Thank you, Darlings!
There's no progress without our women! |
2019
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CONGRATULATIONS TO 2019 HONOREES
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Bedminster: Nancy Boney
Nancy was born and raised in Blacksburg, Virginia. She graduated from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio with a Bachelors in Fine Arts. Before and after marriage she worked as an Adult Program Director for the YWCA. Nancy's political life began in Richmond, Virginia when a Democrat urged her to write in her own name on the ballot. Thereafter, during the time of school integration and busing, she was instrumental in electing a “bridge building” Democrat to the Richmond Virginia City Council and along with a other parents, was instrumental in creating a new innovative public school in an attempt to encourage elective integration.. She also served on the Human Relations Council and as Chair of the League Women Voters Fair Housing Committee. |
Nancy Boney
Bedminster |
After moving to New Jersey, Nancy took on various jobs, including Adult Program Director at Reeves Reed Arboretum in Summit NJ. In her last job, she served as Executive Director of the Printmaking Center of New Jersey (now called Frontline Arts). After retirement, she worked at Duke Farms as a tour guide and became a Rutger’s trained Master Gardener, serving as member on the program planning committee and as newsletter editor. Nancy continues to find great satisfaction in gardening and painting, and exhibits her paintings in acrylic and collage.
Ann Parksekian
Bernards Township |
Bedminster: Mary Saraco
Although Mary was raised in Elizabeth by parents who were life-long Democrats, she was not active in local politics until after the 2016 election. Appalled by the election results, Mary first began attending Saturday morning protests at the Bedminster free-speech zone and then joined the Bedminster Democratic Committee. Ever since, she has been busy walking with candidates, making phone calls, working on the Vote By Mail campaign, and helping with environmental events. |
Mary received her bachelor's degree from William Paterson University and a master's from Montclair State University. She was an educator in NJ public schools for 34 years and a member of New Jersey Education Association and Morris County Association of Principals and Supervisors. After retiring from the public schools in 2004, Mary became an adjunct instructor at Raritan Valley Community College where she taught English for 14 years until retirement in 2017. She has also been a yoga instructor since 2005 and currently teaches yoga at the Cancer Support Community in Bedminster. Additionally, Mary volunteers at the Giving Network in Somerville and is a member of Citizens Climate Lobby.
Mary has a daughter Robin Boudette, a psychologist, who lives in Hopewell with her husband Joe; Mary’s son, Neal Boudette, a journalist, lives in Ann Arbor, MI with her two granddaughters Olivia and Clara.
Mary has a daughter Robin Boudette, a psychologist, who lives in Hopewell with her husband Joe; Mary’s son, Neal Boudette, a journalist, lives in Ann Arbor, MI with her two granddaughters Olivia and Clara.
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Bernards Township: Jen Kluger
Jennifer Kluger serves as Bernards Township Democratic Committee’s District 24 representative and voter engagement coordinator. Over the past couple of years, Jen has spearheaded a vote-by-mail initiative that contributed to Democratic wins in the 2018 congressional, county and local races. Largely because of a surge in mail-in ballots, a Democrat joined the all-Republican Bernards Township Committee for the first time in decades, beating her Republican opponent by a margin of more than 500 votes. |
Jen Kluber
Bernards Township |
Believing that voter participation is key to a strong and thriving democracy, Jen has devoted herself to voter registration efforts all over Somerset County. She made a special effort to encourage young people to become fully engaged and knowledgeable voters, participating in numerous voter registration drives and classroom visits at Raritan Valley Community College. Separately, and on behalf of the Democratic party and its candidates, she has enlisted numerous allies to assist her in ensuring that all Democrats are not only registered but turn out to vote in all elections.
After graduating from the University of Connecticut, Jen put her skills to work as a paralegal, preschool teacher and an interior designer. When her two now-grown children were young, Jen often could be found volunteering in the local schools. She was class parent, served as secretary of the Ridge High School PTO, and spent six years as vice president and president of the Ridge High School Band Association.
