Rabb 2026 Outstanding Teaching Award

April 29, 2026

Dr. Anna Shebanow stands next to Assistant Dean of Education & Learning Innovation, holding a bouquet of flowers and an award certificate in her hands.Announcing this year's Rabb School Outstanding Teaching Award recipient. 

The Rabb School of Continuing Studies is proud to announce that Dr. Anna Shebanow has been selected as the recipient of the Rabb School Outstanding Teaching Award for 2026. This annual award recognizes an exceptional instructor based on student evaluations and an active presence in the Brandeis Online community. With this award, we honor Dr. Shebanow’s exemplary teaching, her deep expertise in cybersecurity, analytics, and emerging technologies, and her eleven years of dedicated service to our academic community, including her valued role on the Rabb Advisory Council.

Dr. Shebanow holds a Doctorate in Digital Information Systems from Colorado Technical University, where her dissertation focused on Advanced Early Thinking on Cloud Computing Resource Planning and Management. In addition, she has completed advanced programs at Harvard Business School, Oxford University’s Saïd Business School, the University of Maryland, the Zurich University of Applied Sciences, and the Women’s Business Enterprise Council. She leverages over 25 years of experience in high-tech leadership and seven successful startups to bring real-world insight into every course she teaches.

A defining part of Dr. Shebanow’s excellence is the impact she has on her students. Learners consistently describe her as empathetic, engaged, and eager to help, noting that her guidance “fills in gaps in understanding and builds confidence.” Students praise her courses as “very interesting and enjoyable,” highlighting her ability to simplify complex topics, curate meaningful materials, and create an energetic, supportive learning environment. Many have shared that her instructive and encouraging feedback empowered them to succeed, some even shifting their career paths toward Data Science because of her mentorship.

Dr. Shebanow’s commitment to student learning, paired with her industry experience and academic leadership, exemplifies the highest standards of teaching at the Rabb School. We congratulate her on this well‑deserved honor and celebrate the excellence she brings to our programs and our community.