Career and Technical Education Leader Fred Freedman Honored with Carol Moneymaker Lifetime Achievement Award
TUCSON (April 20, 2023) – The Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools (ABHES) recently presented its Carol Moneymaker Lifetime Achievement Award to Fred Freedman, industry leader and former President and CEO at Pima Medical Institute.
Moneymaker was the former ABHES Executive Director and was a pioneer in the industry. She led with integrity and ingenuity until her death in 2013. The award named in her honor recognizes other such pioneers and pays tribute to individuals who have demonstrated excellence and integrity in the health education community.
Freedman, who retired from Pima Medical in 2022, received the prestigious award during this year’s Annual ABHES Conference. Surrounded by colleagues and friends, Freedman was recognized for his commitment and many accomplishments in the education sector during his career that spanned more than 40 years.
Freedman has a reputation as a champion of post-secondary education focused on nontraditional, less advantaged students. He continued that legacy when he joined Pima Medical in 2000 as Campus Director for the San Diego campus.
Freedman’s journey at Pima Medical took him from Campus Director, to Chief Operating Officer, and finally President and CEO. Originally hired by founder Richard Luebke Sr., Freedman spent many years working side-by-side with Luebke’s sons Richard Jr., and Mark to further the family’s legacy and build the organization into one of the most respected career colleges in the country. Throughout Pima Medical’s 50-year history, and during Freedman’s 22 years at the college, dedication to students and student outcomes has always been the primary focus.
“Our careers, the work we do educating, training and counseling future healthcare professionals is not just important, it is critically important,” Freedman said when accepting his award.
At a time when not all career and technical education colleges are living up to their responsibilities to students, Freedman’s focus has always been on people, not profits.
He added, “In our colleges, our legacy and our lifetime achievements are defined by how many students we help succeed and begin specific careers. It is a powerfully more important differentiator than profit and material objects.”
From one campus and one program, to its current standing as a premiere medical career college, Pima Medical has always focused on its commitment to compliance and integrity. The college now boasts more than 150,000 graduates, 17 campus locations throughout the western United States, hybrid programs and robust online degree offerings.
Freedman ended his acceptance speech by pointing out that his biggest accomplishment can be found in the many successful graduates who are now making a major difference in the communities where they live and work.
“My real lifetime achievement has been to bear witness to thousands and thousands of graduates that have made tremendous impacts on our communities,” he said. “Helping others help themselves is about as sweet an award as we could ask for.”
Despite being retired, Freedman says career education is in his DNA and he does not plan to give up his involvement in the sector. Freedman currently serves on the Board of The San Marcos Promise, a nonprofit organization in San Diego County focused on preparing students for life after high school. He also serves as a member of the Commissioner Nominating Committee for ABHES.