Association of Community College Trustees Announce Regional Award

It was announced today by the Association of Community College Trustees (ACCT) that Cynthia Gruskos, senior assistant to the president and Board of Trustees of Brookdale Community College, is the recipient of the prestigious 2021 Northeast Region Professional Board Staff Member Award. The Professional Board Staff Member Award was established in 2001 and is given to any board staff member to recognize exemplary service to boards.

The ACCT Chairman will present this award at the Annual Awards Gala during the 52nd Annual ACCT Leadership Congress, which will take place in San Diego, California in October.

“Thank you for nominating me, appreciating me, and encouraging me,” said Gruskos. “I am so very fortunate that I am able to serve the College and the Board of Trustees in my position. I know that each of you have very full lives and you have demonstrated what it means to be givers of your time, efforts, expertise, energy and wisdom to advancing the work of Brookdale Community College.  Thank you for being available and responsive during this very difficult year. I have learned so much from you about what it means to be a Trustee, to be a leader, and to be caring citizens of Monmouth County.”

The ACCT award shines a spotlight on some of the nation’s best public servants and professionals through our region and reflects the extraordinary commitments and accomplishments of the people who dedicate their lives to helping students succeed.

“Cynthia has provided outstanding support of the board in her seven years in the position,” said Dr. Henry Cram, chairman of the Board of Trustees. “Over the last two years, her efforts in assisting the board in the government of meetings in a virtual format and migrating board materials to a cloud-based portal have been invaluable.”

Community colleges and their leaders have been vital to our country’s educational infrastructure and workforce for over a century. This year, perhaps more than ever before, community college leaders have proved themselves to be essential community service providers and educators in the face of unprecedented challenges and adversity.

“Cynthia is extremely deserving of this award,” said Dr. David Stout, president of Brookdale Community College. “We are so fortunate for her leadership and years of service to the board, our community, and our students.”

ACCT is a non-profit educational organization of governing boards. It represents more than 6,500 elected and appointed trustees who govern over 1,200 community, technical, and junior colleges in the United States and beyond. Located in Washington, D.C., ACCT is a prominent voice of community college trustees to the presidential administration, U.S. Congress, the Departments of Education and Labor, and more.

These community professionals, business officials, public policy leaders, and leading citizens offer their time and talent to serve on the governing boards of this century’s most innovative higher education institutions-community, junior, and technical colleges-and make decisions that affect more than 1,200 colleges and over 11 million students annually.