Scott Minkoff

Director

Scott L. Minkoff, Ph.D., is the Director of the Benjamin Center and an Associate Professor of Political Science at SUNY New Paltz. His teaching and research focus on American politics, state and local government, public policy, and social science research methods. Minkoff’s academic work has been published in leading journals including American Politics Research, Urban Affairs Review, Political Geography, and Social Science Quarterly. He is also a co-author of “The Struggle for Democracy,” a widely used introductory textbook on American politics, and the author (with Todd Makse and Anand Sokhey) of “Politics on Display: Yard Signs and the Politicization of Social Spaces” (Oxford University Press).

In addition to his scholarly publications, Minkoff has been involved with applied research at nonprofit organizations focused on democracy and civic engagement. As a Senior Research Fellow at VoteAmerica during the 2023–2024 academic year, he led multiple studies evaluating the impact of vote-by-mail policies and political mobilization programs—including large-scale randomized field experiments—on voter turnout.

Minkoff holds a Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Colorado Boulder (2011) and a B.A. in Government from Skidmore College (2004). As Director, he is committed to expanding the Benjamin Center’s role as a hub for impactful, accessible, and policy-relevant research that strengthens democracy and improves public policy across the Hudson Valley and New York State.

Gerald Benjamin

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 & Sciences from 1996-2008.

Kathleen (KT) Tobin

Benjamin Center Scholar

Kathleen (KT) Tobin '92, Ph.D., was named a Benjamin Center Scholar in 2025 after five years of service as the Center's director, in which role she was responsible for designing, managing, and publishing studies focused on regional and statewide issues. She earned her bachelor's degree from SUNY New Paltz, holds an M.S. in Social Research from CUNY Hunter, and received her Ph.D. in Sociology from SUNY Albany. She returned to her alma mater in 2008 and has held roles of increasing responsibility at the Benjamin Center in the years since. From 2017-2021 she served as Deputy Mayor of the Village of New Paltz. In 2018, she received a Chancellor Awards for Excellence in campus service.

Robin Jacobowitz, Ph.D.

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.