OCCC professor credited as exemplary leader

MIDDLETOWN — Orange County Community College professor Christine Godwin will accept the Chair Academy’s 2006 International Exemplary Leader Award at the 15th Annual International Conference in Tuscon, Ariz., on April 21. The award recognizes Godwin’s ability to advance academic and administrative leadership at the college. She was nominated by Dr. Catherine Chew, vice president of academic affairs for the college, and fellow professor Diane Bliss, president of the college’s governance system. “It was a surprise and an honor,” said Godwin, who added she is inspired by the staff and faculty around her. “This award really underscores the kind of long-term commitment my colleagues have always given to the college.” Now the department chair of English and foreign languages, Godwin is a long-time faculty member at SUNY Orange, and a public speaker in the community, appearing often at libraries, schools, and other venues. She is also the organizer of the “Finding Our Voices” workshops at SUNY Orange, featuring such keynote speakers as Anna Quindlen, Sharon Olds, Maya Angelou, and Naomi Shihab Nye. For more information, call 341-4003.