The Manhattanville University Doctoral Program in Educational Leadership is proud to announce Ashley Cruz 2024 is the Recipient of the Judith Johnson Memorial Award
This award is given by the Manhattanville University Doctoral Program in memory of Judith Johnson, who was described as the “best known educator in the Lower Hudson Valley, who fought for educational equity for decades and represented the region on the state Board of Regents since 2015” (Gary Stern, Journal News, October 22, 2019). Judith began her career as a teacher in New York City prior to moving into administrative roles for the Mamaroneck, Southern Westchester BOCES, Nyack, Peekskill, Mount Vernon, and White Plains school systems. Recruited by the Clinton administration in 1996, Judith served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Education and then the Acting Assistant Secretary for Elementary Education before returning to Westchester where she led two school districts. In 2008, Johnson was named New York State School Superintendent of the Year, making her the first African American to receive the honor from the New York State Council of School Superintendents. Judith was best known as an untiring force for seeking equity for all students. In 2020, Judith Johnson (a doctoral student at the time of her passing) was recognized by Manhattanville with a posthumous honorary doctorate in acknowledgment of her outstanding commitment to education, and this award was established to recognize a doctoral student whose work reflects Ms. Johnson’s legacy.
The 2024 recipient of the Judith Johnson Memorial Award is Ashley Cruz (Signature pathway, cohort 14). Ashley Cruz, a Latina woman, currently serves as a CSE/CPSE Chairperson and 1st-grade teacher for the Elmsford Union Free School District (EUFSD). She has a decade of experience as a special education and general education teacher. In 2021, Ashley was asked to be part of the ACE/BET Restorative Justice team. With other members of the team, Ashley worked to create professional development to help promote conversations around DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) with attention to implicit and explicit biases, and teaching diverse student body. Ashley earned her master's degree in General and Special Education (birth to grade 6) in 2015 and in Educational Administration in 2021 at Mercy University. She is certified in School Building Leadership and School District Leadership. She is currently working on her dissertation, which will draw upon Critical Race Theory (CRT) as a theoretical lens, seeks to uncover the racialized experiences of Black students in their predominantly White, suburban school districts.
Congratulations!
The Doctoral Program in Educational Leadership is designed for practicing and prospective leaders and experienced educators in P-12 and higher education, serving schools, districts, private and independent schools, charter schools, colleges, universities, community organizations, and entrepreneurial endeavors. The Doctoral Program in Educational Leadership consists of 3 pathways and adopts a cohort model enabling students to be part of a dynamic and cohesive community of learners during the EdD program.
Currently enrolled students and doctoral alumni are highly accomplished scholar-practitioners who appreciate and have benefited from the value of having a terminal degree in the field of education.
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About Manhattanville University:
Manhattanville University is a private liberal arts institution dedicated to academic excellence, purposeful education, and social responsibility. For three years in a row, “U.S. News and World Report” has ranked Manhattanville the number one private, non-profit institution in New York among Top Performers of Social Mobility in Regional Universities North. Located 30 miles from New York City on a 100-acre suburban campus in the heart of Westchester County, Manhattanville enables easy access to entertainment offerings, educational resources, and business opportunities for its primarily residential and diverse student body. The university serves more than 1,300 undergraduate students and nearly 1,000 graduate students from more than 44 countries and 33 states. Founded in 1841, the university offers more than 75 undergraduate and graduate areas of study in the arts and sciences, education, nursing and health sciences, business, and creative writing, as well as continuing and executive education programs. Graduate students can choose from more than 70 graduate and certificate programs. Extracurricular offerings include more than 45 clubs and activities and 24 NCAA Division III teams.
