Congratulations to this year’s recipients of the Susan K. Nicklas Outstanding Volunteer Awards and the Henry G. Cram Accreditation Leadership Award.
Chuck Copt, campus director for Hunter Business School, in Medford, N.Y., is the recipient of this year’s Susan K. Nicklas Outstanding Volunteer Award.
Copt joined Hunter Business School in 2009 and has been managing operations for its Medford campus for the past year. Previously, he served as corporate director of education for the school.
As an active Middle States volunteer for four years, Copt has participated in team visits to schools in New York, and led teams of volunteers on visits to career and technical schools in New Jersey and Virginia. He has also served on Middle States committees that advise on issues affecting domestic and career and technical schools. Copt earned his bachelor’s degree from Ithaca College in Ithaca, N.Y., and his master’s degree in education administration from the State University of New York at Stony Brook, N.Y.
Susan K. Nicklas served as the executive director of the Middle States Commissions on Secondary Schools from 2002 to 2005 and was a member of the staff since 1993.
Joseph De Julius, assistant principal of Lenape High School in Medford, N.J., is the recipient of the Henry G. Cram Accreditation Leadership Award.
De Julius became assistant principal of Lenape High School in 2016 after teaching business education for four years at the school. Prior to that he spent seven years teaching at Eastampton Community School. In addition to overseeing the business education, technology education, and U.S. Army Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (JROTC) departments at Lenape High School, De Julius is responsible for the school’s Middle States accreditation process.
De Julius earned his bachelor’s degree in business, computer, and information technology education from Temple University in Philadelphia, Pa., and a master’s degree in educational administration from Rider University in Lawrenceville, N.J.
The Accreditation Leadership Award is named for Henry G. Cram, who retired from Middle States in 2019 after serving as president for nearly 14 years.
“We are pleased to honor Chuck and Joe with these awards,” said Christian Talbot, president of the Middle States Association Commissions on Elementary and Secondary Schools. “They are each accomplished educators who understand the inherent value of the Middle States accreditation process. They have made their schools and Middle States stronger organizations, and we are grateful to have the opportunity to work with them.”
