Ulster BOCES District Superintendent Dr. Charles V. Khoury was recently presented with the 2020 Manufacturing Champion award. Khoury was recognized, along with the 2021 honorees, during the Council of Industry Annual Member/Associate Member Expo on Friday, November 19 in Poughkeepsie.

This award aimed to recognize Dr. Khoury’s achievements in career and technical education, notably his spearheading of the creation of the Hudson Valley Pathways Academy (HVPA), a six-year P-TECH pathway of study that leads to earning an associate’s degree combined with workforce readiness skills. President of the Council of Industry Harold King credits Khoury with HVPA’s success, saying “In my mind, this school wouldn’t have happened without him. There were so many opportunities to quit and he persevered.”

King notes that the Council of Industry began presenting this award 15 years ago to leaders in manufacturing businesses, and started recognizing educators six years ago with the realization that creating a pipeline of skilled workers into the industry’s workforce was crucial, and educator champions such as Khoury are needed to further this mission.

Khoury was humbled by the recognition, saying “P-TECH started as an idea on a whiteboard and, to see it now, it’s hard to believe that it’s several years old and students have graduated and changed their lives. It was my hope right from the very beginning that this was an opportunity to change the lives and educational trajectories of students.”

One young scholar who credits the P-TECH program with invaluably enhancing his career potential is Dartanian Barringer, who nominated Khoury for the award. “Dr. Khoury’s vision in recognizing the need for a P-TECH school in Ulster County is why I and so many of my classmates are receiving the kind of education that should be happening in every school in the country, state, county, and other areas,” he said in support of his nomination. “At the HVPA, we are becoming employable, good humans who will be successful in the global economy. This couldn’t have happened without being given a school where we are consistently challenged with authentic experiences in collaboration with our partners. The young scholars and staff at HVPA are fortunate for the opportunities we have due to [Dr. Khoury’s] leadership.”

Peter Harris, Director of Learning and Design for the Career Pathways Programs at Ulster BOCES echoed the P-TECH program’s impacts on young lives after presenting Dr. Khoury with the award, describing HVPA as “a school in which young scholars such as Dartanian can experience leadership skills, skills of creativity, multiple literacies, global citizenship, and self direction. They do so through workplace learning challenges with the Council of Industry partners and global competency projects that are meaningful to them. This life-changing program and the opportunities it provides are possible because of Dr. Khoury’s vision and leadership.”

Watch Dr. Khoury's award presentation here.