Harford Community College Employees Named NISOD Excellence Award Recipients

Alison Amato (left), Manager, Curriculum and Academic Assessment, and Elizabeth Holmes (right), Professor of Reading and Coordinator for the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CETL), have been named recipients of 2025-26 NISOD Excellence Awards. Please see the attached news release for details. Photo courtesy of Harford Community College.

Harford Community College is pleased to announce that Alison Amato, Manager, Curriculum and Academic Assessment, and Elizabeth Holmes, Professor of Reading and Coordinator for the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CETL), have been named recipients of 2025-26 NISOD Excellence Awards.  

NISOD’s Excellence Awards were established in 1991 to provide community and technical colleges with an opportunity to recognize individuals demonstrating an outstanding commitment and contribution to their students and colleagues. Since then, more than 30,000 recipients have been honored with the award.   

Amato exemplifies excellence in higher education through her contributions to academic systems, student success, and institutional innovation. She has implemented multiple improvements with proven results that have strengthened teaching and learning at Harford, including leading the College-wide implementation of a system for curriculum and catalog management and developing assessment innovations now used campuswide. Her expertise in transfer partnerships and articulation agreements has enhanced student mobility through improved tracking systems and clearer pathways between institutions. As a leader on several committees, such as the Assessment Task Force and Strategic Planning, Amato brings clarity to complex processes while strengthening data-informed decision-making. Her influence extends nationally through presentations at the IU Assessment Institute and a forthcoming publication on dual-enrollment pedagogy. In addition, she serves students directly as adjunct faculty teaching dually enrolled high school students. Her work represents the kind of leadership that makes institutional success possible, combining technical precision with genuine care for faculty experience and student outcomes.

Holmes has transformed faculty development at Harford through her contributions to the work of CETL, building infrastructure and programs that ensure instructional excellence across disciplines. To meet the needs of adjunct faculty, she co-designed an asynchronous onboarding course that has welcomed new instructors each year since 2021, providing them with essential pedagogical frameworks and personalized guidance. Holmes's impact on full-time faculty is equally significant through her co-facilitation of a year-long program featuring an initial three-day onboarding followed by monthly sessions and mentor collaborations. She pioneered the CETL Challenge model for deep-dive learning on such themes as inclusive teaching, built a campus-wide repository for best practices, and spearheaded initiatives to strengthen student outcomes. Her commitment to institutional priorities has been demonstrated through her exceptional service on several work groups. Faculty and staff consistently praise Holmes’ accessibility, kindness, and professionalism, noting that she doesn't simply share resources, she creates welcoming spaces where colleagues feel genuinely supported. 

Excellence Award recipients were recognized during NISOD’s annual International Conference on Teaching and Leadership Excellence, held May 23-26 in Austin, Texas. Each award recipient received a unique pewter medallion hung on a burnt-orange ribbon and an Excellence Awards certificate.

About NISOD 

The National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development (NISOD) is a membership organization committed to promoting and celebrating excellence in teaching, learning, and leadership at community and technical colleges. The American Association of Community Colleges named NISOD, “The country’s leading provider of professional development for community college faculty, staff, and administrators.” To learn more about NISOD, visit https://www.nisod.org/.

About Harford Community College

Founded in 1957, Harford Community College is a vibrant, open-access institution located on more than 350 acres near Bel Air. Harford offers 140+ affordable degree and certificate programs to nearly 7,000 full- and part-time credit students, as well as workforce and community education programs to nearly 8,000 students a year.