The University of Delaware's Community Engagement Initiative Director Daniel Rich has been named the recipient of this year's John H. Taylor, Jr. Education Leadership Award, named after a former News Journal editor and former president of the Delaware Public Policy Institute.
Rich, a public policy professor who also serves as policy director for the Wilmington Education Improvement Commission, will be presented the award at the Superstars in Education Reception & Awards Ceremony at 4:45 p.m. May 8. It will be held at Wilmington University's Doberstein Admissions Center Auditorium.
The John H. Taylor, Jr. Education Leadership Award recognizes someone within the community who has provided sustained leadership in advancing Delaware education and who, by doing so, has also made the community a better place in which to live and work. The honor is bestowed by The Partnership, Inc., the 501(c)3 education affiliate of the Delaware State Chamber of Commerce.
With nearly 50 years of experience as an educational leader at the University of Delaware, Rich is recognized for his passion, vision, and commitment. He currently holds faculty appointments in the School of Public Policy and Administration, where he serves as a professor, academic advisor, and director of the Ph.D. program in Urban Affairs and Public Policy.
In November 2016, Gov. Jack Markell inducted Rich into the Order of the First State for his service to the citizens of Delaware. Rich has served as Chair of the Delaware Early Childhood Council, a leader of the Vision Coalition education reform effort, a Delaware Commissioner to the Education Commission of the States, and a member of many Delaware education boards, commissions, and councils.
"I am deeply honored to receive the education leadership award from the State Chamber," said Rich, who served as a member of the Board of the Delaware Public Policy Institute from 2001 to 2015 and worked closely with Taylor. "To receive an education leadership award named for John has great personal importance to me because he is one of the individuals who has most influenced my own outlook on public education and what needs to be done to provide high-quality educational opportunities to all students."
Originally published in The News Journal on April 10, 2017. Article by Jessica Bies.
