Deadline to submit nominations for the Patricia J. Creegan Award 2025

The Patricia J. Creegan Award is given annually in recognition of the life and work of its namesake, a founding member of Pennsylvania’s Education for All Coalition (PEAC). Patricia J. Creegan, M.S.W., was a passionate advocate for the true inclusion of people with disabilities in all aspects of life as well as an educator, family member, and friend. “Trish” lived her life helping others and shared that passion by teaching people how to do the same. Sadly, in 2009, her life was cut short after a valiant fight against cancer.

To encourage the continuation of her work, PEAC presents the Patricia J. Creegan Award to an education professional (teacher, professor, administrator, related service personnel, etc.) who demonstrates outstanding performance in the field of, and commitment to inclusive education. For 2025, the award will be presented to a Higher Education faculty member, administrator, or staff member.

Criteria

Nominees for the award are expected to demonstrate excellence and originality in promoting inclusive education, as evidenced by:

• Knowledge and incorporation of best practices in inclusive education.
• Continuous efforts to evaluate and improve his or her own work in inclusive education.
• Effective collaborative relationships with colleagues.
• Effective and nurturing relationships with students; and
• Effective collaborative relationships with families and/or other stakeholders.

Nomination Procedures

An individual may be nominated each academic year for consideration for the Patricia J. Creegan Award. Nominees not selected for the award may be re-nominated in subsequent years.

If a PEAC board member wishes to nominate a professional, that board member may not be part of the review committee. Nominees may not be PEAC board members.

Nomination Package

Please submit all the following for consideration for the Patricia J. Creegan Award:

1. A letter of nomination written by the individual(s) nominating the candidate that addresses each of the criteria previously stated.
2. The nominee’s resume/vita, and
3. At least one testimonial and/or letter of recommendation from a family member of an individual with a disability, a student with a disability, and/or a colleague who works with the nominee.

Timeline

The schedule for submitting and reviewing nominations is as follows:

• July 8, 2025: An area-wide announcement is made for the solicitation of nominations for the Patricia J. Creegan Award.

• September 26, 2025: Nomination packets due to be emailed to PEAC.

Electronic submissions only.

• Email: Mary Mikus, Search Chair, info@paedforall.org
• September 27, 2025: The Patricia J. Creegan Award Committee begins its review of the applications.
• October 10, 2025: The awardee is informed.
• November 8, 2025: The Patricia J. Creegan Award is presented to the awardee at PEAL and PEAC’s Inclusion Conference on November 8, 2025, at Arcadia University, 450 S. Easton Road, Glenside, PA 19038.

Sustaining the Patricia J. Creegan Award through GoFundMe

The Patricia J. Creegan Award benefits from the contributions of PEAC members and other interested people and groups. Please consider contributing any amount at https://www.gofundme.com/f/295cy-trish-creegan-memorial-fund