Don Gamble Award

2022-2023 Award Winner:    Joanne Custer, Dauphin County Technical School  

The Cooperative Coordinator of the Year award is presented annually at the PCEA Conference. In 2013, this award was renamed the "Don Gamble Cooperative Education Award" in honor of Dr. Don Gamble, who dedicated his professional career by advocating for cooperative education by educating/certifying teachers to connect career and technical students with work-based learning experiences. Dr. Don Gamble's role as a professor at the Indiana University of Pennsylvania led to countless teachers successfully placing students in cooperative work experience programs across the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. He worked collaboratively with Penn State University and Temple University Professional Development Centers to make sure Cooperative Education was strong in Pennsylvania. One of Dr. Gamble's most impactful projects is the student lead Federal vs. State Child Labor Law Document. Dr. Gamble and his students aligned the state and federal regulations side by side so Cooperative Education Coordinators could easily research which of the two laws were stricter. This document was one of the best resources a coordinator carries with them when visiting with employers at a variety of training stations. We are so proud to name this award after such a dedicated and compassionate leader.