Ventnor Mayor Beth Holtzman and her grandson Enzo.
MAYS LANDING – The Atlantic Cape Community College Foundation honored recipients of the 2021 President’s Distinguished Alumni Award during the virtual ceremony held earlier this month. The 2020 and 2021 award winners were celebrated for their personal and professional accomplishments, as well as their sustained connection to Atlantic Cape, which led to their recognition.
Established in 2010, the annual President’s Distinguished Alumni Award recognizes graduates of Atlantic Cape that have differentiated themselves through professional, public, and community-based accomplishments, with a key focus on honoring graduates that continue to maintain a connection to the college.
Ventnor Mayor Beth Holzman, who graduated from Atlantic Cape in 1982, was among the recipients for 2020.
Although she was unable to attend the awards ceremony, Holtzman issued a statement that was read during the presentation.
“I love this school. It was truly a community of its own. Also, I was honored to receive such a prestigious award from the school that started my career and love for the field of accounting,” she said.
After graduation from Atlantic Cape, Holtzman went on to Stockton University where she obtained a bachelor’s degree in accounting. She has worked for Atlantic County government for the last 32 years in the Finance Department. She was elected mayor of Ventnor City in 2016 and re-elected in 2019. She was treasurer of Ventnor Little League and is a community leader for the CAREA Foundation.
The 2021 Distinguished Alumni Award recipients are Madeline Quinn Seidenstricker ’71 of Hammonton and Donna Vassallo ’85 of Egg Harbor Township.
This year, the Atlantic Cape Alumni Association Advisory Committee selected two graduates to represent the overall Distinguished Alumni Award category, open to all alumni, and two graduates for the Young Alumni Achievement Award, open to alumni 40 years of age and younger.
Seidenstricker is a retired U.S. Department of State Foreign Service Officer, whose 25-year career focused on human rights, political/military issues, and African Affairs in countries like Serbia, Ethiopia, and Bulgaria, and is an adjunct faculty member of English at Atlantic Cape. Vassallo is well known at the college, retiring as the Dean of Professional Studies, High School Initiatives and Internships at Atlantic Cape, where she has also been a long-time supporter of the Foundation.
The 2021 Young Alumni Achievement Award recipients are Pamela Shute ’06 of Cape May Court House, Middle Township and Harry Walk ’09 of Smithville, Galloway Township.
Shute is a former elementary education teacher and now works as an Instructional Supervisor at Middle Township Elementary #1. She is also an active volunteer in the community.
Walk is the Corporate Director of Customer Experience at AtlantiCare, where he oversees the integration of customer service initiatives throughout the organization. He is also an adjunct faculty member at Atlantic Cape and Rutgers University.
In addition to Holzman, 2020 Distinguished Alumni Award winner Dennis Kelly ’78 of Bath, Pennsylvania, along with the 2020 Young Alumni Achievement Award recipients Richard Russell ’99 of Ocean City and Kyle Schachner ’16 of Collingswood, were also honored during the ceremony since last year’s event was cancelled due to the pandemic.
