New Jersey Community College Award Winners: Recognizing Excellence and Achievement

The New Jersey Council of County Colleges (NJCCC) recognized 13 exceptional individuals and one organization as recipients of New Jersey Community College Awards for 2025. These awards, given in eight categories, reflect the essential role that New Jersey’s community colleges play in providing accessible, high-quality, and affordable education that serves to transform lives and communities across the Garden State. The vision, leadership, and achievements of these students, college leaders, trustees, state leaders, faculty, alumni, and partners have been integral to the efforts of the community colleges to build a more prosperous state.

These award honorees are as follows:

New Jersey Students of the Year –presented to two New Jersey community college students in recognition of their academic excellence, character, inspirational success, and/or service to their community.

• Areeba Zulkarnain, Ocean County College – Recognized for academic excellence and campus leadership, including revitalizing the college’s arboretum.
• Tanaya White, Salem Community College – Commended for her resilience and service, including her work at the Salem County Courthouse and involvement with the New Jersey Educational Opportunity Fund (EOF) program.

Distinguished Alumni Awards – presented to two New Jersey community college alumni who have made significant contributions that brought honor to New Jersey’s community colleges.

• Assemblyman Anthony Verrelli, Mercer County Community College – Celebrated for his advocacy for working families, legislative leadership, and steadfast support for community colleges.
• Daniel Money, Atlantic Cape Community College – Honored for his leadership as trustee chair of Atlantic Cape Community College and as a mentor to future educational leaders – embodying his lifelong commitment to paying it forward.

Partnership Award – presented to a New Jersey business, government agency, or other entity in recognition of its significant contributions to New Jersey’s community colleges.

• Johnson & Johnson – Acknowledged for extraordinary leadership as a founding sponsor of the NJBioFutures initiative, an innovative public private partnership of the biotechnology industry, Mercer County Community College, Middlesex College, and Raritan Valley Community College. The company’s investment of $1 million was critical in establishing a biotechnology curriculum and program that is preparing students to work in the rapidly growing field of aseptic manufacturing.

Distinguished Faculty Award – presented to a New Jersey community college faculty member who has had a profound influence on students academically and professionally inside and outside the classroom.

• Professor Amy Ricco, Mercer County Community College – Commended for her commitment to teaching and her innovative approach to horticulture education, including her award-winning work with students at the Philadelphia Flower Show.

Ronald D. Winthers Trustee Leadership Awards – presented to two New Jersey community college trustees who have made outstanding contributions to a New Jersey community college.

• Dorothy D. Hall, Salem Community College – Recognized for over 26 years of service as the college’s longest-serving trustee and for being a true exemplar of trustee leadership contributing to institutional growth and student success. Hall is currently a member of the Council’s Executive Committee.
• Mark J. Finkelstein, Middlesex College – Acknowledged for his nearly two decades of service and advocacy for fiscal responsibility, facility growth, and innovative partnerships that have transformed academic programs and student outcomes.

Dr. Lawrence A. Nespoli Leadership Awards – presented to two senior New Jersey community college leaders in recognition of their leadership efforts that have significantly contributed to New Jersey’s 18 community colleges.

• Elvira Vieira, Ed.D., Essex County College – Honored for her strategic leadership at the college in a variety of leadership roles, including for her work to strengthen partnerships between workforce and academic programs at the college and across the state.
• Nicholas Chiaravalloti, J.D., Ed.D., Hudson County Community College – Recognized for leading a variety of critical strategic initiatives at the college and for contributing to efforts to advance the role of community colleges across the state.

Spirit Awards – presented to two community college employees to recognize significant contributions to a New Jersey community college.

• Ilene Cohen, Ocean County College – Lauded for her decades of service to student-athletes as the state’s longest-serving athletic director.
• Tracy Rand, Bergen Community College – Commended for her development of inclusive programs for students with intellectual disabilities at the college, including her role in developing and leading the college’s innovative Turning Point initiative.

Visionary Leadership Awards – presented to two New Jersey state leaders in recognition of their contributions to New Jersey’s community colleges.

• Senate President Nicholas P. Scutari and Assembly Speaker Craig J. Coughlin – Acknowledged for their enduring commitment to higher education. These leaders were celebrated for their critical role in expanding access and resources for community colleges.

All of these award winners were recognized at the NJ Community College Awards dinner on June 5, 2025. Each awardee received a custom-crafted glass acorn, created by faculty and students in Salem Community College’s renowned Glass Art program. Embodying Ralph Waldo Emerson’s quote, “The creation of a thousand forests is in one acorn,” the acorn symbolizes the transformative power of education and the enduring impact of community colleges across New Jersey.