(Trenton, NJ) – Governor Phil Murphy appointed five members to the New Jersey Council for the Humanities Board of Trustees. The Council welcomes Jacqueline Colgan, Joyce Hendricks, Ruth Mandel Ph.D., Lacey Rzeszowski, and Mei-Mei Tuan. Each new member has strong ties to the humanities and will take an active role in the advancement of the mission of the Council.
The NJCH Board of Trustees exercises important fiduciary, governance, and programmatic responsibilities and plays a central role in helping to fundraise and advocate. Members of the Board promote the Council within their communities and with elected officials.
These gubernatorial appointments bring a wealth of experience and talent to their service to NJCH, the nonprofit state partner of the National Endowment of the Humanities.
Jacqueline Colgan, Summit, NJ, attended Rutgers University, where she triple-majored in International/Intercultural Communications, French and Spanish. She taught French and Spanish at Voorhees High School in Hunterdon County and spent a decade as the United States Coordinator of French exchange students for Club Eductour Voyages in Nice, France. Jacqueline currently serves on the Board of Trustees for Bloomfield College, where she is active on multiple committees. In addition to serving as the Gala Chair at Bloomfield College, she has been an active participate in fundraising for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, chairing the NJ Chapter’s largest fundraising event.
Joyce Hendricks, Warren Township, NJ is Sr. Vice President & Chief Philanthropy Officer at the Institute of International Education (IIE) a global organization with 18 offices and affiliates worldwide. Prior to IIE, Joyce served as Vice President for Development at the Rutgers University Foundation and was previously employed by Johnson & Johnson. In addition to her newest role with NJCH, she also serves as a member of the Rutgers Board of Trustees.
Ruth B. Mandel, Ph.D., Princeton, NJ, is the Director of the Eagleton Institute of Politics at Rutgers University, where she is Board of Governors Professor of Politics. During Ruth’s tenure as Eagleton director, the Institute has launched many new research and education initiatives, around topics involving youth political engagement and ethics. She was a founder of Eagleton’s Center for American Women and Politics (CAWP) and its director from 1971 through 1994. She is the author of numerous publications about women’s changing political roles. From 1991 to 2006, Ruth held a presidential appointment to the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Council, serving for twelve years as Vice Chair of the Holocaust Museum’s governing board in Washington, D.C.
Lacey Rzeszowski, Summit, NJ has focused on the prevention of gun violence, working on the local level to promote common sense solutions to protect the families and children of New Jersey since 2012. As the co-founder of Summit Marches On, a grassroots activist organization topping 500 active members, she dovetails her strength in organizing tactics with creative online fundraising and messaging. As a resident of Summit since 2003, Lacey has been actively involved in local educational and community organizations, including serving on the Board of Summit Public Arts and The Visual Arts Center of NJ. She graduated Summa Cum Laude from New York University with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science.
Mei-Mei Tuan, Montclair, NJ, is currently a Partner at Trewstar Corporate Board Services, as well as Chairwoman and Co-Founder of Notch Partners LLC, a leading provider of human capital services for institutional leveraged buyout funds. Prior to founding Notch Partners, Mei-Mei developed deep financial expertise as an investment banker at Goldman Sachs and then Bank of America. Mei-Mei currently serves on the boards of The Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ: TBBK), Fintech Acquisition Corp III (NASDAQ: FTAC), the Clara Maass Medical Center, The Harvard Business School Asian-American Alumnae Association, and Montclair Kimberley Academy. Mei-Mei has an MBA from Harvard Business School and a B.A. from Wellesley College.
“For nearly 50 years, the New Jersey Council for the Humanities has provided opportunities for lifelong learning and the exploration of history, values, cultures, and beliefs,” said Executive Director Carin Berkowitz, Ph.D. “The NJCH Board of Trustees oversees its operations and finances, as well as providing key support to the Council. We are very fortunate to have these five gifted and humanities-minded women join the Board.”
According to the bylaws of the organization, five members of the Board of Trustees are to be gubernatorially appointed and serve at the pleasure of the Governor’s Office.
To download a PDF of this release, click here.
Pictured above: Top row, left to right, Jacqueline Colgan, Joyce Hendricks, and Ruth Mandel, Ph.D. Bottom row, left to right, Lacey Rzeszowski and Mei-Mei Tuan.
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About the New Jersey Council for the Humanities
The New Jersey Council for the Humanities is a nonprofit state partner of the National Endowment for the Humanities. NJCH harnesses the power of the humanities to strengthen our pluralistic society. We envision a New Jersey that delights in diversity, appreciates that there are no easy answers, and finds joy and understanding in the humanities. We work statewide with cultural and community organizations to bring dynamic programming to the local level.
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