Jen lives in Bernards Township with her husband, Jeff and her dog, Rowdy. In her (rare) spare time, Jen indulges her love of music by playing saxophone in the Raritan Valley Symphonic Band.
After graduating from the University of Connecticut, Jen put her skills to work as a paralegal, preschool teacher and an interior designer. When her two now-grown children were young, Jen often could be found volunteering in the local schools. She was class parent, served as secretary of the Ridge High School PTO, and spent six years as vice president and president of the Ridge High School Band Association.
Jen lives in Bernards Township with her husband, Jeff and her dog, Rowdy. In her (rare) spare time, Jen indulges her love of music by playing saxophone in the Raritan Valley Symphonic Band.
Lesa Mellman
Bound Brook |
Bound Brook: Lesa Mellman
Lesa Mellman-Higgins has a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Alfred College of Ceramics and is still an active painter and artisan. She has over 30 years of marketing and project management experience in the Telemarketing industry and more recently for the U.S. distributor of a high-end European camera manufacturer. She has managed both marketing and art departments as well as having extensive training and presentation experience. Lesa moved to Somerset County in the late 1980s from New York and settled in Bound Brook in 2006. She is a volunteer with the Bound Brook Cultural Art Committee, the Somerset Regional Animal Shelter, and a founding member of the Bound Brook Community Garden, which just completed its first successful growing season. |
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Bridgewater: Nidhi
Nidhi is a Digital business leader, who has worked with Fortune 500 companies and State governments for business transformation, while she was with companies like KPMG & Deloitte. Last year she completed a 6-month program in Digital Business Leadership at Columbia University in NYC, and consequently co-founded the GESTALT corporation for digital talent development. She believes that the future of work is going through disruptive changes due to the digital onslaught. In order to keep up with the pace of change and to prevent large scale attrition, organizations need to look at new innovative ways to upskill the existing talent. Her political footprint is spread across different segments of the community. She has been an active district leader in the Bridgewater Democratic committee since 2015. She ran a robust campaign for Bridgewater Mayor in 2015. |
Nidhi
Bridgewater |
In 2016, Nidhi was appointed to the executive council of Emerge New Jersey and became Treasurer in 2017. With Emerge, she has been working tirelessly to promote and train women of diverse backgrounds to run for political offices in New Jersey. She has meticulously worked with the board and ran several successful fund raisers for the organization. Last year she was inducted into the executive council of South Asian American Caucus of the NJ State Democratic Committee. She has been a strong advocate of human rights for the South Asian Americans in the region.
Along with this, Nidhi avidly promotes arts and culture. During her three-year term as an Executive Committee member of Indian Association of Somerset County, she ran county wide annual spring festivals showcasing South Asian dance forms, As a trustee on the board of the Westrick Music Academy of Princeton NJ, she promotes and runs choir programs for school age boys & girls, taking them to perform nationally & internationally in various forums.
Along with this, Nidhi avidly promotes arts and culture. During her three-year term as an Executive Committee member of Indian Association of Somerset County, she ran county wide annual spring festivals showcasing South Asian dance forms, As a trustee on the board of the Westrick Music Academy of Princeton NJ, she promotes and runs choir programs for school age boys & girls, taking them to perform nationally & internationally in various forums.
