At each Strayer University commencement ceremony, the Outstanding Alumni Award is presented to an accomplished Strayer University graduate who has demonstrated exceptional leadership in his or her professional or personal life.
At the Washington, DC ceremony in June, the award was presented to Dr. June DePonte Sernak, a mission-driven executive and educator with experience in corporate, nonprofit, higher education and government settings. She worked for many years as a sales and marketing leader in telecommunications, but as the industry became more international she wanted an MBA to stay at the forefront. “I saw statistics that women at certain ages start to fall off the trajectory of job opportunities,” she says. “Education was the equalizer.”
She earned her degree at Strayer, which gave this working parent the flexibility she needed and the global diversity she sought. “I was floored by the other students and being with thought leaders from all over the world,” she says. Dr. Sernak grew new skills and confidence, which helped her pivot to the nonprofit sector. “I wanted to use my education in a way that I could make a difference,” she says. Today, she is statewide diversity leadership officer for the state of New Jersey, where she creates training programs and establishes best practices for state agencies. Before that, she was dean of lifelong learning at Rowan College at Burlington County. And prior to that, she was executive director of the American Red Cross, Southern New Jersey Region.
Dr. Sernak has earned many awards, including Southern New Jersey Business Executive of the Year, 40 Under 40 Minority Executive Award, South Jersey Magazine Women of the Year, and more. She is also active in her community, serving as board chair of the Alice Paul Institute and publishing an award-winning children’s coloring cookbook, My Mommom’s Market, featuring her Native American Culture.
In addition to her Strayer MBA, Dr. Sernak holds a Doctor of Education from Wilmington University and a Bachelor of Arts in Marketing from Montclair State University.
Dr. Sernak has many more accomplishments ahead. “I think that my next level will be some sort of transformative work to support gender justice and equality, mental health for military service members, and Native communities,” she says.
