Joanne Conlen, a Career and Technical Education (CTE) Health Careers Guidance Counselor, received the Capital Region BOCES Leadership Commitment Award. 

Conlen was nominated by Health Careers and Services Director Louise Bigando, who praised Conlen’s ability to navigate each student experience in a calm and confident manner. 

“Students always leave Joanne’s office with a plan and trust in her wisdom and guidance,” said Bigando. 

As a Health Careers Guidance Counselor, Conlen is instrumental in helping students plan for favorable outcomes. She spearheads the Career Fair and advisory committee, which connects Practical Nursing (PN) program students with local health care agencies. Bigando was highly impressed with Conlen’s outreach, noting the plethora of agencies that attended the Career Fair eager to discuss opportunities available to students post graduation. 

“Our students left excited about the number of contacts they made as well as with a learned knowledge of how to find the right employee/employer partnership and what terms such as pension, retirement savings, and tuition reimbursement would mean for them. This was a large undertaking and was a huge success,” said Bigando. 

Capital Region BOCES is proud to honor Conlen for her unwavering support and dedication to the students and families we serve.