Thank you, Darlings!
There's no progress without our women! |
2018
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CONGRATULATIONS TO 2018 RECIPIENTS
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Bedminster: Dominae Leveille
Dominae is from Hoboken, but she has lived in Far Hills, Branchburg, Somerville, and now Bedminster. She graduated from Somerville High School and RVCC back when it was called Somerset County Community College. She earned a B.A. in Liberal Arts at McDaniel University in Westminster MD and has lived in Baltimore, New York City and Chicago. She has worked as a Graphic Artist for prestigious design firms including Rutka Weadock Design in Baltimore and Chermayeff & Geismar in NYC. Dominae is a super-activist and often seen in the People's Motorcade demonstrating power-to-power! |
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Ann Parksekian
Bernards Township |
Bernards Township: Ann Parksekian
Ann Parsekian has lived in Basking Ridge since 1986 In the last fifteen years, she has been working as an historic preservation consultant, completing numerous National Register and Historic Structures Reports, as well as research and strategic planning projects. Previously served as a Trustee for the Great Swamp Watershed Association on the Land Use Committee. Served as Trustee for The Somerset Hills Historical Society, where she was the Archivist and Grantwriter, and Chaired the Strategic Planning and Historic Preservation Committees. Served on the Bernards Township Planning Board for five years. |
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Bernards Township: Catherine Santaiti
Catherine Santaiti is a 12-year resident of Somerset County living in Bernards Township. Serves on the Bernard’s Township Democratic Committee as secretary, manages communication and press relations, and is a county committee person. Formerly, Catherine was a social worker and elementary school teacher. She taught second and fifth grade in the Livingston school district for 7 years before staying home to raise her children. |
Catherine Santaiti
Bernards Township |
Christine Zamarra
Bernardsville |
Bernardsville: Councilwoman Christine Zamarra
Christine’s love for the environment and passion to preserve nature ignited her activism and led her to the Bernardsville Green Team. In 2016, Christine decided to run for Borough Council and lost by just 26 votes. In 2017, she ran again and won! Christine has been working in the financial services industry since 1996 and currently serves as a Portfolio Associate with Morgan Stanley in Short Hills. She graduated Cum Laude from Drew University in 1996 with a Bachelor’s Degree in French, and is originally from Weehawken, NJ. |
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Bound Brook: Mary Swarbrick
Mary Swarbrick has a Bachelor of Arts from Livingston College, Rutgers University. She completed her paralegal training at Middlesex Community College, and has been working in the legal field since 1988. Mary’s volunteer activities include being a Trustee at the Fellowship for Metlar House in Piscataway, Trustee and Recording Secretary of the Washington-Rochambeau National Historic Trail, Vice President of The League of Historical Societies of New Jersey Trustee East Jersey Old Towne Piscataway Chair Bound Brook Historic Preservation Committee Recording Secretary Bound Brook Revitalization Partnership (SID). She is a former Trustee of the Proprietary House, Perth Amboy. |
Mary Swarbrick
Bound Brook Pictured here with Tony Pranzatelli Bound Brook Democratic Committee Chair |
Carol Shields
Bridgewater |
Bridgewater: Carol Shields
Carol was an NJEA Summer Fellow working with the Phil Murphy for Governor campaign. She is a Bridgewater Democratic Committeewoman and manages the Bridgewater Democrats Facebook page. She serves on the SCDC Membership Committee and is also a member of the SCFDW and Ocean County Democratic Club. Carol’s entire career has been spent in education, both in the Bridgewater Public Schools and currently at the Center for Innovation in Engineering and Science Education, Stevens Institute of Technology. County Coordinator and Calendar Editor for Central New Jersey Mensa. |
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Franklin Township: Theresa Ford, Esq
Ms. Ford, an Assistant Deputy Public Defender, is a litigator who represents abused and neglected children in trial and appellate courts. Her career has included service as a Municipal Prosecutor with the City of Plainfield. . Ms. Ford was law clerk to the Honorable Donald E. King, Essex County, Vicinage 5 She is the President, JFK Democratic Club Franklin She serves as Co-chair of the Well-being of Children Subcommittee and as a volunteer on the Training Subcommittee of the Essex County Model Court, New Jersey. |
Theresa Ford
Franklin Twp Pictured here with Ron Jordan, Franklin Twp Democratic Committee Chair and Assemblyman Andrew Zwicker |
Deana Luchs
Franklin Twp |
Franklin Township: Deana Luchs
Deana Luchs is a retired speech/language pathologist. Born and raised in NJ, she worked for more than 25 years in Morris County public schools. Her passion for politics led her to run for positions in her local education association to which she was eventually elected president. She was elected to the NJEA Delegate Assembly (DA) and to the NEA Representative Assembly. She also served on the Morris County Council of Education Associations’ Executive Board. Her enthusiasm for politics led to joining the JFK Democratic Club in Franklin Township where she currently serves as corresponding secretary on the Executive Board. |
