Westby Receives 2024 Karen King Future Leader Award

Apr 19, 2024

The 2024 Karen King Future Leader Award was presented to Kathryn “Katie” Westby at the AERA Annual Conference on April 14th in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Katie receiving Karen King Future Leader Award The Special Interest Group for Research in Mathematics Education (SIG/ME) of AERA recognizes and nominates graduate students each year who exhibits qualities as future leaders and partake in education research committed to academic innovation in areas of equity, community engagement, and teaching and research. From the nomination criteria, the nominee will have significance of research, relevance and timeliness of research questions, and quality and rigor of research. The award includes a $500 stipend and recognition on the SIG-RME website and SIG.ME newsletter. Katie is pictured at right receiving the award from Teruni Lamberg, SIG-RME Chair and faculty member at the University of Nevada, Reno.

The Karen King Future Leader Award was named after Dr. Karen King, a leader in mathematics education and STEM education. A graduate of Spellman College, Karen King earned her bachelor's degree in mathematics in 3 years, graduating Magna Cum Laude. She then received a Ph.D. in Mathematics from the University of Maryland and a National Science Foundation fellowship.

Dr. King went on to hold faculty positions at San Diego State University, Michigan State University, and New York University. She held her position at Michigan State University from 1999 – 2005 in the Department of Mathematics as an Assistant Professor. She was a nationally recognized scholar and consultant in mathematics education. Dr. King’s research focused on the mathematical preparation of K-12 teachers, policies related to mathematics professional development, and urban mathematics reform. She has published many works and has served as Director of Research for the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. Dr. King also served as a mentor to many within the mathematics and STEM community and was an advocate for equity and equitable practices within the field. Sadly, Dr. Karen King passed away in December 2019. Her legacy lives on through research and dedication to the STEM community, and through each person granted the Karen King Future Leader Award, in her honor.

Katie with award About the award, Katie said. “It's an honor to have been nominated for and to receive the Karen King Future Leader Award from the RME Special Interest Group at AERA, and I am grateful to everyone who supported me in this journey. Thank you to Drs. Jennifer Green, Tonya Bartell, and Beth Herbel-Eisenmann for their letters of support and to the Awards committee for their work.”