The Association of Community College Trustees (ACCT) recently honored three New Jersey higher education leaders with Northeast Regional Awards for their outstanding contributions to their colleges.
Mary Zimmermann, Maria Ferrara, and Michele Rotunda were recognized at ACCT’s 2024 National Congress in Seattle. The event is the largest professional development opportunity for over 1,500 community college trustees and presidents, as well as leaders from philanthropic organizations, government agencies, and other national nonprofits.
Mary M. Zimmermann. A trustee at Union College of Union County, NJ, (UCNJ), Zimmermann received the Northeast Regional Trustee Leadership Award. She was also named a finalist for the prestigious 2024 M. Dale Ensign Trustee Leadership Award.
Zimmermann has served as a member of the Board of Trustees and the Board of Governors of UCNJ since 2006. A graduate of UCNJ (Class of 2001) and of Rutgers University, Zimmermann is a tireless advocate for students at UCNJ and across the state of New Jersey. Zimmermann served as chair of the New Jersey Council of County Colleges from 2021 to 2023 and is a current member of the NJCCC’s Executive Committee.
Maria Ferrara. The executive assistant to the Board of Trustees and the president and at Bergen Community College, Ferrara received the Northeast Regional Professional Board Staff Member Award in recognition of her significant impact on the college. She was also named as a finalist for the 2024 ACCT Professional Board Staff Member Award.
Ferrara joined Bergen Community College in 2013, and during her 11-year tenure has served as the confidential point of contact and liaison between the college’s trustees, president, and counsel. She plays a critical leadership role in college events, and initiatives including the college’s commencement ceremony and “souper bowl” canned goods drive, as well as the first Black Women’s Maternal Health Summit.
Michele L. Rotunda, Ph.D. A professor of Economics, Government, & History at UCNJ, Rotunda received the Northeast Regional Faculty Member Award and was named as a finalist for the 2024 William H. Meardy Faculty Member Award.
A dynamic educator who embraces experiential learning opportunities that bring history alive, Rotunda was honored for her dedication and commitment to her students. She serves as an advisor for the college’s History Club and was integral in the development of the college’s history program. In 2016, Rotunda received the UCNJ Neblett Prize for Educational Excellence in Teaching and Learning.
Rotunda earned her M.A. in history from Rutgers-Newark/NJIT Federated Program and her Ph.D. in history from Rutgers University. She is the author of “A Drunkard’s Defense: Alcohol, Murder, and Medical Jurisprudence in Nineteenth-Century America” (2021).
