Honoring Distinguished Alumni

Three alumni in education, human development and family sciences receive 2026 college alumni awards

In April, University of Delaware’s College of Education and Human Development (CEHD) was proud to honor three distinguished alumni with alumni awards. These annual awards recognize exemplary leadership and service to the fields of education and human development, as well as service to the college and broader community. Rena Hallam, interim dean, and CEHD colleagues presented the awards to each of the recipients at CEHD’s All College Meeting on April 15, 2026, with faculty, staff and community members in attendance.

Alumni Excellence in Education Award

Kevin Fitzgerald, an alum of CEHD’s Ed.D. program, received the Alumni Excellence in Education Award. This award recognizes alumni for their significant long-term contributions and commitment to their schools or organizations through creative and innovative teaching practices, their ability to inspire students and families or their creative work in community organizations that directly supports children and families.

Fitzgerald has spent nearly 50 years as an educator: 13 as a teacher, 30 as an administrator and the last four as a senior educational leadership specialist in CEHD’s School Success Center, where he leads professional development for school leaders across the region. He was superintendent of the Caesar Rodney School District from 2007 to 2022 and was recognized by the National Association of School Superintendents as the 2018-19 National Superintendent of Year. During his tenure, six schools in the district were recognized with National Blue Ribbons, the district implemented the first Chinese immersion program in the state and it increased its offerings in advanced placement courses and world languages.

Alumni Leadership and Community Service Award

Jillian Solomon, a graduate of CEHD’s human services program and its 4+1 program in human services leadership, received the Alumni Leadership and Community Service Award. This award is given to alumni who have made substantive contributions to leadership in educational settings, communities or their chosen professions.

Solomon is associate dean of residence education on Duke University’s East Campus, where she oversees first-year students’ residential experiences. In this role, she works to promote inclusive and welcoming living and educational spaces. Using her CEHD training, she develops programming that is developmentally appropriate, accessible, evidence based and equity driven. For example, during her first year at Duke, Solomon initiated the “The Keohane Market” to address food scarcity and lack of access to healthy foods on campus. This initiative consistently received large turnouts, and the program—now known as the Blue Devil Market—has become a permanent part of Duke’s campus, partnering with community organizations and serving hundreds of students.

Alumni Trailblazer Award

Ye Shen, an alum of CEHD’s Ph.D. in education program, received the Alumni Trailblazer Award. This award is given to recent CEHD alumni that have distinguished themselves in their chosen professions or communities within the last five years.

Shen is currently an assistant professor at Johns Hopkins School of Education. As a globally oriented scholar, she conducts rigorous empirical research with the goal of influencing policy and informing language teaching and learning in diverse educational contexts. Since completing her Ph.D. in 2022, Shen has published 24 peer-reviewed articles and she is already a leading expert on heritage language learners, children who grow up in homes where a non-English familial language is spoken. Her long-term goal is to understand the core mechanisms and influential learning factors that enhance developmental outcomes for multilingual children, creating instructional methods and family practices that foster learning and multilingual language development.

To nominate yourself or a fellow Blue Hen for an alumni award, complete CEHD’s online nomination form. Or, share your story with CEHD!

Article by Jessica Henderson. Photos by Shelly Silva.