ACE Honors Distinguished Service to Catholic Education with Annual Awards

As part of an annual tradition to recognize the outstanding work of its graduates and supporters, the Alliance for Catholic Education (ACE) will honor five members of the Catholic education community who have set themselves apart with their commitment to their fields of expertise.

The Michael Pressley Award for Excellence in Catholic Education is awarded to ACE graduates who have distinguished themselves in making significant contributions to the ministry of Catholic Education. The Michael Pressley Award for Promising Scholar in the Education Field honors an ACE graduate whose work in academia echoes Dr. Pressley’s commitment to strengthening education through research and scholarship. Both awards will be presented as part of ACE’s Commencement ceremonies on July 9, 2016.

The Scott C. Malpass Founders Prize, which was presented on July 7, 2016, recognizes individuals’ embodiment of ACE’s three pillars—forming professional educators, building community, and growing spiritually—leading to entrepreneurial, high-impact contributions in their communities.

The Michael Pressley Award for Excellence in Catholic Education

• As a fresh graduate of Xavier University, JJ Gregg was placed as a high school science teacher at Archbishop Carroll High School in Washington, DC, as a member of the 14th ACE Teaching Fellows cohort. Gregg immersed himself in the school from the very start, also getting involved with sports and community service. Nearly a decade later, he is still pouring himself into the school.
  
  He currently serves as Dean of Students, Chemistry teacher, coordinator of the International Baccalaureate (IB) program, and announcer for the football team. Gregg's dedication to Archbishop Carroll, along with his relationships with students and faculty, have had a profound impact on the community. As a National Board Certified teacher in the area of Adolescent and Young adult science, he has set a high standard for teaching at Archbishop Carroll.
  
  
• Megan Adzima’s teaching career began with ACE 13 at Bishop Snyder High School in Jacksonville, Florida, where she taught Spanish and served her students as Campus Minister. Hoping to deepen the relationships she had formed at the school, she decided to stay for a third year post-ACE. As a member of the ChACE program, Adzima taught high school English and served as a Confirmation preparation leader, in addition to creating and co-teaching an English class for members of the school faculty and staff who wanted to learn the language.
  
  Having grown as an educator and deepened her cultural competence, Adzima returned to the Boston area. Her bilingual abilities served her well as Director of Catholic Schools Collaborative and Hispanic Outreach for the Catholic Schools Foundation, and she consistently emphasized the importance of partnering with parents to leverage the cultural resources of communities. This past year, she assumed her current role as the Director of Allocations and Partnerships at the Catholic Schools Foundation. Adzima has also served as co-chair for the Boston Advocates (BACE) region for the past three years and has helped to connect a number of aspiring Catholic educators to professional opportunities in the area.

The Michael Pressley Award for a Promising Scholar in the Education Field

• After earning his B.A. in Psychology and Physics at Dartmouth, Jonathan Tullis taught High School Physics and Chemistry as part of the 12th ACE cohort in San Antonio, Texas. His time in the classroom only deepened his fascination with the mechanisms of learning, which led him to pursue a Ph.D. in Cognitive Psychology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign after his time in ACE. As a recipient of a National Science Foundation Grant and a recipient of honors for excellence in teaching, Tullis proved himself an embodiment of the true teacher-scholar. Upon completion of his degree, he pursued a postdoctoral research fellowship at Indiana University, where he evaluated how cognitive techniques could be applied to support real-world student learning.
  
  Tullis is now an Assistant Professor in the Department of Educational Psychology at the University of Arizona, where he heads the CAMEL (Cognition And Memory in Education and Learning) Lab. The lab investigates how learning environments impact cognition. His interests include utilizing the basic principles of learning, cognition, and metacognition to improve student outcomes. His extensive research has earned him multiple publications in the Journal of Experimental Psychology and Memory and Cognition.

The Scott C. Malpass Founders’ Prize

• Dr. Jim Rigg began his highly accomplished educational career teaching Social Studies at Bishop Byrne Middle/High School in Memphis as a member of ACE 6. Following his time in ACE, he served as principal, first at St. Joseph School (one of the “Jubilee Schools” in the Diocese of Memphis) and then at St. Peter School and Divine Redeemer Catholic School in Colorado Springs. He was the Diocesan Director of Development in Colorado Springs before becoming Superintendent of Catholic Schools in the Archdiocese of Cincinnati in 2010. During his five years as superintendent, he initiated the archdiocese’s first-ever strategic plan for Catholic schools. Entitled “Lighting the Way,” the plan energized the financial, academic, and religious vitality of Catholic schools throughout the archdiocese. He also launched a $130 million archdiocesan capital campaign and developed metrics for Catholic identity and academic effectiveness to measure the vibrancy of Cincinnati’s Catholic schools.
  
  In 2015, he assumed the role of Superintendent of the Archdiocese of Chicago, where he currently oversees 230 Catholic schools serving more than 83,000 students. Rigg's untiring leadership, ambition, and innovation make him a model disciple and champion for Catholic schools as sites and sources of transformation.
  
  
• Originally from Fargo, North Dakota, Anita Alokolaro worked for over 30 years with women, children, and families who were experiencing homelessness. She spent more than eleven years with Solid Ground’s Broadview Emergency Shelter and Transitional Housing, where she served as an ESL Case Manager. Her work united direct service with a broader commitment to social justice, and her intense Catholic faith fueled her unmatched integrity, compassion, and dedication. She was the recipient of Solid Ground’s 2015 Service Award, which recognized the passion and selflessness with which she served both clients and co-workers. Her vocation of service extended to her three beloved daughters, Ann, Pauline, and Rose, all three of whom she supported in Catholic education from kindergarten through graduate school.
  
  Inspired by their mom’s unwavering commitment to Catholic education, all three children taught with the ACE program and continue to serve Catholic schools in Seattle. Ann (ACE 7) is the Co-Director of Admissions at Seattle Preparatory High School, where Pauline (ACE 8) also teaches Math and Science. Rose (ACE 9) teaches fifth grade at her alma mater, St. Matthew School. Alokolaro’s lasting legacy described as “pure kindness” shines brightly through the way that each of her daughters continue to make God known, loved, and served.