Gov. Phil Murphy announced his nominations of Mary Bennett, Dr. Kwanghee Jung and Dr. Claudine Keenan to the New Jersey State Board of Education in a Sept 29 news release. Their nominations will be sent to the state Senate for confirmation.
If confirmed, the nominees will join The New Jersey State Board of Education, which consists of 13 members in total. These members serve for six-year terms.
The State Board adopts the education administrative code, establishing regulations to implement state education law. These regulations cover the supervision and governance of the state’s 2,500 public schools, which serve nearly 1.4 million students. In addition, the State Board advises on educational policies proposed by the commissioner of education and confirms New Jersey Department of Education staff appointments made by the commissioner.
About the Nominees
Bennett has served as an educational consultant for the Seton Hall University Academy for Urban Transformation since 2007. She works to further the mission of the academy by sharing expertise and experience to serve the urban school community. Bennett has also served as an instructor and education mentor at Montclair State University since 2005, where she designs curricula for pre-service teachers progressing from learning theory to fieldwork observation through the completion of student teaching. As an education mentor, she provides guidance on classroom pedagogy, classroom management, school community engagement and professional education conduct. Bennett also led Project GRAD as executive director from 2001-2013. Bennett has experience as a high school principal, program director for the Newark Board of Education, high school vice principal, and English language arts teacher. Bennett earned her Bachelor of Arts from Douglass College and her Master of Arts in curriculum development from Rutgers University. Bennett also attended Seton Hall University for Administrative Credentialing. She lives in Irvington, New Jersey.
Jung is the associate director for data management and statistics at the National Institute for Early Education Research at Rutgers University, a role she has held since 2011. She has been an assistant research professor at NIEER since 2004. Jung leads the data management and statistics team at NIEER and has designed and conducted large-scale, quasi-experimental designs focusing on early education and childcare policy issues. Her research and expertise have been instrumental in securing many federal, state and foundation grants. Jung earned her Bachelor of Science from Yonsei University in Seoul, South Korea, and her Master of Science and Ph.D. in child and family studies from Syracuse University. Jung lives in Teaneck, New Jersey.
Keenan has served as the dean of education for Stockton University for over 10 years, where she oversees bachelors, masters, and doctoral programs for more than 1,000 students. Prior to her role as dean of education, Keenan worked as the chief planning and budget officer for Stockton University, where she was responsible for the supervision of institutional research and institutional assessment and accreditation. Previously, she was the director of academic programs for Marlboro College Graduate School in Brattleboro, Vermont, where she designed and directed programs in leading and teaching with internet technologies. Keenan received her Bachelor of Arts in English and secondary education from Adelphi University, her Master of Arts in rhetoric and composition from California State University, and her Ed.D. in educational leadership from the University of Massachusetts. She lives in Galloway, New Jersey.