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Pace Online Graduation

Founders Award

2025 NACTEL FOUNDERS AWARD

The NACTEL Founders Award honors those whose spirit of innovation shaped the NACTEL Program since its inception in 1998. Those 3 individuals include:

  • Dr. Frederick Dreyfus, former faculty and course developer, whose intellectual curiosity and innovativeness formed the basis for our curriculum.
  • Ms. Susan Kannel, former CAEL and NACTEL Executive Director (1998 – 2017) for shepherding, coaching, and organizing the NACTEL coalition of members.
  • Dr. David Sachs, former founding co-director of NACTEL, whose leadership, innovative and creative problem-solving ability, high academic standards, and commitment to viewing the student as a customer, guided the development of the NACTEL online structure.

The Founders Award is presented to a NACTEL student who has persisted in taking courses taken at Pace University. The recipient has demonstrated a strong desire to achieve a technical degree and is a lifetime learner. The award recipient has a passion for learning and is determined to succeed.

The 2025 Founders Award Recipient is Dawn Tatmon – a Seidenberg graduate who transferred into Pace in 2007. She completed her Associate of Science Degree in Applied Information Technology in Fall of 2010, her Pre-Baccalaureate in Emerging Telecomm Technology in Fall of 2016, her Bachelor of Science in Professional Technology Studies with a concentration in Telecommunications in May 2017 and just completed her Master of Science in Information Technology with a concentration in Cyber Security this past December 2024. Dawn has truly demonstrated what it is to be a lifetime learner!

Dawn Tatmon

2025 Founders Award Recipient: Dawn Tatmon

My name is Dawn Tatmon, and I live in New York City. I am a mother of four children and a grandmother. I have one granddaughter that lives with me.

I have been employed by Verizon as a Customer Financial Service Representative since August 3, 1998. Verizon was the first job I had in the telecommunications field. I left the New York City Board of Education to work at Verizon. That has always been my dream to work for Ma Bell as my aunt retired from there after 40 years.

I have been a Customer Financial Service Representatives for almost 27 years. The Verizon location I work at is in Manhattan, NY on 2nd Avenue. I am also a Union Member of CWA 1101, formerly 1105. My job responsibilities include setting up payment arrangements for customers’ accounts, restoring services and handling payment investigations and final accounts.

Thanks to Verizon and CWA, I was able to work and earn an associate’s, bachelor’s and master’s degree from Pace University’s Nactel program. I was able to work full time, take care of my family, and earn a degree at my own pace. I went to school slowly and had a few setbacks along the way, but I finally completed my degrees. Pace University, the Nactel Program and my counselor Patricia really worked with me through all my setbacks.

After working at Verizon for a few years I decided I wanted to be a technician. I saw the Next-Step program offered by Verizon, where you become a technician and go to school at the same time. I wanted to apply but I didn’t have a driver’s license, and I had a fear of driving. An old manager of mine tried to convince me to get over my fears and learn how to drive but by the time they called me for the program he told me that now another college was offering the same program, so I selected Pace University in the Fall of 2007 and received my Associate of Science in Telecommunications in December 2010.

I continued with my BS Degree and received a Pre-Baccalaureate Certificate in Emerging Telecom Technology in the Fall of 2016 and in Spring 2017 graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Telecommunications. In Fall 2024, I completed my Master of Science in Information Technology!

I am grateful for all I achieved and satisfied with attaining my master’s degree. With the knowledge and degrees I’ve attained, this has made it possible for me to work anywhere in my company I would like to apply.

I would like to thank Verizon, CWA, Pace University/Nactel Program, and the Ivan Seidenberg School for making my dream possible. Most of all I would like to thank Patricia Vogel for counseling, advising, guiding, and helping me make decisions since I started at Pace University. I could not have done it without her!