From Warhawk to National Leader: Leah Keller's Award-Winning Year

WHITEWATER, WI — Leah Keller (BSE Art ’92) has had a year most educators only dream about. In the span of months, she earned two of the highest honors in her field, recognition that speaks to both her classroom impact and her long-term leadership in art education.

Keller was named a 2026 Herb Kohl Teacher Fellowship Award recipient, honoring her ability to inspire students and lead with purpose. The year before, the Wisconsin Art Education Association named her the 2025 Wisconsin Art Educator of the Year, citing her sustained contributions to the field at every level.

A Foundation Built at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater

Keller’s approach took shape at UW-Whitewater, where she earned her degree in 1992. She still points to her cooperating teacher as a key influence, someone who showed her what strong, student-centered teaching looks like in practice.

That early standard stuck. For more than three decades, Keller has built a classroom where art isn’t an add-on, it’s a way of thinking that sharpens observation, builds confidence, and opens doors.

Seeing Art in the Everyday

Today, Keller teaches in the Adams-Friendship Area School District. Her style is hands-on and a little unconventional in the best way. If she spots a discarded window or a piece of wood on the roadside, she sees possibility, not junk.

Her students notice. They describe her as fun, kind, and fully invested. Their work regularly reaches state-level recognition, a reflection of both their talent and her guidance. Keller keeps the spotlight on them and on the district she serves, noting in an interview with WKOW-TV that it matters when schools in lower-income communities get credit for doing things right.

A Career That Extends Beyond the Classroom

Keller’s impact doesn’t stop at her own school. She has served as president of the Wisconsin Art Education Association, presented nationally, and published in School Arts and WAEA Art Times.

She also mentors new teachers and reviews proposals for national conferences. Her advice is straightforward: be authentic, take the leap, and don’t get too comfortable. The work stays fresh if you do.

Looking Ahead

Two major awards in two years would be enough for most people. Keller treats them as a checkpoint, not a finish line. Her focus stays on her students and on helping them see what’s possible.

UW-Whitewater counts her among its alumni with good reason. Keller’s career shows what happens when strong training meets staying power, and when a teacher decides to keep showing up, year after year, with something new to offer.