SUNY Online Teaching Ambassador 2023: Dutchess – Thomas Costello

Dr. Thomas B. Costello is an Associate Professor of Speech and Theatre and the Performing Arts Program Chair at SUNY Dutchess Community College.

Tommy is a theatre and performance educator, practitioner, and designer.  He is an active member of the Association for Theatre in Higher Education and its Community College Theatre Alliance, and he also regularly participates with the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival, Region 1, where he has served for the past several years as the chair of the SDC Directing Initiative.  As a lifelong theatre maker, Tommy is also a proud member of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society and the Society of American Fight Directors.  While he loves the wide view, he isn’t afraid to zoom in locally: he serves on the board of the Red Hook Community Center and Ancram Opera House, and enjoys helping local schools develop their performing arts programs and facilities.

Tommy’s recent exploits in higher education have been focused on equity and access, starting from the radical idea that all students are worthy of studying with us.  To that end, he has been actively involved in removing traditional gatekeeping and encouraging students to lean into their work.  He is actively involved in the creation of OER course materials and open pedagogical practices, and is on a constant quest to learn more: To that end, he is currently enrolled in the SUNY Center for Professional Development (CPD) Inclusive Teaching and Learning Certificate Program and is excited to be joining SUNY peers from across the state in actively “creating a more equitable SUNY.”  There is much work to be done, and he believes that it is worth doing.

Tommy holds a Ph.D. in Theatre and Performance from the University of Pittsburgh, a M.Phil in Irish Theatre and Film from Trinity College Dublin, and undergraduate degrees in Theatre & Psychology from SUNY Geneseo.  He is also a TEFL/TESOL-certified English teacher, and lived, taught, and travelled throughout Eastern Europe and Western Africa, before returning to the States to focus on higher education.   Previous honors include a SUNY Chancellor’s Award for excellence in teaching and a Dutchess County “Forty Under 40” Shaker Award for community collaboration, and Tommy is thrilled to add this SUNY Online Teaching Ambassador recognition feather to his cap as well!