LINCROFT, NJ (April 7, 2015) – Brookdale Community College and the Brookdale Alumni Association will honor three individuals for their commitment to excellence in education at the 30th annual Barringer Awards Dinner May 1 at the Riverview Pavilion, 800 River Road, Belmar.

The award, named in honor of former college president Dr. Bob Barringer, is considered the Alumni Association’s most prestigious honor. This year’s honorees are biology Professor James Crowder, history Professor Jess Le Vine and college accounting specialist Helen Vota.

Crowder joined the college in 1997, and has since served on Brookdale’s governance committee and as president of the college faculty association. A member of two regional and national science associations, Crowder is a past winner of the Brookdale’s Gold Star teaching award and Outstanding Colleague college service award. He lives in Howell.

Le Vine, of Avon by the Sea, joined the college in 1991. He has taught and helped create curriculum based on Native American studies, the Vietnam War and New Jersey history, in addition to hosting Brookdale’s study abroad courses in Mexico and Italy.

He has served as the college’s Governance chair, a student club advisor and is a past recipient of Brookdale’s Outstanding Colleague and Gold Star awards. He also serves as a trustee of the New Jersey Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Holmdel.

Vota, who joined the college in 1990, currently serves as president of Brookdale’s Professional Staff Association. She is an original member of the Brookdale Employee Volunteer Connection, which hosts food drives, charity walks and other events for area families and organizations such as Lunch Break in Red Bank and Family and Children’s Services in Long Branch.

For the last 23 years Vota has coordinated the volunteer connection’s Giving Tree Project, which annually provides hundreds of holiday gifts to more than 50 local families. She also chairs the college’s Performance Recognition Committee. She lives in Tinton Falls.

The 30th annual Barringer Awards Dinner will begin with a cocktail hour at 6 p.m. Tickets are $55. For more information call Michelle Stathum at (732) 224-2705 or e-mail mstathum@brookdalecc.edu