Chambers, Hunter Receive Alumni Council Awards

The Harvard Graduate School of Education honored two alumni — Steven Chambers, Ed.L.D.‘21, and Caroline Hunter, Ed.M.’99 — for their outstanding contributions to the field of education.

Chambers, the executive director of the NYC Young Men’s Initiative and a special adviser in the NYC Mayor’s Office of Equity and Racial Justice, was given the HGSE Alumni Council Award for Impact in Education. Given annually, the Impact in Education award goes to an alum who has successfully created and implemented work that has impacted the field and communities while bringing hope to the educational landscape.

Hunter, a former chemist, activist, and science and math teacher in Boston, was also honored with the HGSE Alumni Council Award for Excellence in Education, given annually to an alum who demonstrates significant, long-term service in the field of education while representing the mission and values of the Ed School.

Chambers and Hunter were presented their Alumni Council Awards on Harvard Alumni Day on Friday, June 5, as part of an HGSE event in Askwith Hall that featured presentations from six Ed School alums, a musical performance, and recognition of Chambers and Hunter along with departing members of the school’s Alumni Council.

Calling Reverend Chambers “the very best of HGSE,” Julian Kenneth Braxton, Ed.M.’99, chair of awards committee of the HGSE Alumni Council, noted the many ways his work puts the Ed School mission into practice in the real world.

“What distinguishes him is the combination of moral leadership and real-world impact. He does not just speak about equity or justice; he builds the structures and programs that move communities forward,” said Braxton. “Simply put, his work has had a meaningful impact on the lives of young people, and his work embodies what the Impact Award is meant to recognize.”

Chambers’ leadership and vision has created tangible, large-scale results in one of the biggest education systems in the United States. Initiatives such as JobsNYC, the Men’s Well policy agenda, and the Young Men’s Initiative highlight his commitment to improving outcomes for marginalized communities through systemic change. A 2021 Harvard Gazette profile of Chambers highlighted his work to “make connections, close divides, and strengthen communities.”

“In a profession where Black men are a minority, I'm especially honored to be recognized for my contributions to the field of education. I was raised under the African philosophy of Ubuntu: I am because we are. So, my identity is deeply rooted in community,” said Chambers. “I consider it a privilege to be able to take up space in this sector and to do so with the conviction that there's a responsibility to model excellence and serve with intention.”

Chambers co-authored New York City’s Outdoor Learning Initiative during the COVID-19 pandemic, which helped sustain learning for more than a million students during the pandemic by bringing classrooms into parks and other outdoor spaces. He also served the greater Houston, Texas, era for more than a decade as an elementary school teacher, college access counselor, district administrator, and associate pastor. Leaning on his practice as a theologian, Chambers said he considers his work to be a reflection of his call to religions ministry and vocation that every side of a young person’s life informs the quality of their education.

“It means the world to have a body of my peers acknowledge my accomplishments post-graduation. As a graduate of the Doctor of Education Leadership (Ed.L.D.) Program, I owe a great deal of my professional refinement to HGSE, the faculty of the Doctor of Education Leadership Program, and my Cohort 9 classmates,” said Chambers. “HGSE alumni are transforming the education sector and beyond every day. I am only one of many. So to be nominated and acknowledged is an honor that I'm genuinely humbled by.”

Hunter, who retired from Cambridge Public Schools in 2010 after more than 32 years of service, has a long history of leadership and organization in education spaces. Beginning as a substitute teacher at Cambridge Rindge & Latin in the late 1970s, Hunter was hired as a math teacher, then held several different positions including assistant principal, mediation for success instructor, and student government advisor. She co-wrote the Concerned Black Staff (CBS) Report of Minority Student Data Report of Achievement (1985-86), which was the first statistical report on the achievement gap in Cambridge Rindge & Latin Schools.

“Caroline Hunter’s life work is a testament to the values and mission of HGSE. I often think of the Excellence Award as a ‘lifetime achievement’ honor, and in reading about Ms. Hunter, it is clear that she is a most deserving candidate,” said Braxton. “Like HGSE’s commitment to creating equitable solutions and improving outcomes, Ms. Hunter has done this in every stage of her career. Her activism, leadership, and commitment to equity stood out to both me and the committee. Caroline Hunter represents the very best of the field.”

Hunter also played a significant role in the Polaroid Revolutionary Workers Movement, co-founding the movement which petitioned the Polaroid Corporation in 1970 to end its support of South African apartheid. The subsequent boycott was considered the first anti-apartheid boycott of a U.S. corporation.

"I am humbled and honored to be selected as the recipient of the 2026 HGSE Alumni Council Award for Excellence in Education," said Hunter. “It is particularly important that this honor is from educational peers and practitioners who support the vision that a quality education is a human right and not a privilege for a few. I am a living example of how educational access, a quality education, and equal opportunity can change the lives of generations.”

Hunter detailed her career in education and advocacy in a brief speech, paying tribute to her parents for working hard “to provide us with the opportunities that they were denied under segregation” and inspiring her to give the same opportunities to others with her work.

“My life’s work has been to share my gifts and advocate in order that others will have what I have been afforded,” she said. “Equal access to a quality education and equal opportunity: that has changed my life and allowed me to make a change for the better.”

Hunter’s lifetime of advocacy and work in education has earned her a number of awards, including the National Education Association Rosa Parks Memorial Award in 2012. Among many other honors, she has also been awarded the Cambridge NAACP Education award, the MASS Teachers Association Louise Gaskins Civil Rights Award, and the Dr. Effie Jones Humanitarian Award from the School Superintendents Association.

Braxton noted the wide breadth and range of accomplishments and the impact on communities across the globe the HGSE Alumni Council saw in this year’s nominees.

“I have always known that HGSE has outstanding alumni, but serving on this Awards committee has shown me the depth and breadth of their impact,” said Braxton, who serves as the Bezan Chair for Community and Inclusion at the Winsor School in Boston. “Our alumni are truly living the values and mission of the school, and their work is both inspiring and instructive. They inspire me, and I know they will inspire you as well. I am proud to be a HGSE alum.”