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Hillsborough: Anne Iannone Anne served as County Committeewoman from age 18 to the present in North Plainfield, Somerville and Hillsborough. Anne is one of the founders of the Somerset County Federation of Democratic Women and of the Eleanor Roosevelt Award, of which she is receiving this year for the second time. Anne served as Vice Chair of the Somerset County Democratic Committee over a 25-year span. She served several times as Vice Chair and then Chair in Hillsborough, as well as several terms as president of the Democratic Club of Hillsborough, also known as the Hillsborough Democratic Alliance. |
Anne Iannone
Hillsborough |
Councilwoman Sadaf Jaffer
Montgomery |
Montgomery: Councilwoman Sadaf Jaffer
Sadaf Jaffer is is scholar, activist. and elected official. She was recently elected to the Township Committee in Montgomery Township New Jersey where she has been especially involved in anti-bias and community building work. She started Not In Our Town Montgomery to focus on these much needed efforts. Sadaf is also a Postdoctoral Research Associate in South Asian Studies at Princeton University where she teaches courses on South Asian, Islamic, and Asian American Studies. She serves on the Board of Directors for The New Agenda, an organization that promotes women's economic empowerment and combatting sexual harassment and sexual assault. She is also on the advisory board of Inspiring South Asian American Women (ISAAW), a group dedicated to encouraging more civic education and engagement among South Asian American women in New Jersey. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Foreign Service from Georgetown University and obtained her PhD in Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations from Harvard University with a secondary field in Studies of Women, Gender and Sexuality. |
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Somerville: Valerie Gibson Valerie is a past Circle Award winner from Somerset County United Way. She has received awards from alternativesinc.org, where she receives supported services she is a member of uncommon notes and the dignity gala committee. Valerie is on the Board of Directors for Somerville Business and Professional Association Valerie is also first Vice President of Somerville Civic League. Valerie is a Friend of the Somerville Public Library |
Valerie Gibson
Somerville with Carol Brady and Assemblyman Andrew Zwicker |
Elizabeth Konkle
South Bound Brook |
South Bound Brook: Elizabeth M. Konkle
South Bound Brook Resident since 1994 Member of Robert Morris School PTO since 2012 Member of Union Village United Methodist Church since 1999 Member of the South Bound Brook Sports and Recreation Committee 2013 – 2015, sitting as secretary Franklin Township South Bound Brook Little League President 2014 – 2017, Treasurer 2018 |
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Somerset County Federation of Democratic Women: Margaret Weinberger, President
Margaret Weinberger grew up on Long Island in Uniondale, NY with two brothers and two sisters. She was a Girl Scout until the age of 18, where she learned and honed her public service skills. Margaret, a lifelong Democrat, was involved in the political process before she could vote, passing out literature for Eugene McCarthy during the 1968 Democratic pimary. Margaret has been an environmentalist since childhood, and became socially conscious as an early teen during the transitional 1960’s. She received a Bachelor of Science degree in Art Education from State University College of NY at Buffalo. Margaret worked in corporate America for Blue Cross and Blue Shield of AZ as a computer programmer during the 1980’s. She also taught Arts and Crafts in after-school and summer programs for the City of Phoenix while living in AZ. Margaret attended the Boulder School of Massage Therapy in the late 1980’s and worked as a professional massage therapist for 4 years in Colorado, where she learned to ski and enjoy the glorious American west along with the great outdoors. After moving back east, she received a Masters Degree in Educational Technology from Long Island University, NY. She was an educator for 18 years, teaching or supervising educational technology in school districts in NY and NJ before semi-retiring. She is married to the teacher and author, Dr. James Von Schilling, with two married stepsons and two grandchildren. Margaret has held public office as a replacement for a Somerville councilwoman who passed away while in office, served on the Jessamine Smith Henderson Adult Education Scholarship Board, was an alternate on the Somerville Planning Board, and has created various fundraising and social activities in Somerville. She is also an original founding member of S.A.F.E. (Somerville Alliance for Food Education). Margaret loves to read, has traveled throughout Europe, and dreams of travel to South America, Asia & Africa. She is the current President of the Somerset County Federation of Democratic Women, and has held this office for the past four years. Margaret believes we are all connected in this temporary physical existence where we must do everything we can to leave the world a better place for future generations. Her two favorite expressions are “No one gets out of here alive…” and “No matter where you go, there you are.” |
Margaret Weinberger
President, SCFDW Somerset County SURPRISE Awardee |
