MCCC’s Vice President for IT & Chief Digital Officer Dr. Celeste Schwartz received the Growth Award for the rapid growth and development of her professional career including her commitment to being a role model for others, particularly aspiring women.
The annual Women’s Lifestyle Conference hosted by The Foley Hillsley Group of Baird Financial Advisors in Blue Bell highlighted the achievements of area female professionals and provided an opportunity for them to learn how to improve both personally and professionally.
As part of the 2018 event, three leaders who excel in the areas of Growth, Achievement, and Giving Back were honored. Montgomery County Community College’s Vice President for Information Technology and Chief Digital Officer Dr. Celeste Schwartz received the Growth Award for the rapid growth and development of her professional career including her steadfast commitment to being a role model for others, particularly aspiring women.
“On behalf of the College, I congratulate Celeste on receiving this award in recognition of her exemplary career,” said Dr. Kevin Pollock, MCCC President. “She is a dedicated, inspiring leader whose work is focused on the advancement of student success.”
The Give Back and Achievement awards were presented to Amy Holdsman, Founder/President of Essential Leadership, and Jane Scaccetti, CPA, MT, PFS, CEO/Shareholder of Drucker & Scaccetti, respectively.
“This was our third annual Women’s Lifestyle Conference, and the theme of the conference every year is Grow. Achieve. Give Back. Our hope is to provide an inspirational day to help the women of our community who do-it-all, do it even better,” said Kristin Hillsley, Hillsley Group Financial Advisor, noting that the award recipients are inspirational achievers in their professions.
Dr. Schwartz has devoted her career to the development of innovative technology solutions that advance student success at MCCC. As a successful female executive in the information technology field, she serves as an exemplary role model for students, particularly female students who are entering this field.
As a result of her leadership and breadth of accomplishments, Dr. Schwartz recently received the national 2018 EDUCAUSE Leadership Award in October. This award recognizes exemplary leadership that has a significant and positive impact on advancing the theory and practice of information technology in higher education. EDUCAUSE is a nonprofit association that helps institutions of higher education elevate the impact of information technology.
Dr. Schwartz is an alumna of MCCC, graduating in 1970 and then starting her career with the College. She was promoted to Chief Information Officer in 1987 and then to Vice President for Information Technology in 2002.
Dr. Schwartz earned her bachelor’s degree from St. Joseph’s University in 1972, her master’s degree in Computer Science from Villanova University in 1980 and her Ph.D. in Higher Education Administration from Walden University in 2011.
The Third Annual Women’s Lifestyle Conference featured keynote speaker Deanna Davis, Ph.D., who spoke about “The Start of Something Really Small: How Small Steps Lead to Big Results and Better Outcomes.” Kristin Hillsley spoke about “Picture Your Legacy: Your Vision. Your Money. Your Future.” The Empower Panel included Kathy Bello, President & CEO of Two Angels Productions, LLC; Beth Sturman, Executive Director of Laurel House; and Diana Venezia, Philadelphia Youth Basketball.