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Board Member of the Year

Nomination form, procedure, and criteria to select the 2023-2024 recipient of NJSBA’s School Board Member of the Year Award

Submission of Nominations for the 2024-2025 New Jersey School Board Member of the Year award is now closed.

Please consider participating next year.

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Time to Nominate the 2024-2025 New Jersey Board Member of the Year

In recognition of school board members’ service, leadership and contributions to education, NJSBA has established the New Jersey Board of Education Member of the Year Award. Given annually, the award honors an individual board member who: makes significant contributions to public education; exemplifies leadership in the field of education with a strong commitment to the children of New Jersey; demonstrates a strong commitment to their personal and professional development as a board member; and shows active involvement in school governance at the local, county and state levels.

Past Winners

2023-24 Bernadette Dalesandro, Netcong Board of Education

2022-23 Adam Parkinson, West New York BOE

2021-22 Kerri Wright, Chester BOE

2020-21 Irene LeFebvre, Boonton Town BOE

2019 Judith Bassford, Clifton BOE

2018 Sister Carol Adams, Salem City BOE

2017 Bruce Young, Carlstadt BOE

2016 Sheli Dansky, River Edge BOE

2015 Helen E. Kirsch, Berkeley Heights BOE

2014 Peggy Saslow, New Milford BOE

2013 Kevin E. Ciak, Sayreville BOE

2012 Debra Roosen, North Hunterdon-Voorhees Regional BOE

2011 Diane Holzberg, Demarest BOE

2010 Linda Bond-Nelson, North Plainfield BOE

2009 Dale G. Caldwell, New Brunswick BOE

2008 Cynthia Auberger, Vernon Township BOE

2007 Cathy Moncrief, Lindenwold BOE

2006 Marie Hakim, Clifton BOE

2005 Maria Alamo, Nutley BOE

Nomination Procedure

Nominations for the New Jersey Board of Education Member of the Year must be submitted on the 2024-2025 NJSBA-BMOY-nomination-form Board members, superintendents, business officials, staff and community members may nominate individuals for the award. County Associations may nominate board members from their own counties.

Current NJSBA officers and staff may not nominate candidates for the award nor may current NJSBA officers be nominated for the award.

Criteria for Nomination

  1. Current member of a local board of education at the time the application is received.
  2. Served a minimum of 5 consecutive years on his/her local board of education.
  3. Certified Board Member through the NJSBA Board Member Academy.
  4. Demonstrated leadership, service and contribution to education at the local, county and state levels.

All nominations are to:

  1. Be made on the 2024-2025 NJSBA-BMOY-nomination-form provided by NJSBA. No more than three pages of additional data, inclusive of the statement of the board member’s contributions, may be submitted with the nomination. 
  2. Include in the application a statement of the board member’s unique and recognized achievements in the areas of service, leadership and contributions to education at the local, county and state levels.
  3. Be received no later than 4:30 p.m. on July 1, 2024.  No late entries will be considered and will be returned to the person entering the nomination.
  4. All information requested on the nomination form must be provided.

Selection Procedure

All eligible nominations are forwarded to the officers of another state school boards association. These officers review the nominations, select the winner of the New Jersey award and forward their selection to the NJSBA President.

Award

The New Jersey Board of Education Member of the Year will be recognized in the following manner:

  1. Recognized at an NJSBA’s Workshop 2024 in Atlantic City.
  2. Presented with a plaque conveying the honor.
  3. Recognized through a news release sent to statewide and local media.
  4. Recognized in School Board Notes.
  5. Featured in an issue of School Leader magazine.

2024-2025 NJSBA-BMOY-nomination-form.

Email nomination forms with signature (electronic signatures are acceptable) to:

Ann Marie Smith: amsmith@njsba.org

Subject line: 2023-24 NJ Board of Education Member of the Year Award

Any questions, contact Ann Marie Smith.