Dave Conner, director of student Life at The College of New Jersey, was awarded an inaugural 2025 Compass Award from the Northeast Greek Leadership Association.
The Compass Awards recognize outstanding past volunteers who served the organization. These awards celebrate excellence in leadership, innovation, and commitment to advancing the NGLA mission.
Conner, who served nine years on the NGLA board, oversees various aspects of student involvement at the college, including fraternity and sorority life, student organizations, and large-scale campus programs.
“It was a great honor to be recognized by an organization I have been a part of for a long time that has done great work in supporting volunteers,” Conner said. “I appreciate that they are creating a culture of appreciation in a new way with these awards.”
Throughout his tenure at TCNJ he has been instrumental in enhancing the student experience by supporting student government, class councils, and facilitating fraternity and sorority expansion.
“Dave and his team use cutting-edge practices to build safe and strong communities here at the college,” said Kelly Hennessy, assistant vice president for student affairs. “He has great expertise and is a sought-after national presenter on fraternity and sorority life issues and often visits other campuses to share his knowledge.”
“This distinguished honor is reserved for former NGLA volunteers who have left an enduring legacy within the association, and Dave’s contributions exemplify the very essence of this award,” said Tom Murphy, executive director of NGLA. “His commitment to NGLA and its mission has created a meaningful and lasting impact on our community.”
Aimee Wardle, assistant director for student life at TCNJ also was recognized by NGLA, earning the Bonnie Wunsch Volunteer Service Award for providing exceptional and continued service to NGLA, TCNJ’s fraternity/sorority community and the extended interfraternal world. Wardle has volunteered with NGLA for the past six years in a number of roles on the Conference Committee, most recently as this past year’s Conference Chair.
“My NGLA volunteer experience has been one of the most rewarding professional development opportunities I’ve had, as well as one of the best volunteer experiences in general,” Wardle said. “It’s never really felt like volunteer ‘work,’ but more like a fun volunteer opportunity where I’ve made some incredible connections both professionally and personally.”
Conner and Wardle were presented with their awards last month at the NGLA Annual Conference in Baltimore.
