PHILADELPHIA Michael Palladino, associate vice president of networking and telecommunications at the University of Pennsylvania, has been named the first recipient of the Leadership Award of the Association for Telecommunications Professionals in Higher Education.

Addressing voice, data and video communications needs for higher education, the Association serves more than 800 institutions of higher education and 2,000 telecommunications professionals from the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

At Penn, Palladino supervises a staff of more than 100 information-technology professionals and manages annual budgets of nearly $25 million in service to some 35,000 users. In his nomination for this award, a colleague commended Palladino for his "dedication to delivering best cost for best service to our customers by the elimination of legacy systems and the active advancement of new technologies which have been ongoing trademarks of his successful leadership."

Palladino, who holds a B.A. from Temple University, joined Penn as a telecommunications analyst in 1984. As a project manager in the early 1990s, he was responsible for the ResNet project, wiring all Penn residence halls for Ethernet connectivity. He was named associate vice president of networking and telecommunications last year.

The Leadership Award recognizes Association members and affiliates for outstanding leadership. Recipients of this award are recognized for their active participation in the professional development and mentoring of other telecommunications professionals and for engaging in activities that benefit the Association or the broader higher education community.