A Wareham educator with more than 20 years of service in the district who served as co-advisor for the highly successful DECA Club has been hired to oversee Plymouth’s Vocational Technical Education program.

Cindy Sylvia, whose father Dr. Cliff Sylvia was a longtime School Committee member who founded the Club, was named principal of the technical studies program at both Plymouth North and South High Schools on June 20.

In Wareham, Sylvia served as chair of the high school’s technology education department. She is scheduled to start her new position on July 1.

As the DECA Club’s co-advisor, Sylvia helped prepare students for numerous appearances at national conferences, focusing on getting them ready for future careers in the marketing and hospitality industries.

Wareham High School Principal Scott Palladino said Sylvia’s accomplishments as department head, teacher, coach and mentor are substantial.

“Next year will mark the first time a Sylvia hasn’t been involved with DECA since 1971,” said Palladino. “That’s quite a legacy.”

Palladino noted that there will be an adjustment period while administrators search for Sylvia’s replacement; however, she leaves DECA and the technology education department in an excellent position for continued success.

“The program is bigger than any one person. She created infrastructure in the program to allow for a successful succession,” Palladino said. “The DECA program will exist for many years, too, and that’s a tribute to her leadership style.”

When students came to her with the idea to launch the Club’s home show, a major fundraiser and also educational opportunity for its members, Sylvia encouraged them to pursue it. The home show will celebrate its third year this spring.

In 2015, Sylvia was celebrated for her lengthy career coaching high school sports. She announced she would step away from her coaching duties in order to focus on leading her son’s sports teams. At the time, her son was 10 and Sylvia said she wanted to spend more time with him before he grew older and would want to shy away from having his mother double as a coach.

“I think every athlete I ever coached knew the choice was going to be [my son] Quincy,” Sylvia was quoted as saying at the time. “I don’t want to miss a second, since he is my only son.”

At the high school, Sylvia coached softball from 1996 to 2013, basketball from 1997 to 2007, and soccer from 1996 to 2014.