Karen Bingert, executive director of the New Jersey Principals and Supervisors Association, introduces Lenape High School Principal Tony Cattani for recognition at a state board of education meeting.
Lenape High School Principal Tony Cattani was among three school officials cited recently by the state board of education for their achievements in 2025.
The board recognized education professionals in three categories: superintendent of the year, business administrator of the year and principals of the year. Cattani was named a visionary principal of the year for the secondary level; he won the same title in July from the award’s sponsors, the National Association of Secondary School Principals.
Westfield School District Superintendent Dr. Raymond A. González was named New Jersey’s 2026 superintendent of the year, and Corey Lowell, business administrator and board secretary for the West Long Branch school district, was named business administrator of the year.
The association’s awards celebrate exceptional school leaders who exemplify leadership, student-centered innovation and a commitment to excellence in education, according to its website. The process starts with all 50 states, as well as Washington, D.C.; the Office of Overseas Schools; and the Department of Defense Education Activity.
The nominees are for one middle-level and one high-school principal to represent their state or division. From there, a winner is chosen from three finalists.
Cattani earned both his bachelor’s in education and his master’s in educational leadership from Rowan University. He began his career as a teacher and quickly moved on to assistant principal at Shawnee High School. He became principal of Lenape in 2007.
Cattani has been credited with lowering absenteeism, creating a culture where staff learn from one another and exemplifying the best in educational leadership.
Karen Bingert, executive director of the state’s Principals and Supervisors Association (NJPSA), introduced Cattani and cited his work at a Jan. 7 meeting of the state school board.
“(Cattani is) not only the NJPSA visionary principal of the year,” she said, “but, get this … he is the National Association of Secondary School Principals national principal of the year. He is also walking humility, and I love that about Tony. He is recognized for his role in supporting a positive and inclusive school culture where students and staff feel valued.
“Tony’s mantra is, ‘I have an opportunity every day to create an environment where people can be the best version of themselves, that’s the heart of what I do,'” Bingert added. “I think in hearing a little bit about him, he has underscored that in every single way.”
