The Manheim Township Alumni Association (MTAA) has announced that recipients of the 2023 Distinguished Alumni Award (DAA) are Michael J. Novak, Class of 1983, and Dr. Benjamin R. Stabler, Class of 2008. Since 1997, Manheim Township has honored graduates who have outstanding professional accomplishments and who have positively impacted their community. The annual recognition is meant to spotlight the noteworthy achievements of alumni and inspire current students.

DAA honorees will be recognized at a breakfast reception at 9 a.m. on Thursday, June 1, at Calvary Church, 1051 Landis Valley Road, Lancaster. DAA honorees will address the 2023 graduating class during commencement rehearsal following the reception. There is a cost to attend the breakfast reception, and registration is required by contacting Becca Smith Stamp at 717-560-3117 or mtalumni@mtef.net by Wednesday, May 24. Those who wish to make donations in honor of DAA recipients should contact Stamp for details.

Novak, a senior vice president at J.S. Held, has a 35-year career in environmental consulting and remediation.

At Manheim Township, Novak was a member of the track, cross-country, and wrestling teams. He won the Lancaster-Lebanon League title in the 3,200-meter event and received the Blue Streak Award in 1983. He earned a Bachelor of Science in industrial engineering from Lehigh University in 1987.

Novak was founder and owner of Atlantic Environmental Solutions Inc. (AESI) for 24 years before the company was acquired by J.S. Held in 2021. One of New Jersey's first Licensed Site Remediation Professionals, he has directed over $100 million in environmental projects at more than 6,000 client locations across 47 states and serves as an expert witness on environmental and regulatory compliance issues. AESI was included on the Inc. 5000 list in 2018 and 2019 and was included in the NJBIZ Top 250 Privately Held Companies in 2018, 2019, and 2020.

Novak received the Executive of the Year Award in 2018 from the New Jersey Business & Industry Association (NJBIA), a 20,000-member business organization. In 2005, one of his remediation projects was honored with an Excellence Award by NJBIA. He has served on the boards of several professional organizations and has been president of the National Realty Club and the Hoboken Chamber of Commerce. Novak is currently a member of the Advisory Board of the Rutgers School of Business, Center for Real Estate, and serves on the Advisory Board of Citizens Bank and the Ambassador's Board of Connect One Bank.

Stabler is a family physician with Penn Medicine Lancaster General Health.

At Manheim Township, Stabler was a member of the National Honor Society and played first chair bass in the orchestra. He was a three-year varsity football player, earning all-league honors as an offensive and defensive tackle, as well as a track and field athlete, winning the league shot put title his senior year.

Stabler attended Harvard University, where he played varsity football and was a member of two Ivy League championship teams. During college, he was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor, undergoing surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy during his senior year.

Following a gap year working for Lancaster General Health and completing his treatment, Stabler attended the Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University, where he was elected to the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Society. As a family medicine resident, he was recognized for excellence in pediatric, emergency medical, and internal medicine care. Throughout undergraduate and medical school, he volunteered with various service organizations, including programs addressing hunger and raising funds for cancer research.

Stabler graduated from residency in June 2022 and returned to Lancaster to begin his career as a family physician.

For more information, visit http://www.mtef.net/distinguished-alumni or contact Becca Smith Stamp.