Palm Beach State leaders honored with national innovation award

Palm Beach State College leaders Dr. Stephen Joyner, provost of the Palm Beach Gardens campus, and District Dean of Business and Computer Science John Hadley have received national recognition for their pioneering work in workforce education.

The pair were honored with the 2024-2025 Innovation of the Year Award from the League for Innovation in the Community College for their leadership in developing the Panther Advanced Technology Hub (PATH) initiative on the Palm Beach Gardens campus.

The award celebrates outstanding achievements that improve teaching and learning or enhance student success across the country’s community colleges. Joyner and Hadley were recognized for their visionary approach to bridging education and industry through PATH, a partnership among Palm Beach State, TMRW Sports, and Levatas, Inc. that equips students with advanced skills in sports technology, cybersecurity, robotics, autonomous drones, and data engineering.

The honor was presented as part of the League’s Innovations Conference, held March 16 in Indianapolis, where Joyner and Hadley also delivered a featured presentation titled “The Panther Advanced Technology Hub: Revolutionizing Workforce Development Through Public/Private Partnerships.” 

Their session drew attention to PATH’s innovative model that directly connects classroom learning with hands-on industry experience through internships, mentorships, and technology-based training. Their work on the PATH initiative continues to position Palm Beach State as a national leader in workforce development and as a driving force in aligning higher education with the demands of Florida’s growing technology and sports industries.