By Cathy Miller

Dr. Felix “Phil” Linfante, Ph.D., takes dedication to almost unimaginable levels.

A well-respected leader in education, Phil has decades of service in New Jersey’s community college field.

He’s currently a professor of Social Sciences at Essex County College, teaching Psychology, Sociology, and Education. During his 35 years at ECC, he spent many years as Dean of Educational Services and Executive Dean of Student Success. He’s also an adjunct professor at the College of St. Elizabeth in Morristown, teaching courses in the Doctoral Program in Higher Education Leadership, and is the chair of the New Jersey Council of County Colleges (NJCCC)! 

But don’t think he forgot about Warren – he’s the Chair of the Warren Community College Board of Trustees, too!

Clearly, Phil (he prefers not to be called Dr. Linfante, explaining, “Phil is usually a nickname for Felix; it’s an Italian tradition. I’ve been called Phil since the second I was born. My father and my grandfather were both Phils, too!”) is a dedicated advocate for New Jersey’s community colleges. Indeed, his dedication has been duly-noted throughout New Jersey, and nationally. 

He is only the second WCC trustee to ever be elected chair of the NJCCC.

NJCCC, which provides statewide leadership for the advancement of New Jersey’s 18 county colleges, is comprised of the president and the trustee board chair of each of those institutions. Phil explained, “The money from the state goes to NJCCC and is then distributed to the 18 colleges. The colleges are autonomous, so NJCCC acts as a coordinating group to encourage the colleges to work together on certain things, with the authority in particular to work together on funding.” 

As chair of NJCCC, Phil created the Trustee Spotlight Award to recognize a trustee who’s been a strong proponent for their local community college. He’s also traveled throughout the state, addressing the importance of community colleges. He’s conducted workshops at three New Jersey community college retreats, emphasizing the need to work closely with state lawmakers to provide necessary support for community colleges.

Unsurprisingly, his efforts expand well beyond New Jersey’s borders. 

Phil serves as NJCCC co-chair of the State and Federal Legislative Committee, leading the NJCCC delegation the past two years at the Association of Community College Trustees (ACCT) National Legislative Summit in Washington, DC. He has run workshops at the NJCCC Best Practices, sat on a panel offering guidance to new trustees, and was a member of an NJCCC committee in 2017 to develop the strategic plan for the council.

Phil is an active member of ACCT, serving on the Education and Communication Committee, presenting seven workshops over the last three ACCT Congresses on topics including The Importance of Board Retreats, Textbook Cost-Saving Measures, and Implementing a Reform Agenda.

How did Phil end up in Warren County – and WCC?

The Belleville, Essex County, native turned long-time resident of Hackettstown exclaimed, “Maria! We went on a blind date 16 years ago. When I drove up here and got off Route 80 I said to myself, ‘Where the heck am I?’ But it was easy to [move], because of Maria.”

Who is this Maria he speaks of? None other than Maria DiGiovanni, who has shown her own dedication to the region as she serves her third term as mayor of Hackettstown. Talk about a powerhouse couple.

They got married 12 years ago and the couple has four grandchildren.

Maintaining his Essex County ties, Phil, a licensed therapist, still has his practice in Nutley, and he still works at Essex County College.

After switching from administration to teaching at ECC, Phil found himself with some free time. Through a newspaper ad, he learned WCC was seeking trustees and immediately applied. With the county freeholders’ approval and subsequent appointment, Phil joined WCC’s Board of Trustees in 2013. He was re-elected to his second term as Board Chair by the Trustees in 2018.

Regarding WCC’s Board of Trustees, Phil stated, “In my role as chair of the New Jersey Council of County Colleges, I have visited every college and every trustee meeting in the state. There is no board as cohesive and together as Warren is. We are seven individuals who get along very well with each other and with the president. No one has a board like we do!”

Phil was chair when Middle States Accreditation visited then-WCCC in 2017 and found zero recommendations were required for the college. The college was also recognized by the Chronicle for Higher Education as New Jersey’s #1 College for Student Success, and the United States’ 11th Best College for Student Success. With a 46 percent graduation rate, it’s the highest in New Jersey. The nursing program is considered one of the top programs in New Jersey. Additionally, WCC is now renowned for its recently implemented expansive drone program.

Phil’s professional affiliations are numerous: New Jersey Council of Community Colleges, Association of Community College Trustees, the New Jersey Education Association, American Counseling Association, New Jersey Counseling Association, and the Association of Traumatic Stress Specialists.

His awards and recognitions reflect his boundless dedication: In 2014, he received the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society’s Distinguished College Administrator Award – nominated by the student chapter at Essex County College, he was one of only 25 college administrators recognized that year at the International Convention in Florida. He also received the statewide EOF Circle of Influence Award in 2012. In 2019, NJBIZ, New Jersey’s Leading Business Journal, named Phil a member of its annual Education Power 50 list, the most influential individuals shaping education in New Jersey.

His involvement in education started early.

From 1983 to 1985, his first two years out of college, Phil taught history and religion to seventh and eighth graders at St. Peter’s Elementary School in Belleville. In 1984, he was elected to the Belleville Board of Education and reelected in 1987. During that time, he served as board president for two years and then vice president. He left St. Peter’s in 1985 to work at ECC, and has been there ever since, noting “That’s why I’m a ‘lifer.’ Those of us that have stayed here all our lives know that without us a lot of these students wouldn’t have a chance. That’s what made me believe in community colleges – we make a difference.”

His students appreciate his teaching style: “I’m a lot of fun when I speak. I jokingly tell my students now they have to pay an entertainment fee!” 

Phil holds a Ph.D. from Seton Hall University in Higher Education Administration and Supervision, an MA in Counseling from Kean University and a Bachelor’s Degree in History from Rutgers University, where he received his public school teaching certification through the New Jersey Department of Education.

In his “other profession,” Phil provides therapy to children, adults, couples and families. The practice also conducts adolescent substance use and suicide assessments for local school districts. Early in his career, he was a mental health screener on-call seven nights a week at Beth Israel Hospital in Newark and he also worked on implementing the Belleville Alliance for Substance Education Programs.

How does Phil juggle all this? “I think it’s learned. From the time I was in high school to now, I’ve always had two jobs, sometimes three, or other things to do.” He pondered, “Maybe I learned that from my parents, but I’ve always been very active and never had spare time. I always wanted to keep busy.” 

Any other interests? “Maria and I like to travel and we love the Jersey shore. We’ve had a place at the shore for years. I like the sun and the beach. We try to visit Hawaii every other year. The last couple of in-between years, we’ve gone to Italy. We’d never been to Sicily, so this year we spent all our time in Sicily. It was wonderful!”

What three personal accomplishments is Phil most proud of? Simply and sincerely stated: “Living my life willing to help family, friends and others by giving of my time and talent. At the age of 25, obtaining a job and working my whole professional career at Essex County College and realizing the importance of community colleges in giving students a chance to succeed. Marrying Maria DiGiovanni.”

True to his philosophy of giving, on the day of this “virtual” interview, Phil volunteered at Warren County College in helping to distribute aid packages to students and first responders, and other people in need, during the current coronavirus pandemic. 

If you would like to recommend someone for person of the week, please reach out to Cathy at info@insidewarren.com.