Hudson County Community College Receives 2021 ACCT Northeast Region Equity Award
October 19, 2021
HCCC delegation accepts the honor at ACCT Leadership Congress in San Diego.
October 19, 2021, Jersey City, NJ – On Thursday, October 14, 2021, Hudson County Community College (HCCC) accepted the Association of Community College Trustees (ACCT) 2021 Equity Award for Northeastern United States. The award was presented at the Regional Awards Luncheon of the 52nd Annual ACCT Leadership Congress in San Diego, California. This recognition honors the College’s leadership in setting policies within the last five years that promote and enhance opportunities for institutional diversity, inclusion, and equity for women, persons of color, LGBTQs, and members of any other underrepresented and underserved population.
A Hudson County Community College delegation, led by Dr. Christopher Reber, HCCC President, was present for the awards ceremony. The HCCC attendees included: Bakari G. Lee, Esq., Vice Chair, Board of Trustees; Pamela Gardner, Member, Board of Trustees; Yeurys Pujols, Vice President for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion; Lilisa Williams, Director of Faculty and Staff Development; Jose Lowe, Director, Educational Opportunity Fund Program; Veronica Gerosimo, Assistant Dean, Student Life and Leadership; Dr. Alison Wakefield, Assistant Professor and Interim Associate Dean, Humanities and Social Sciences; Sharon A. Daughtry, Lecturer, Business; Amaalah Ogburn, Associate Director, North Hudson Campus; and Warren Rigby, HCCC Alumnus and former Student Government President.
Pictured from left are David Mathis, ACCT Chair; Dr. Yvonne Barnes, ACCT Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee Chair; Dr. Chris Reber, HCCC President; Bakari G. Lee, Esq., Vice Chair of the HCCC Board of Trustees; and J. Noah Brown, ACCT President and CEO.
“This award recognizes the College’s work to advance Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in all forms,” said Dr. Reber. “It is a significant point of pride for our entire College community. DEI is a shared value and priority that has truly galvanized all members of our HCCC Family.”
William J. Netchert, HCCC Board of Trustees Chair, said that because the College serves one of the most ethnically and racially diverse communities in the United States, student success and issues surrounding diversity, equity, and inclusion – particularly increasing access to the College’s high-quality, transformative educational and economic programs and services – are foremost priorities.
“These past three years, we redoubled our efforts and established the President’s Advisory Council on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (PACDEI), which espouses the principles embraced and actively supported by the Trustees and the entire HCCC community,” Mr. Netchert stated. “These principles are interwoven in every HCCC policy, procedure, program, and offering, and this award is a testament to our ongoing commitment of supporting and fostering a welcoming, diverse, equitable, and inclusive environment on our campuses, throughout the County, and beyond.”
Hudson County Community College also recently received the 2021 Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) Award from INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine, the oldest and largest diversity-focused publication in higher education. The annual award recognizes colleges and universities in the United States that demonstrate outstanding commitment to diversity and inclusion. HCCC is one of just eight community colleges among the 101 award recipients.