ARTICLE
The Delaware State Chamber of Commerce and its affiliate, The Partnership, Inc., are pleased to announce this year’s recipient of the John H. Taylor, Jr. Education Leadership award is Mr. John Hollis. Mr. Hollis is the founder and director of MERIT – Minority Educational Regional Incentive Training. This prestigious award will be presented at the Superstars in Education Reception & Awards Ceremony on Monday, May 14, 2018, at 4:45 p.m. It will be held at Wilmington University’s Doberstein Admissions Center Auditorium. The John H. Taylor, Jr. Education Leadership Award recognizes someone within the community who has provided sustained leadership in advancing Delaware education and who, by doing so, has also made our community a better place in which to live and work. The Partnership, Inc. is the 501(c)3 education affiliate of the Delaware State Chamber of Commerce. “It is extremely exciting to honor such a deserving man – a lifelong and second-generation Delaware educator – who has successfully focused his passion toward the recognition and development of the human capability of young people,” said Katie Wilkinson of Fulton Bank, chair of The Partnership, Inc.’s Board of Directors. In collaboration with a group of engineers from DuPont’s Seaford plant in 1974, Mr. Hollis created MERIT to provide academic enrichment and college preparatory opportunities for minority students from the Greater-Seaford area, and across Sussex County. It provides challenging engineering experiences, teaches powerful leadership skills, and encourages participants to earn college degrees. To date, 370 MERIT alumni have gone on to achieve a college degree, accounting for approximately 97% of its participants. Many return to volunteer, creating a strong alumni base, which has helped shape the evolution of the program. He encourages parental involvement that he notes is instrumental to success. Mr. Hollis has overseen MERIT for 42 years. In addition to his work with MERIT, Mr. Hollis was a longtime administrator, teacher and coach in the Seaford School District, and was the Personnel Director for Delaware Technical Community College. He has also served as Senior Vice President of the Delaware Community Foundation, President of the Western Sussex Boys and Girls Club in Delaware, and the Sussex County Manager of Community and Government Affairs at Nemours Health and Prevention Services. He is the founder of Sussex Outdoors, an adjunct faculty member at Wilmington and Salisbury Universities. “John Hollis looks at the world through a lens of service and humility. Over decades, hundreds of young people who needed a leg up have been inspired by his passion for engineering and math through the MERIT program. His work has changed countless lives. Supporting children in need is his ministry. He has given his heart to the community and never asked for acknowledgement. I have every confidence that the namesake of this award, John H. Taylor, would have been honored to give him some of that recognition,” said Dr. Paul Herdman, President and CEO of The Rodel Foundation, and chair of the John H. Taylor Education Leadership Award Committee. Mr. Hollis is a graduate of the University of Delaware and earned a Master’s degree in counseling from Salisbury University. He has received numerous recognitions, including the Jefferson Award for “Outstanding Service by an Entrepreneur,” Connecting Generations’ Robert A. Kasey Lifetime Achievement Award, MLK Community Recognition Award, 2015 Blue/Gold Leadership Award, Rural Educator of the Year Award, Family Focus Award, Governor’s (Gov. Tom Carper) Volunteer of the Year Award, among many others. He was inspired by his father, president of the Seaford Board of Education, who was extraordinarily committed to the community. Mr. Hollis shares that the key to be a great mentor of young people consists of three E’s: Encouragement, Empathy and Enthusiasm. “I knew John [Taylor] well. He was one of my heroes, so I couldn’t be more honored,” said Hollis when told he was selected as the award recipient. “This made my day, my month, my year!” About the John H. Taylor, Jr. Education Leadership Award Throughout his professional career, Mr. Taylor was an educator. He began his career as a teacher, then served as the assistant to the superintendent of the Wilmington Public Schools. Taylor’s education background, coupled with his ability to share information and make connections served him well as he rose to become editorial page editor for The News Journal before becoming president of the Delaware Public Policy Institute in 2005. As founding member of the Vision Coalition, Taylor’s leadership and directness were instrumental in building an impactful public-private partnership to advocate for improved education in Delaware. Taylor’s leadership style was always straightforward, clear-headed and often unwavering. At the same time, he was a humorous and truly humble man. About The Partnership, Inc. The Partnership, Inc. is the 501(c)3 education affiliate of the Delaware State Chamber of Commerce. It was created to promote charitable and educational activities by developing and fostering programs that encourage private sector involvement in workforce development and education. Superstars in Education and Delaware Principal for a Day are the organization’s flagship programs. For information, contact info@dscc.com, or visit our website www.dscc.com.