NERA Thomas F. Donlon Memorial Award
for Distinguished Mentoring

The Thomas F. Donlon Memorial Award for Distinguished Mentoring was established to recognize Tom Donlon’s valued contributions to NERA and his mentorship to colleagues. Established in 2000, this award is presented annually to NERA members who demonstrate distinction as mentors.
 
The 2022 award recipient is Dr. Maria Boeke Mongillo. Dr. Maria Boeke Mongillo, currently an associate professor in Educational Leadership at Central Connecticut State University in New Britain, CT, has a long history in education, specifically teacher education. Dr. Mongillo has worked as both an elementary school teacher (1^st and 2^nd grade) as well as the instructional technology lead in Wilton, CT. Fortunately, for many students, she has channeled that prior experience as a classroom teacher into her work preparing and supporting other early childhood educators and leaders.
 
One colleague noted  of Dr. Mongillo’s mentorship of doctoral candidates that, “Dr. Mongillo gives generously of her time and talents to support our candidates in their coursework, guides them through CAT [Connecticut Administration Test], and also provides advice on careers in administration,” further noting that “her breadth of experiences in schools and higher education have also enriched her mentorship of our candidates.”
 
Letters of support for Dr. Mongillo highlighted her great capacity for providing guidance both as an instructor and an advisor/mentor. As one [first generation] doctoral student noted: “Her timely constructive feedback shows her meticulous attention to detail while also elevating ideas and offering opportunities to extend our thinking.” As an advisor, the same student wrote: “She has given me the confidence to design a mixed methods explanatory sequential study and to send my survey out to almost 4,000 teachers this month.”
 
This ability to inspire students and go above and beyond is echoed in other nomination letters. For example, “Maria gives high quality and timely feedback, always making sure that she is available for me as a mentor. Many times I have met with Maria, she has gone out of her way to make sure it was at a time that worked for me rather than for her. For example, she met virtually with me in the theater between rehearsing scenes for the production she was in with her daughter. There is no limit to Maria’s support, and I feel like we have developed an extremely meaningful relationship over the years.”
 
To be sure, Dr. Mongillo has consistently served as a thoughtful, available, inspirational mentor for many years, and she has provided this mentorship and guidance while modeling honesty and integrity: “Perhaps what I admire most in our advisor/advisee relationship is Dr. Mongillo’s honesty and willingness to model vulnerability to learn alongside me. She communicates when she is unsure about something, and she collaborates with me regarding the best way to seek answers and resources in order to advise me correctly.”

Dr. Mongillo’s commitment to students and the impact of that commitment beautifully personifies the values that the Donlon Award is intended to represent. As one student so eloquently wrote: “I never thought I would have come this far in my educational process. However, every time I left one of her classes in my master’s program, I was inspired, motivated, and excited about teaching, learning, and future leadership opportunities… As a result of Dr. Mongillo’s mentorship, I decided to apply to the EdD program, where she was showing me unwavering support.”
 
Speaking on behalf of the Thomas F. Donlon Committee, we thank Dr. Mongillo for her ongoing support of students encouraging them to be and do more.
The Thomas F. Donlon Memorial Award for Distinguished Mentoring was established in 2000 in recognition of Tom’s long and valued contributions to NERA, particularly as a mentor to many colleagues. Since then, the award has been presented annually to NERA members who have demonstrated distinction as mentors of colleagues by guiding them and helping them find productive paths toward developing their careers as educational researchers.
 
Mentoring in education has been going on for centuries, and most of us can name a person who helped us move our careers by being more than just a friend or colleague. That person may have been an advisor in developing your research agenda or perhaps brought you to NERA for the first time after suggesting that you might be ready for a conference presentation.
 
Nominations are again being sought for this annual award. Nominees must be NERA members and may be nominated by any members) of NERA to whom they served as mentors. If you would like to see a member of NERA who was your mentor be recognized for their contributions to your success, send your nomination to Dr. Jennifer Randall by e-mail at jennrand@umich.edu by June 30, 2023. In addition to the nomination letter, all nominations must be accompanied by at least three letters of support indicating how the nominee distinguished themself as a mentor. Up to five separate letters of support can be sent for each nominee. The award will be presented at the 2023 NERA conference. Please contact Jennifer if you have any questions about the Donlon Award or the nomination process.
 

Click here to read the Call for Nominations for the Thomas F. Donlon Memorial Award

Previous Award Recipients:
 

2021	Dr. Jennifer Randall University of Michigan
2020	Dr. Catherine O'Callaghan Western Connecticut State University
2019	Frank Daniello Leslie University
2018	Jody Piro Western Connecticut State University
2017	Marcia Delcourt Western Connecticut State University
2016	Craig Wells University of Massachusetts Amherst
2015	Deborah Bandalos James Madison University
2014	Lisa A. Keller University of Massachusetts Amherst
2013	Thanos Patelis National Center for the Improvement of Educational Assessment
2012	Steven Melnick Alvernia University
2011	Sara J. Finney James Madison University
2010	Stephen G. Sireci University of Massachusetts Amherst
2009	James Carifio University of Massachusetts Lowell
2008	Rochelle Goldberg William Patterson University of New Jersey
2007	Dianne Zager Pace University
2006	Scott Brown University of Connecticut
2005	Bill Michael University of Southern California (posthumously)
2004	No Award Given
2003	Liora Pedhazur Schmelkin Hofstra University
2002	Kurt Geisinger University of St. Thomas (TX)
2001	No Award Given
2000	Robert K. Gable University of Connecticut (Emeritus)