Biography
Michael Pittaro, MPA is the Executive Director of the Council on Alcohol and Drug Abuse (CADA) in Allentown , Pennsylvania and an adjunct professor in the criminal justice department at Cedar Crest College, Allentown, Pennsylvania. Prior to assuming the role of Executive Director of CADA, Pittaro was the Chair of the Legal Studies Department at Lehigh Valley College, Pennsylvania.
Education
Michael Pittaro holds a Masters Degree in Public Administration (3.92 /4.0 – Summa Cum Laude) and a Bachelors Degree in Criminal Justice from Kutztown University (Who’s Who Among Students in Colleges & Universities – 1989). He is presently a 4.0 Doctoral student in Capella University’s Public Safety Program where he is pursuing a PhD in Criminal Justice. His research interests are in theoretical criminology, school violence, cybercrimes, and hate crimes.
Teaching Awards
Professor Pittaro is the recipient of numerous awards of achievement and was twice nominated for Who’s Who Among America’s Teachers (2006 & 2005) and as a finalist in Career Education’s “Educator of the Year” (2006). He also received the VIP Award for Employee Excellence (2005), was recognized by the Alpha Beta Kappa National Honor Society for College Faculty (2004), and received the Shining Star award for outstanding performance (2003). He was most recently asked to be a member of the International Editorial Advisory Board for the International Journal of Criminal Justice Sciences http://www.ijcjs.co.nr/
Field Experience
Professor Pittaro has nearly 20 years of criminal justice experience, most of which was dedicated to working with the Northampton County Department of Corrections, Pennsylvania where he served in various Administrative roles. He last held the position of Criminal Records Division Administrator where he supervised a staff of nearly 40 uniformed officers assigned to the Criminal Records Division. Pittaro has also worked as a Drug and Alcohol Counselor, Juvenile Counselor, Sexual Offender Group Facilitator, Child Custody Supervisor, Alcohol Highway Safety Instructor, and an Internal Affairs Investigator. Since most positions were held in a supervisory capacity, he has a vast amount of experience recruiting, hiring, training, and supervising criminal justice personnel.
Teaching Experience
Professor Pittaro occasionally works as a Criminal Justice Curriculum consultant to Pennsylvania’s State Department of Education’s Associate Degree Granting Team and as a consultant to the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools (ACICS) out of Washington, D.C as a Criminal Justice Curriculum Specialist. He has been a “textbook reviewer” for some of the largest publishing companies, including Prentice Hall, McGraw-Hill, Wadsworth /Thomson, and Allyn & Bacon Publishing companies. He currently works as a Child Custody Supervisor on a contractual basis. Professor Pittaro is a member of several professional academic organizations, including the prestigious American Society of Criminology, The American Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences, The Society for the Study of Social Problemss, and Pennsylvania Criminal Justice Educator’s Association. In addition to teaching, Professor Pittaro also heads the Legal Studies Department where he oversees both Criminal Justice and Paralegal degree programs, its faculty, and its students.
