WEST BARNSTABLE – As 500 students received degrees and certificates at the Cape Cod Community College commencement ceremony last week, two of the school’s alumni were honored as well.
Yarmouth Police Chief Frank Frederickson and Matthew Donlan of Falmouth, were honored as distinguished alumni of Cape Cod Community College for their many contributions to the college and the greater community.
The 2019 Alumni of the Year awards were presented during the college’s commencement ceremony on May 23.
Frederickson graduated from Cape Cod Community College in 1979, and earned a bachelor’s degree at Northeastern University and a master’s degree at Anna Maria College. Frederickson is, remarkably, in his 40th year in policing in Yarmouth.
He has worked at all ranks in the police department, beginning as a summer officer. He is in his ninth year as Chief of the department.
Frederickson is a three-time recipient of the Department’s “Officer of the Year” award.
Frank is a frequent and consistent speaker in CCCC criminal justice classes. He is also a member of the College’s Criminal Justice Advisory Board.
Matthew Donlan is the new Chief Executive Officer at Addiction Treatment Center of New England. Until recently he was director of community affairs at the River Oaks Treatment Center/American Addiction Centers in Tampa, Florida.
“Our mission is to transform lives and give hope to the hundreds of people battling drug and/or alcohol addiction,” Donlan explained.
Donlan is a person in long-term recovery from addiction. He credits Cape Cod Community College as an essential step in his mid-life career change. He enrolled at the College and adjusted his work schedule, as a recovery counselor at Gosnold, to meet his academic goals.
He is grateful for encouragement from faculty that led to his graduating with honors in 2015. He received multiple scholarships to complete a bachelor’s degree in mental health studies at UMass-Amherst in 2016.
Donlan took advantage of an offer to relocate to Florida and join American Addiction Centers in opening an addiction treatment facility in Tampa. His hard work resulted in a promotion and an offer from his company to assist with paying for an advanced degree, if he chose to pursue it. He immediately enrolled in Florida Institute of Technology’s MBA in Healthcare Management program.
In May 2018, Donlan was presented with the Florida Institute of Technology’s Outstanding Graduate Business Student of the Year and Phi Kappa Phi National Honors Society’s Scholar Award. Last year he was accepted into Arizona State University’s Doctor of Behavioral Health program.
Donlan’s life story is one of working hard to maintain his own recovery, while making a significant difference in the lives of others struggling with addiction and mental health issues.
By TIM DUNN, CapeCod.com News Center
About CapeCod.com NewsCenter
