TRENTON, October 20, 2017—A 26-year veteran local school board member, who also serves as president of the Bergen County School Boards Association, has been named the 2017-2018 New Jersey School Board Member of the Year, the New Jersey School Boards Association announced today.
Bruce Young, a member of the Carlstadt Board of Education, will be honored on Tuesday, Oct. 24 at 2 p.m. at Workshop 2017, the state’s largest training conference for local school officials at the Atlantic City Convention Center.
Workshop 2017 is sponsored by the New Jersey School Boards Association (NJSBA), the New Jersey Association of School Administrators, and the New Jersey Association of School Business Officials.
In her letter of nomination, Young’s colleague, Judith Bassford, a Clifton board member and president of the Passaic County School Boards Association, summarized his contributions to education.
“Bruce Young’s impeccable work ethic and his commitment to education throughout New Jersey are reflective in the countless hours he has given at the local, county and state education board levels,” she wrote. “It is the very reason I am honored to recommend him as NJSBA School Board Member of the Year.”
“It’s been my pleasure to work with Bruce for several years,” commented NJSBA President Dan Sinclair, a member of the Lakeland Regional Board of Education in Passaic County. “His contributions over more than two-and-a-half decades have been centered upon a strong desire to meet the needs of every child.”
NJSBA Executive Director Dr. Lawrence S. Feinsod said, “Simply stated, Bruce represents the best attributes of each and every school board member in New Jersey. He is a quality human being.
“In a state where some 5,000 school board members every day display extraordinary skills in leadership, enthusiasm for public education, and aspirations for their students, Bruce Young stands out for his commitment and tireless dedication to the children of Carlstadt, Bergen County, and New Jersey.”
Young has more than 26 years of local board of education service on the Carlstadt board and, previously, on the Carlstadt-East Rutherford Board of Education.
As president of the Bergen County School Boards Association, Young implemented a Bergen County presidents’ breakfast, and committed himself to visit all Bergen County local school board meetings. He is also a former member of the NJSBA Board of Directors, who earned the designation of Certified Board Leader, the highest level of achievement, through the Association’s Board Member Academy.
An independent committee at the Pennsylvania School Boards Association reviews nominees for our Board Member of the Year program and selects the winner. Young is the 14th annual honoree of the award.
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The New Jersey School Boards Association is a federation of the state’s local boards of education and includes the majority of New Jersey’s charter schools as associate members. NJSBA provides training, advocacy and support to advance public education and promote the achievement of all students through effective governance.