Citizen of the Year: Pat Ippolito

A member of the Kean staff since 1965, Patrick “Pat” Ippolito was recently named Livingston (N.J.) UNICO’s 57th Citizen of the Year for 2012 in honor of his longstanding commitment to community service.

According to UNICO, Ippolito best exemplifies their core motto: “Service above self.” As such, he was honored for his “unselfish contributions to Livingston through his faithful commitment and attendance to many civic and service organizations.” The group specifically noted Ippolito’s decade of service to the Livingston First Aid Squad. In that capacity, he has achieved two CPR saves and is recognized for answering the most calls in 2010 and 2011, for which he was awarded the 2010 First Aid Squad Member of the Year by the Livingston Chamber of Commerce.

Ippolito has also served as president of the Livingston American Little League for more than 26 years. Last year, the league’s field was named the Patrick J. Ippolito Complex. Also in 2011, Ippolito was inducted into the Livingston High School Big L Hall of Fame as a legendary coach and received a Community Award from the Livingston Chamber of Commerce. He is also a member of UNICO, Kiwanis and the Knights of Columbus, and serves as a lector and Eucharistic minister at St. Philomena Church.

On campus, the two-time alumnus of Kean University recently received the Presidential Excellence Award for Distinguished Service for his many contributions within and beyond the Kean community. Since 2002, Ippolito has served in his current role as associate professor and coordinator of Kean’s Elementary Education Program as well as a member of the Faculty Senate and various University-wide committees.