A Tree Still Grows in Brooklyn as Downstate Honors Joan G. Bartolomeo
By Office of the President | May 19, 2026
During our Commencement ceremony last week, I had the honor of presenting Joan G. Bartolomeo with Downstate’s Ailanthus Award, one of our highest honors recognizing her decades of leadership, service, and steadfast commitment to Brooklyn.
Named for the resilient tree made famous in A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, the Ailanthus Award honors individuals whose work helps communities grow and thrive. Few people embody that spirit more fully than Ms. Bartolomeo.
A lifelong advocate for Brooklyn, Ms. Bartolomeo has spent her career bringing together education, business, healthcare, government, and community leaders to create opportunity across the borough. From helping advance Brooklyn’s early biotechnology and life sciences sector alongside Downstate and the late Dr. Eva Cramer, to supporting neighborhood investment and small business growth through her leadership at Signature Bank, her impact can be seen across generations of Brooklyn institutions and communities.
Ms. Bartolomeo has also remained deeply connected to Downstate through her 20 years of voluntary service on the Downstate Technology Incubator (DTCI) and BioBAT boards, helping champion innovation, entrepreneurship, and economic development in Brooklyn’s growing life sciences community. Together with Dr. Cramer, she never wavered in her belief that biotechnology could thrive in Brooklyn, despite the many naysayers and skeptics. This year also marks her retirement from the DTCI and BioBAT boards after years of dedicated service and leadership.
She continues to serve Brooklyn through her work with the Kingsborough Community College Foundation and through countless civic and community partnerships that reflect her belief in opening doors and building connections for others. In honoring her, Downstate celebrated a distinguished career and a remarkable legacy of helping Brooklyn grow.
Congratulations, Ms. Bartolomeo; thank you for the roots you helped sprout at Downstate and throughout our beloved borough.
Tags: Ceremony, Commencement, Awards