CCTS Superintendent Named Camden County College Distinguished Alumna

GLOUCESTER TOWNSHIP, NJ — The superintendent of Camden County Technical Schools (CCTS) has been named the 2017 Distinguished Alumna of the Year at Camden County College, the college announced this week. Patricia E. Fitzgerald, of Haddonfield, will be honored during the college’s graduation ceremony on Friday, May 12. she will be presented with a plaque, medal, and certificate from Camden County College President Donald A. Borden.

“On behalf of the entire Freeholder Board, I would like to congratulate Pat Fitzgerald on being named this year’s Camden County College Distinguished Alumna,” Camden County Freeholder Carmen Rodriguez, liaison to CCTS, said. “She is a shining example of what Camden County College graduates can accomplish, and is to be commended for her tireless dedication to the students and staff of Camden County Technical Schools.”

“Pat Fitzgerald is not just a tremendous example of the high quality of the graduates of Camden County College, she is also an enthusiastic advocate for the outstanding work we do here,” Borden said.

Fitzgerald has been CCTS Superintendent since 2013. She’s worked in the school district for 30 years and served as principal of the district’s Pennsauken Campus from 2001 to 2013. She also served in the district as assistant principal, recruitment coordinator, adult evening school supervisor, cooperative education coordinator, and business technology teacher. In 1990, she was selected as “Teacher of the Year.”

Under her leadership, the Pennsauken Campus of CCTS was named one of the top high schools in the nation by US News and World Report several times. It was also the only high school in the State of New Jersey to be named as a Distinguished School of Excellence by the USDOE and the NJDOE. In addition, both campuses of CCTS have been recognized as National and New Jersey Schools of Character.

Fitzgerald was born in Camden, and raised in Camden and Pennsauken. She earned her Associate in Applied Science Degree in Business Administration from Camden County College. She went onto earn her Master of Arts Degree and her Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Education from Montclair University, She holds several New Jersey certifications including School Administrator, Principal/Supervisor, and Teacher of Business.

“It is an honor to receive this distinguished award. I’m proud to say that my children attended Camden County College as well,” Fitzgerald said. “In addition, similar to my path, many successful graduates of Camden County Technical Schools attended Camden County College before pursuing their Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees.”

Fitzgerald is currently a member of the American Association of School Administrators (AASA), Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD), New Jersey Association of School Administrators (NJASA), New Jersey Principals’ and Supervisors’ Association (NJPSA), South Jersey Regional/Vo-Tech Superintendents’ Association, Camden County Workforce Development Board, Camden County Youth Services Commission, and Camden County Association of School Administrators (CCASA).

She also serves as a Committee Member of the NJASA Spring Conference and Executive Committee Member of the New Jersey Council of County Vocational-Technical Schools (NJCCVTS). Fitzgerald is also a member of the Markeim Arts Center in Haddonfield, and many of her photographs have been accepted for photography exhibitions. In addition to enjoying photography in her free time, she enjoys spending time at the shore and writing.

Prior to joining the staff at CCTS, Fitzgerald worked as an associate editor of business-related textbooks at John Wiley and Sons in New York City.

Past recipients of Camden County College’s Distinguished Alumna/Alumnus Award include:
• Northwestern Men’s Soccer Head Coach, Timothy Lenahan (2016)
• The Honorable Congressman Donald Norcross (2015)
• President and CEO of the Educational Testing Service, Walt McDonald (2014)
• Member of the scientific team that discovered the Higgs Boson or “God particle:, Scientist F.
Mitchell Newcomer (2013)
• Collection Manager at the American Museum of Natural History in NY, Julie Feinstein (2012)
• Documentary Film Maker, Robert A. Emmons, Jr. (2011)
• MSNBC Reporter, Trymaine Lee (2010)

The attached image of Patricia Fitzgerald was provided