Linda Powell
Franklin |
Franklin: Linda Powell
Linda Power has resided in Franklin Township since 1989 after she moved across the river from Highland Park. When her daughter started in public school, she became involved in school and other activities (PTSO, Plays, Odyssey of the Mind, Project Graduation, Girl Scouts). On the first Back to School Night at Pine Grove Manor elementary school, she met Phyllis Beals doing Voter Registration. Circa 2008, she joined the JKF Franklin Democratic Club. Linda was also involved in C4C (Community 4 Change) that had formed at the high school in response to a racist “incident”, worked with Central Jersey Coalition Against Endless War (CJCAEW), and became a volunteer with Food and Water Watch (FWW) winning a fight against Water Privatization in Franklin. A few years later, Linda worked on a Fracking Ban initiative, later passed by the Franklin Town Council. Several years later, with Linda's leadership, Franklin Township became the first in the nation to sign the OFF Fossil Fuel Pledge. |
Through Linda's volunteer work with FWW, she learned about a gas Compressor Station proposed to be built in Franklin as part of the Williams-Transco Northeast Supply Enhancement or NESE Project. Over 3 and ½ years, she learned of the project's adverse impact on health and environmental, safety, and climate. In response, Linda and others formed the Franklin Township Task Force (FTTF) on Compressor Station 206 and the Pipeline Expansion under Raritan Bay on which she is a Steering Committee member. The FTTF's role includes keeping the Town Council and public informed about the NESE project and Linda serves as the outreach coordinator for the grass roots group formed around fighting this project, called the Central Jersey Environmental Defenders. Franklin's Town Council, the Board of Education, the Franklin Township Women’s Club, and the JFK Club have continually supported her organization's efforts to stop this project. FTTF is a part of a NESE Coalition of dozens of groups from NY and NJ fighting the compressor station and pipeline as well as part of a statewide coalition of 80-plus groups in Empower NJ fighting 15 new Fossil Fuel Projects in the state.
Linda is currently the First Vice President in the JFK Club, previously serving on the Scholarship and the Nominating Committees. She is also 2nd alternate to the Franklin Township Advisory Board of Health for her 3rd term. Linda was also invited by President Dr. Alex Kharazi to join the Franklin Township Interfaith Council as a Community member.
"I feel very honored to be recognized by Chairman Ron Jordan and my Township’s local Democratic committee, and to be part of a community who cares about each other and the future of life on earth."
Linda is currently the First Vice President in the JFK Club, previously serving on the Scholarship and the Nominating Committees. She is also 2nd alternate to the Franklin Township Advisory Board of Health for her 3rd term. Linda was also invited by President Dr. Alex Kharazi to join the Franklin Township Interfaith Council as a Community member.
"I feel very honored to be recognized by Chairman Ron Jordan and my Township’s local Democratic committee, and to be part of a community who cares about each other and the future of life on earth."
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Hillsborough: Councilwoman Olivia Holmes
Olivia Holmes was born in Berkeley California in an area that fueled her sense of activism. Both her parents were World War II veterans and instilled in her a love of our country and a deep sense of patriotism. At an early age, she participated in marches and demonstrations against the Vietnam War. She was arrested for blocking the opening of the Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant in San Luis Obispo, California. A nuclear power plant built on an earthquake fault line. It was eventually shut down in 2013. She moved to Hillsborough New Jersey in the mid 1980’s, married and raised a family. She started her own photography business in 1993 where she won numerous awards for her portraits. Many times, she used photography to advance her political causes. She volunteered for the New Jersey Branch of Planned Parenthood. She photographed the women’s March on Washington and many political fundraisers throughout the state. |
Olivia Holmes
Hillsborough |
Locally, she became involved with several issues that impacted her town. She was a member of the Friends of Hillsborough, a group that successfully challenged an 11,000-unit housing project and won. Today the land is dedicated open space. She was a founding member of Preserve the Preserve, another group formed to stop development. The group successfully stopped soccer fields, parking lots, and lighting in the flank lands of the Sourland Mountain Preserve – a migratory stop for birds. Last year she volunteered to photograph the first launching of Baby Trump in the U.S.
She has been a Democratic district chairwoman since 2014. She agreed to run for Township Committeewoman in her Republican dominated township and became the first Democrat in 15 years to sit on the Committee. As an elected official, her primary goal is to bring sustainability to the proposed development, advocate for public transportation, and lobby for a walkable downtown. When asked what it’s like sitting up there with all those Republicans she simply says “Awesome! . . . and challenging”.
