When Michael A. Jacobs reflects on his journey to becoming president of the New Jersey School Boards Association, he doesn’t start with education. Instead, he talks about Barcelona, Spain, in 1992, watching Team USA march into the Lluís Companys Olympic Stadium wearing uniforms that one of his companies, Tamie Manufacturing, had manufactured, garments crafted by workers in an underserved Brooklyn community he’d helped bring to the world stage.
“What could be better than made in Brooklyn, N.Y.”? he said.
By his own admission, Jacobs, the former owner of several bi-national apparel manufacturing companies from 1994 until 2005, turned a visit to Mexico into an investment of a lifetime that allowed him to materialize his vision. Through a unique partnership, Discovery International provided high-level apparel management services from the beginning of design through production, to transportation and delivery back to the United States. Discovery became the “ez-path to Mexico” for the New York and Los Angeles garment markets. For that, he became affectionately known as “Mr. Mexico.” The culmination of that work included serving as the architect of the 2003 Memorandum of Understanding between the State of New York and Mexico, linking 24 million citizens through trade.
“That’s what this is all about,” he explains, that memory still vivid decades later. “Taking what seems local—a community, a classroom, a school district—and elevating it to something much bigger.”
It’s an outlook that perfectly captures his leadership philosophy: think globally, act locally. And it is precisely the approach he is bringing to his new role leading NJSBA, which represents more than 500 school boards across New Jersey and collectively serves 1.4 million students.
Jacobs describes himself as a “late starter” to education service. A Queen’s College graduate who served in the U.S. Navy, he built a distinguished career in international trade and apparel manufacturing, taking him from New York’s textile industry to companies across Latin America. As national treasurer and co-chairman of various international commerce organizations, he became fluent in Spanish and in the language of consensus-building across cultures—a skill set that would prove beneficial later.
His business achievements have been many: securing that coveted 1992 Olympic uniform contract (the team’s attire was unofficially judged the best in the world); serving as former national treasurer/chairman of the Regional Advisory Board and co-chairman of the NAFTA Congressional Forum of the U.S./Mexico Chamber of Commerce, playing a key role in strengthening international commerce; and securing a five-million-dollar Congressional appropriation for the Wheelchair Foundation’s International Board of Advisors, where he served.
But somewhere along the way, he found himself drawn to a different kind of boardroom—his local board of education.
Finding His ‘Why’ in Public Service
“I’m a lifelong learner who reinvented himself in the area of education,” he said. That reinvention began in 2020, when he was elected as a trustee for the Ridgefield Board of Education in Bergen County, eventually serving as its president.
The timing was baptism by fire. Almost immediately, he found himself guiding the district through the unprecedented challenges of COVID-19. Though new to the position, he used his decades of crisis-management experience in international business as a guide. Those skills in building consensus, leading with empathy, and working with varied perspectives suddenly became essential tools for navigating the global pandemic’s impact on his school district.
When asked about his motivation, his face lights up, responding simply: “Reading with children and seeing their smiles. Those smiles are invaluable,” he said. “When you bring joy to children by acting like a child yourself, by being present with them, that’s when you remember what all of this is really about.”
As a proud dad, he noted that his daughter, Tammy, is a teacher who always “goes the extra mile for her students.” She provides him with daily inspiration and firsthand insight into the challenges educators face.
Jacobs’ ascent through education leadership was steady and purposeful. He was elected to the Ridgefield Board in Nov. 2019 and was immediately elected its president. Over the years, he has served in various capacities, including chair of the finance/operations, legislative, and negotiations committees; liaison to the mayor and council, and shepherding the district to earn Quality Single Accountability Continuum (QSAC) “high performing district” designations. Under his leadership, Jacobs reflected on his then-priorities: leading with transparency and strengthening community engagement and operational accountability.
While he was at the helm, Ridgefield replaced outdated trailers with modern modular buildings for $2 million, all without increasing the taxpayer burden. The district received recognition from the New Jersey Department of Education, with its middle school ranking in the top 30% and its high school ranked #137 in the state.
In 2022, he was elected president of the Bergen County School Boards Association (BCSBA), which he noted represents 76 school districts and approximately 136,000 students. Among his key achievements was establishing the BCSBA Advocacy Committee, which he said led the charge for the passage of the Pantoliano-DePass School-Based Mentoring Pilot Program, now with more than $1M in state appropriation, reflected in bills S-3236/A-4488. In addition to providing additional funding for his own district, Jacobs’ goodwill benefited 13 neighboring districts. The result was they all received funds to support school-based mentoring programs designed to improve student confidence, behavior, engagement and overall school safety. Another highlight of his tenure was Bergen County achieving a 95% member participation rate at NJSBA’s annual Workshop. For his keen leadership, his peers awarded him the 2025 Archie F. Hay award for leadership and commitment to the education of children in Bergen County.
From there, he joined the NJSBA Board of Directors prior to being selected for his current role. In that capacity, the NJSBA Certified Board Leader served in several key roles, including as the County Association Leadership (CAL) representative, member of the Strategic Planning Committee (2022-2024), member of the executive director Search Committee in 2022, and member of the 2022-2024 nominating committee (2022-2024).
Throughout this journey, he has remained focused on advocacy, innovation, and collaboration—always with an eye toward strengthening schools and better serving students and families statewide.
But his most recent path hasn’t been smooth. He speaks candidly about the challenges of political opposition during his re-election efforts, including anonymous threats and even vandalism. “The increasing politicization of public education creates division,” he noted, “even though we all share the same goal: educating these 1.4 million students.”
He’s equally clear about the obstacles facing New Jersey’s schools in general. In 2026, two significant challenges dominate his thinking: financial constraints that require tough decisions, and the troubling politicization that threatens to undermine the fundamental mission of public education.
A Vision Grounded in Respect
Nothing energizes him more than advocating for the teaching profession. He noted the contrast between today and his generation, a time when educators were viewed with the utmost respect and the profession was deemed noble. In years past, he said, educators, parents, and the community collaborated more, and “parents did not challenge teachers as they do now.” He envisions that with time respectful relationships will be regenerated.
For Jacobs, his goal for NJSBA is simple. “I’m committed to finding common ground,” noting the importance of civil discourse, respect, empathy and of course, unity.
So, what does he hope his legacy will be? True to form, he returns to that global-local framework that has guided his entire journey. He wants to bring that international perspective—those decades of experience working across cultures, building consensus among stakeholders, and thinking strategically about complex systems—home to New Jersey’s schools. But he wants to do it in service of the most local concerns imaginable: ensuring every child can access a quality education, every teacher receives the respect they deserve, and every community feels represented and heard.
“I’ve spent my career learning how to work with people from different backgrounds, finding common ground where others see only division,” he reflected. “That’s what education needs right now—leaders who can bridge divides, build coalitions and keep the focus where it belongs: on students.”
From Brooklyn to Barcelona to Bergen County, Jacobs has spent a lifetime proving that thinking globally and acting locally are not contradictory impulses. Sometimes, they are two sides of the same commitment to service, helping build stronger schools and supporting the next generation of leaders.
Chanta L. Jackson is the chief public affairs officer at NJSBA.
