Business teacher Dr. Benedict Tieniber was recently the recipient of the 2025 Julian A. Milkes Award for Outstanding Business Educator by the Business Teachers Association of New York State (BTANYS). Awarded at the BTANYS Fall Conference, this award is selected for one business educator per year through recognizing their excellence in teaching, leadership, and service to advancing business education. The BTANYS looks to select teachers who focus on innovation and mentorship, along with professional involvement and dedication to their students’ growth as a whole.
When asked about his reason for becoming a teacher and finding his calling for business education, Tieniber said, “I had a really good teacher in school who made me realize I wanted to help kids.” Tieniber
pursued a bachelor’s degree in business administration, but he eventually switched to education when he realized it was what he was meant to do. What makes Tieniber most proud about receiving this award is the collective efforts that went into it. “I couldn’t have gotten it without the student support, community support, and teacher support…It’s all about coming together that makes things like this happen,” he said.
Affectionately known by students as “Doc,” Tieniber places a large emphasis on fostering positive relationships with his students and helping mentor them not only as students, but as people. For senior Max Dellacona, Tieniber has had an immense impact on not only his life as a high schooler, but his plan for the future. Dellacona was named President of LHS’s chapter of the Business Honor Society (with Tieniber as advisor), which was a culmination of Dellacona’s contributions to the business department since his sophomore year. Dellacona noted, “Doc’s impact on me in my sophomore year in my accounting class shaped the rest of my high school experience. Because of him, I have taken every business class that Lynbrook has to offer.” He added that being inducted into the Business Honor Society as one of only four sophomores in the 2023-2024 school year is an achievement that he looks back on fondly, and one he owes largely to Tieniber. Dellacona stressed that one of the most important lessons he has learned from Tieniber is that of networking; he knows he will carry that throughout his life and in future business ventures. Through Tieniber’s mentorship and Dellacona’s participation in Virtual Enterprise and the Business Honor Society, Dellacona found his passion for finance, which he will be majoring in next fall at Wake Forest University.
Another student whom Tieniber has greatly impacted is Skylar Wolkoff, a junior who is also heavily involved in business classes. In addition to her involvement in Virtual Enterprise I, Wolkoff accomplished being named lieutenant governor for Division 7 in the New York District of the Kiwanis Club, also known as “Key Club.” She is heavily involved in LHS’s Key Club, also advised by Tieniber, but she attributes her involvement in it at the state level largely to him. In her position on the District Board, she helps support all the Key Clubs in the New York State Division through working with club presidents, sending newsletters, and helping to plan events and trainings. She also works with the district board on bigger projects for the whole state. Like Dellacona, Wolkoff noted that “Doc honestly changed my whole high school experience.” Wolkoff added, “He made me feel confident, pushed me to take on leadership, and showed me I was capable of more than I thought.” She placed emphasis on the fact that Tieniber does not only focus on the clubs/ events that he plans, but that he helps students throughout the building no matter what they are interested in.
Senior Aidan Pearsall, co-founder of DECA at LHS, participant in Virtual Enterprise, and also member of the Business Honor Society, has developed a strong relationship with Tieniber through his mentorship these past few years. Pearsall looks back on the business classes he has taken fondly, as well as the countless lessons he has learned from them. Not only has Tieniber helped Pearsall come into his own and realize his passions in high school, but he helped Pearsall determine what he wants to pursue in higher education. “When I first started my college applications, I had no idea what I wanted to do, but Doc explained to me why he thought I would be a great business teacher and made me realize that it was what I am meant to do,” said Pearsall. Tieniber was able to help Pearsall in the same way his own former teacher did, by further enforcing his dedication to advancing business education.
Tieniber said that the most important thing to him is that he loves his job. He goes to work every day excited to teach and help his students, and he places a strong emphasis on looking at them as humans first and students second. This principle is one that has allowed him to see the success he has in his classroom, and to build an environment that is enjoyable for both him and his students. Tieniber makessure to keep his clasroom upbeat and fun,
whether it is through educational exercises or raving about his love of the New York Mets. One of the most important lessons he learned from starting his first teaching job in Brooklyn was said to him by one of his administrators, and that was “aim high.” Whether it is through his everyday teaching, coaching middle school wrestling and baseball, or helping students out at the annual Key Club Blood Drive, Tieniber has embodied that wisdom throughout his career, and his honor he has received is the fruit of his labor.