She has been a Democratic district chairwoman since 2014. She agreed to run for Township Committeewoman in her Republican dominated township and became the first Democrat in 15 years to sit on the Committee. As an elected official, her primary goal is to bring sustainability to the proposed development, advocate for public transportation, and lobby for a walkable downtown. When asked what it’s like sitting up there with all those Republicans she simply says “Awesome! . . . and challenging”.
Roberta Walters
Manville |
Manville: Roberta Walters
Roberta G Walters comes from a large family of lifelong Manville Residents. She attended and graduated from both Sacred Heart School (where her mom Loretta was a beloved teacher) and Manville High School. Roberta graduated from East Stroudsburg University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Physical Education and Physiology. In 1993, she married and moved to Chesterfield Virginia where she resided for 19 years. In 2012, Roberta moved back to Manville. She currently serves as an elected county committee person, serves as recording secretary for the Manville Democratic Club and sits on the Boards and Commissions committee for the Somerset County Democratic Committee. A tireless advocate for women, Roberta works to support numerous women’s health and equality issues both locally and statewide. She is an active member of the Democratic Federation of Women and sits on the Steering Committee for Indivisible Central New Jersey. |
Roberta is employed as a Quality Assurance Manager and has been with her current company for 25 years. During her 25-year tenure, she has held a variety of positions including Project Manager, where she led large scale, multi-million-dollar initiatives generating both revenue and client satisfaction. Her extensive experience has allowed her to develop the skills and knowledge critical for communication, managing risk, strategizing and influencing change. All skills that she plans to bring with her to help support Manville and her residents.
An avid animal lover, Roberta has two rescue dogs and you can often see her and Bella, her certified therapy dog, visiting schools and libraries for read to the dog and other programs.
After years of volunteering and supporting other candidates and campaigns, Roberta is excited to be running for Borough Council for the town where she grew up and has always called home.
An avid animal lover, Roberta has two rescue dogs and you can often see her and Bella, her certified therapy dog, visiting schools and libraries for read to the dog and other programs.
After years of volunteering and supporting other candidates and campaigns, Roberta is excited to be running for Borough Council for the town where she grew up and has always called home.
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Millstone: Miriam Nouri
Miriam Nouri is co-owner of The Millstone Workshop, an art gallery with a coffee bar and artisanal items that also serves as an inclusive community and event space opened in 2018. She is also a majority owner in a family accounting firm. Miriam was born in Tehran, Iran and her family immigrated to America in 1987, after the Revolution of 1979, when her father was able to secure enrollment to continue his studies at Temple University for his PhD. If you ask her parents, she was always strong-willed and would never back down against bullies. Miriam received her undergraduate from TCNJ and graduated in 2005 when she went to work for PricewaterhouseCoopers, a big 4 accounting firm but felt she had more to offer. |
Miriam Nouri
Millstone |
In 2008, she traveled to South Africa to work with Indian communities in a photography series that documented dilapidated living conditions ahead of a timely election, calling on the local officials to take notice to community demands. Her time in South Africa also coincided with xenophobic attacks against immigrants and a rise in "sugar," a street drug that was widely used at the time. She worked alongside graduate students studying and aiding both these struggles.
Returning to the United States, she was encouraged to attend a graduate program at California Institute of the Arts in Aesthetics & Politics. After graduating in 2010, she returned to Brooklyn to attend two semesters at NYU continuing her education in Trauma & Violence, taking classes with noted philosophers such as Avital Ronell and Slavoj Zizek.
In 2012, she returned to work in creative and business management for the next 2 years. After getting married and giving birth to their son, Hunter, in 2014, Miriam and Zachary decided to re-locate from Jersey City to a more holistic living environment. After spending a few years bouncing around, they decided to re-settle in historic Millstone, NJ in early 2018 and take on the task of maintaining an over 300 year old property. They re-opened The Millstone Workshop with the desire to promote artists, artisans and a great cup of coffee, but also to serve as a safe and inclusive space that promotes community while working to revive Main Street America with a much-needed creative resource that's stood to serve the town for centuries.
