(MAHWAH, NJ) -- Ramapo College of New Jersey has announced that Dr. Adam Fried has accepted the position of Assistant Dean of Teacher Education, effective January 1, 2023.

Fried has served as superintendent of the Harrington Park, N.J., school system since 2006. The Bergen County resident received his bachelor’s degree from William Paterson University and his M.S. in Educational Leadership and Administration from Iona College (N.Y.). Fried earned his Ed.D. in Educational Leadership and Administration from Seton Hall University in New Jersey. He was named Northern Regional Superintendent of the Year in 2017 and Bergen County Superintendent of the Year in 2018.

Fried grew up in Miami, Dade County before moving with his family to New Jersey at the age of 12. “My parents went back to school later in their lives to earn college degrees, so I was the first generation to go to college straight from high school,” Fried said. After graduation, his first job was as an elementary math and science teacher at Honiss School in Dumont, N.J. After four years, he was hired as the Vice Principal at Lincoln Middle School and later as Principal at Jefferson Elementary School, both in Hawthorne, N.J., positions he says ultimately prepared him for the role of superintendent. Among his other duties, he was responsible for creating programs and took the lead of the professional development for the district, earn the job as Director of Curriculum/Assistant Superintendent for Hawthorne.

Fried says he sees the move to higher education as a “natural progression as an educational leader.”

“The ability to help create programs and develop the next group of amazing educators is something I’m quite excited about,” Fried says. “I believe Ramapo College has an amazing group of people that can create greater practice and craft for the children we serve every day. I believe that School of Education can create more pathways for teachers as well as instructional aides. “

Aaron Lorenz, Dean of Ramapo’s School of Social Science and Human Services, said, “I’m excited to be able to work with such an effective leader who has shown that his dedication to education starts and ends with supporting the students. The Ramapo community and educators across the state of New Jersey now get to witness Dr. Fried’s insight and creativity at the higher education level. Dr. Fried brings added connections to Ramapo for the Morris-Union Jointure Commission, a partnership that helps fill that vital pipeline necessary to prepare the future of teachers in New Jersey.”

Fried added, “I know we can expand our relationships with the districts that surround this idyllic campus. If we continue to expand these partnerships, we can develop new and exciting programs that enhance our students’ practice and craft.”