Carole E. Larsen, NJSBA field service representative, passed away on Tuesday night after a long illness.

 She joined the NJSBA staff in 1988 after serving as a school board member in the Morris School District.

“As a consultant, mentor and resource person to school board members in Central and Northern New Jersey, Carole provided exemplary service,” said NJSBA Executive Director Edwina M. Lee. Carole was set to officially retire on Feb. 1.

“Carole remained enthusiastic not only about her retirement plans, but also about her work with the Association. She said she hoped to meet with many of the boards she worked with during the next week.”

Carole was instrumental in the planning and development of the Association’s Board-Superintendent Institute, an innovative leadership program that serves as the cornerstone of a new level of certification, established by the NJSBA Board Member Academy this year. On Friday, she learned that NJSBA had honored her by renaming the new certification level the “Carole E. Larsen Master Board Certification.”

Carole also made significant contributions to the Association’s research and program development in the areas of student assessment and superintendent recruitment and evaluation.

Details about a memorial service will be provided at a later date. Expressions of sympathy can be mailed to Carole’s children, Sarah Larsen and Niels Larsen, at 7 Prusakowski Blvd., Parlin, N.J. 08859.