Returning to the United States, she was encouraged to attend a graduate program at California Institute of the Arts in Aesthetics & Politics. After graduating in 2010, she returned to Brooklyn to attend two semesters at NYU continuing her education in Trauma & Violence, taking classes with noted philosophers such as Avital Ronell and Slavoj Zizek.
In 2012, she returned to work in creative and business management for the next 2 years. After getting married and giving birth to their son, Hunter, in 2014, Miriam and Zachary decided to re-locate from Jersey City to a more holistic living environment. After spending a few years bouncing around, they decided to re-settle in historic Millstone, NJ in early 2018 and take on the task of maintaining an over 300 year old property. They re-opened The Millstone Workshop with the desire to promote artists, artisans and a great cup of coffee, but also to serve as a safe and inclusive space that promotes community while working to revive Main Street America with a much-needed creative resource that's stood to serve the town for centuries.
Cookie Franco
Montgomery Democratic Committee Chair (Pictured with Paul Blodgett Montgomery Democratic Committee Vice Chair) |
Montgomery: Cookie Acot Cookie Franco-Herman was born and raised in the Philippines. After graduating with a Political Science degree, she worked in the 1998 Presidential campaign of the former Secretary of National Defense of the Philippines. Two (2) years later, Cookie immigrated to the United States in an effort to discover and tackle new challenges. Cookie has worked the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the largest philanthropy in the United States solely dedicated to health, for the past 12 years. While ascending in her career, Cookie volunteered for and was ultimately elected to sit as the Co-Chair for the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee within the Foundation. After the devastating turn of events of the 2016 Presidential elections, Cookie sought out opportunities to make a difference within her community while utilizing her skills and abilities in the familiar political spectrum. In 2016, she joined the Montgomery Democratic Organization and Action Together New Jersey. Cookie was an integral part in the grassroots mobilization of resources for several state and local campaigns since 2017. Her leadership resulted in the shift of Montgomery to a Democratic territory. |
Along with other members of the MDO, Cookie helped organize transportation from Montgomery to the Women’s March and the March For Our Lives in Washington, D.C. She ran several Vote By Mail initiatives in 2018 that resulted in an increase in voter turnout in Montgomery. She has been elected as the Chair of the MDO for the past three (3) years running. In 2018, she was selected to sit Co-Chairs of Action Together New Jersey Somerset County and the Steering Committee for Tom Malinowski’s Congressional campaign.
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Somerville: Nicky Partridge
Nicky Partridge was born in Sydney, Australia, obtained her bachelor’s degree and PhD in Western Australia, then worked in Melbourne before coming to the USA (St Louis) in 1984 for postdoctoral research training. She has always been politically active and was an involved member of the Australian Labor Party, including being a selected member of the Urban Planning Standing Committee of the Western Australian branch of the ALP while a graduate student. In Melbourne, she was the Vice President of the local elementary school board, and also assisted with many political campaigns for the ALP. After postdoctoral training in St. Louis, she became a faculty member at Saint Louis University, rising through the ranks to be a tenured professor. She was then recruited to UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School as the chair of the department of physiology and biophysics, and the first woman chair in that medical school. |
Nicky Partridge
Somerville |
It was at this time that she moved to Somerville, selecting it as the perfect place to live with its downtown vibrancy and she renovated one of its beautiful post-Civil War houses. Nine years later, she was recruited to New York University College of Dentistry as chair of basic science and craniofacial biology. In 2018, she stepped down from that position to return to her research as a tenured professor. She continues to spend as much time as possible in Somerville at her house and in her garden. In 2001, she was elected to the state board of the ACLU-NJ. In 2004, she became a US citizen. In both Missouri and NJ, she assisted with political campaigns of Democrats, canvassing, handing out how to vote cards, sending out mailers. She is committed to women’s rights, immigrants’ rights and abolishing inequality.
