Montville Township BOE Member Dr. Karen Cortellino Elected President of the New Jersey School Boards Association

Montville Twp. BOE Board Members: Michael Palma, President Dr. David Modrak, Dr. Karen Cortellino, and Superintendent Dr. Thomas A Gorman. Dr. Karen Cortellino was elected NJSBA President on 5/13/23. Photo Credit: Dr. Thomas A. Gorman

MONTVILLE, NJ - Montville Board of Education member Dr. Karen Cortellino was elected as president of the New Jersey School Boards Association during the organization’s semiannual Delegate Assembly. The meeting took place at the Mercer County Community College Conference Center in West Windsor on Saturday, May 13.

NJSBA is a statewide federation of local boards of education.

Cortellino has been a member of the Montville Township Board of Education since 2006, serving as its president from 2010 – 2016. She has also served on every standing board committee, as well as various ad hoc committees.

Cortellino served as the vice president for legislation/resolutions for NJSBA for four years, 2019 – 2023. She also served as an NJSBA board of directors member, as president of the Morris County School Boards Association, and was a member of the MCSBA Legislative Committee.

She has earned the designations of Certified Board Member, Master Board Member, and Certified Board Leader through the NJSBA Board Member Academy and is the first recipient of the Irene LeFebvre Excellence in Boards Manship Award, as presented by the Morris County School Boards Association in June 2022.

Cortellino received the Montville Good Scout Award, Boy Scouts of America in 2017, and served as chair of the award committee from 2018-2021. She was on the board of trustees for the Towaco Civic Association, which earned the Montville Township Chamber of Commerce 2020 Organization of the Year award. She is also a member of the One Montville Response Team, an executive board member for the Patriots Path Council of the Boy Scouts of America, and a member of the Greater Montville Relay for Life.

She is a radiologist at the Pink Breast Center, an imaging facility dedicated to breast and women’s imaging. She graduated from Queens College of the City University of New York, and the Universidad Autónoma de Guadalajara Medical School. She received post-graduate training at Maryland General Hospital.

“I want to congratulate the officers, NJSBA Executive Director Dr. Tim Purnell, and the amazing NJSBA staff on the success they have demonstrated in providing resources to the educational community,” Cortellino said. “I look forward to leading the Association and its members as we tackle the challenges of ensuring the best possible education for every child in New Jersey’s schools. NJSBA will continue to support that work and provide training, resources, and advocacy on behalf of local boards of education.”

The NJSBA delegates also elected the following local board of education members to officer positions: Vice President for County Activities: Barry Fitzgerald, of Evesham Township Board of Education and Lenape Regional High School Board of Education, Burlington County; Vice President for Finance: Tom Connors, Ph.D., of Piscataway Township Board of Education, Middlesex County; Vice President for Legislation/Resolutions: Chanta L. Jackson, of Neptune Township Board of Education, Monmouth County.

Cortellino succeeds Irene LeFebvre, of the Boonton Town Board of Education, Morris County, who completed her term as NJSBA president at the conclusion of the delegates’ meeting on Saturday and now assumes the office of immediate past president.

The New Jersey School Boards Association, a federation of district boards of education, advocates the interests of school districts, trains local school board members, and provides resources for the advancement of public education.