 

Mary Deinlein 
Bird Conservation Education Specialist, Migratory Bird Center 
Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute 

For more than three decades, Mary Deinlein has exemplified how scientific expertise, creativity, and leadership can inspire public learning. Her work has transformed conservation education across the Americas, engaging learners through interdisciplinary, cross‑cultural programs grounded in shared environmental stewardship. Deinlein has led numerous bird‑focused education initiatives, helped reimagine the Zoo’s historic Bird House as an immersive educational experience, and authored publications including the bilingual children’s book Feathered Travelers / Viajeros Alados. Her signature achievement is the creation and long‑term leadership of Bridging the Americas / Unidos por las Aves (BTA), a conservation education program connecting elementary students in the United States and Latin America through their shared migratory birds. Over 33 years, BTA has engaged nearly 50,000 students and more than 1,200 teachers in 11 countries, fostering global understanding through science, culture, and collaboration. 

2026 Education Achievement Award Nominees 

Ann Caspari | Education Specialist, National Air and Space Museum 
Maria del Carmen Cossu | Project Director, SITES | Smithsonian Associates 
Darius Epps | Academic Appointments Coordinator, National Museum of African American History and Culture 
Nichelle Garcia | Education Product Developer, National Museum of the American Indian 
Catherine Hammer | Education Product Developer, National Museum of the American Indian 
Michael Henley | Postdoctoral Researcher, National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute 
Maureen Leary | Director, Education & Visitor Experience, National Postal Museum 
Caitlin Lochridge | Education Product Developer, National Museum of the American Indian 
Karen McDonald | STEM Education Program Coordinator, Smithsonian Environmental Research Center 
Debbie Schaefer‑Jacobs | Curator, Division of Home and Community Life, National Museum of American History 
Carol Wilson | Lunder Chair of Education, Smithsonian American Art Museum 
Christopher Wilson | Supervisory Curator and Chair, Division of Home and Community Life, National Museum of American History 

Education Impact Award 

The Smithsonian Education Impact Award recognizes projects or initiatives that measurably improve educational outcomes for learners and educators nationwide. 

2026 Education Impact Award Recipient 

Smithsonian Science for the Classroom and High‑Quality Professional Learning: Improving Student Achievement Across State Borders 
Smithsonian Science Education Center 

Smithsonian Science for the Classroom is reshaping elementary science education through a research‑based K–5 curriculum paired with the Smithsonian Science Stories literacy series. Together, these resources integrate more than 600 stories from Smithsonian collections, research, art, history, and culture into daily classroom instruction. Supported by high‑quality professional learning for educators, the initiative has reached more than 3.7 million students across 45 states and the District of Columbia—demonstrating what is possible when world‑class research, innovative teaching, and rigorous evaluation come together at scale. 
 

2026 Education Impact Award Nominees 

• Design Hive | Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum 

• Inventive Identity Toolkit | Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation, National Museum of American History 

• Public Engagement for Sightlines: Chinatown and Beyond | Asian Pacific American Center 

• Smithsonian Folkways Music Pathways | Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage 

One Smithsonian Education Award 

The One Smithsonian Education Award celebrates collaborative projects that reflect pan‑institutional teamwork and shared expertise across the Smithsonian. 

2026 One Smithsonian Award Recipient

Smithsonian Data Labs: Online Laboratories for Student Analysis of Light, Color, and Other Worlds Team
(Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory; Smithsonian Museum Conservation Institute; Smithsonian Science Education Center; National Museum of Asian Art)

Smithsonian Data Labs brings authentic scientific inquiry into classrooms through digital learning experiences that allow students to analyze real Smithsonian data. The project exemplifies deep collaboration across disciplines, with conservators, lighting designers, scientists, historians, and educators collectively enriching the learning experience. By revealing connections among Smithsonian people, places, objects, and data, Data Labs offers students a powerful model of how scientific ideas are explored and understood in the real world.

2026 One Smithsonian Education Award Nominees

• Civic Season 2025 | National Museum of American History, National Museum of African American History and Culture, National Portrait Gallery, and collaborators

• Cultivating Learning: Celebrating America at 250 | Office of Education and Teachers and collaborators

• Enrichment and Engagement Programming for Interns, Fellows, Alumni, Staff, and Beyond | Office of Academic Appointments and Internships and collaborators

• Museum LIVE! | National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Affiliations, The Durham Museum, and collaborators

Celebrating a Shared Commitment to Education

Together, the 2026 Smithsonian Education Award recipients and nominees underscore education as a central expression of the Smithsonian’s mission to increase and diffuse knowledge. Their work highlights the many ways Smithsonian education happens—through individual excellence, collaborative teams, and initiatives designed to reach learners nationwide.

Tracie Spinale | Read More

Tracie Spinale is Lead Specialist, Education Initiatives & Partnership, in the Office of the Under Secretary for Education (OUSE), where she collaborates with colleagues and communities to create learning experiences, manage internships, and support education initiatives. With more than 25 years of experience as a cultural services educator, Tracie delivers multidisciplinary professional development, training programs, and educational experiences for both adult and youth audiences. Growing up in the American Midwest, she developed a love for museums and the outdoors, and she holds degrees in anthropology and museum studies.