President Dr. L. Joy Gates Black and Cheryl Colleluori ’05 Honored as Women of Achievement
(Delaware and Chester Counties, PA • April 4, 2018)—Delaware County Community College President Dr. L. Joy Gates Black and the College’s 2017 Wong Moss Outstanding Alumni Award recipient Cheryl Colleluori ’05 each received a Woman of Achievement award from the Delaware County Women’s Commission (DCWC) today in celebration of Women’s History.
“These honorees are role models for women in Delaware County, and their lives demonstrate the power of voice, of taking action and of believing that meaningful and lasting change is possible,” said Colleen Morrone, vice chair of Delaware County Council, which partners with DCWC to recognize women who have profoundly influenced the county through their talents and energy.
Dr. Gates Black is the first female and first African American to head the College. She became president in July 2017. As president, she oversees a higher education institution that serves more than 23,000 credit and non-credit students with education and training programs taught online and at eight locations in Delaware and Chester Counties.
Colleluori is president of the HEADStrong Foundation, which seeks to improve lives affected by cancer, in memory of its founder, the late Nicholas Colleluori, Cheryl’s son. Since 2007, the HEADStrong Foundation has raised more than $11 million to support cancer patients and their families. The Foundation operates “Nick’s House,” which runs two houses that provide complimentary lodging to out-of-town patients and their families undergoing cancer treatments in the Greater Philadelphia area.
Dr. Gates Black and Cheryl Colleluori were among four women honored by DCWC at a breakfast today at the Springfield Country Club. The third honoree was Mares Stellfox, a multiple award-winning, professional, open-wheel, auto racing champion. DCWC’s theme this year, “Nevertheless She Persisted: Women Who Fight All Forms of Discrimination Against Women,” highlights women who have succeeded through their own determination, leadership and advocacy. DCWC also paid tribute to the late Linda Houldin, former executive director of the Delaware County Historical Society and a co-founder of the Delaware County Veterans Memorial (DCVM), who was posthumously inducted into the DCVM Hall of Fame for her activism and advocacy. John Houldin, her husband, accepted the DCWC Woman of Achievement award on her behalf.
Photo Caption: From left, Cheryl Colleluori, Mares Stellfox, Dr. L. Joy Gates Black, and John Houldin, husband of the late Linda Houldin.
