An innovative, passionate educator, football coach, and mentor, Dr. Hoag was a Connecticut State Department of Education member for over 35 years. An accomplished speaker, he has entertained and thrilled audiences throughout his lifetime with his anecdotes and philosophy on teaching, parenthood, athletic coaching, and leadership. Dr. Hoag has received state and national recognition for teaching, coaching, education assessment, and community service. Of the many awards, Dr. Hoag was the recipient of the national 2008 C. Thomas Olivio Award, presented to one person annually for leadership and creativity in student assessment by the National Occupational Competency Testing Institute. In 2013 Dr. Hoag was honored with the Silver Eagle Award of the Connecticut Council of Deliberation for "sterling service to uplift humanity"; and the 2016 Outstanding Community Service Award by the Urban League of Greater Hartford. Dr. Hoag created and directed the groundbreaking Developing Tomorrow's Professionals (DTP) program for Black and Hispanic young men. Stephen Hoag is the author of "A Son's Handbook, Bringing Up Mom with Alzheimer's/Dementia," a stirring personal account of his ten years caring for his mother with this dreaded disease. In 2018, Dr. Hoag's romantic novel, "Whisper of a Kiss," was released with the emotional moving book "Vows" in 2020, winning acclaim for its inspirational acumen and encouraging approach to understanding one person's impact on another.