10/27/2026
Andrea Lachance, dean of SUNY Cortland’s School of Education, was honored last week by the New York Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (NYACTE)’s Charles C. Mackey, Jr. Excellence in Service Leadership Award.
The statewide award recognizes an educator who demonstrates personal and professional qualities that exemplify the highest standards of service leadership in teacher education.
Kimberly Rombach ’88, associate dean of the School of Education, nominated Lachance.
“The criteria calls for exceptional service, distinguished leadership and a deep commitment to strengthening teacher education across New York state,” Rombach wrote in her nomination letter.
“In every way, Dr. Lachance portrays sustained leadership that includes a strong vision for our work today, and for our future as well.”
It was a humbling honor, according to Lachance, who has served as vice president, president, immediate past president and secretary of NYACTE.
The award was also a pleasant surprise, with Lachance unaware she’d been nominated until she learned she won.
“In my work with NYACTE and with the SUNY deans and directors of education, I have been privileged to learn from so many other teacher education leaders and colleagues from across the state,” she said. “I consider many of them mentors and have been shaped by both their advice and the models of thoughtful leadership they provide.”
Lachance began her career at Cortland in 1998 as an assistant professor of education, while still completing a dissertation in mathematics education at Cornell University.
After the Education Department was divided into smaller, more specialized departments in 2003, she joined Childhood/Early Childhood Education, which she chaired from 2008 to 2011. Shortly after she was appointed interim dean before earning the position permanently in 2012.
As an administrator, she is responsible for three academic departments and several service units, including Childhood/Early Childhood Education, Foundations and Social Advocacy, and Literacy.
“By far the most rewarding part of my role is working with truly amazing people,” Lachance said. “The faculty and staff in the School of Education inspire me daily. Their dedication to serving our students and local school partners is evident in nearly all that they do.
“There is a real commitment to a shared mission of preparing the next generation of teachers who put the needs of students first and understand how teachers can change a child’s life.”
Rombach described Lachance’s tenure as dean as a substantial contribution to teacher preparation at Cortland, including supported grants like the NYSED Migrant Education Program, the Liberty Partnerships Program, the SUNY Performance Improvement Fund and the Teacher Leader Quality Program.
“(Lachance) has expanded opportunities for students and strengthened university and school and community partnerships,” Rombach wrote. “She has worked to create new pipelines to diversify the teaching profession, including purposefully creating pathways for those historically underserved and underrepresented in teacher education.”
Among Lachance’s proudest accomplishments is Cortland’s status as a model of teacher preparation across the state, Lachance said.
“Our innovative work with school partnerships, early childhood education, inclusive practices, online teacher education, and the long-standing, successful (Cortland’s Urban Recruitment of Educators) program has been recognized widely for the positive impact it has had on the teaching profession in our state and beyond,” she said.