I am grateful for all that Bernards Township has done for me and I look forward to the opportunity to pay it forward by ensuring that our schools continue to provide the exceptional, well-rounded education that has long been the hallmark of Bernards Township. Our children deserve nothing less than our very best efforts and I am ready to contribute mine.
As the current General Counsel for Awesome (parent company of SmugMug, Flickr, and This Week in Photo), and a former Managing Attorney and Head of the Global Innovation and Intellectual Property Strategy and Practice for Dun & Bradstreet, and Head of Legal for Dun & Bradstreet - India, I will bring valuable expertise to the BOE in areas critical to effective board governance: Fiscal Oversight, Policy Development, Strategic Planning, and Collaborative Leadership.
I have a deep connection to Bernards Township Schools. I grew up in these schools, attended Cedar Hill Elementary, William Annin Middle School, and finally graduated from Ridge High School. In 2016, my husband and I decided to make our home in Basking Ridge and today I am a proud parent of two elementary school aged daughters - Ananya is a rising kindergartener and Heera is a rising first grader at Liberty Corner Elementary School.
My desire to serve on the BOE stems from a simple truth: I believe in giving back to the community that shaped me. Both as an alumna and a parent (whose parents also live in Basking Ridge), I have a unique perspective on our district's strengths and the challenges we face. I understand what makes our schools special, and I am committed to preserving that excellence while navigating today's fiscal realities.
SMRITHI MOHAN
about us
If I wasn't an attorney...I would be an artist. I am happiest when I am creating - painting, drawing, writing a poem or trying out new recipes in the kitchen. I am also a serious musician. I have been playing the veena, a traditional South Indian string instrument since I was about 7 or 8 years old and started learning western classical violin at the same time. Artistic pursuits have always been a big part of my life and continue to be a source of joy, discipline, and creativity.
creativity is key
My road not taken
I am running for the Bernards Township Board of Education because I care deeply about the future of our public schools. I have been a resident of Bernards Township for almost three years and my son Zachary is a rising third grader at Cedar Hill School. As the son and grandson of New Jersey public schools and the proud product of New Jersey public schools myself, I know that our schools are the heart of our community and that they deserve leaders who are committed to protecting and strengthening them.
Watching my son grow, learn, and thrive in this district has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. It has also opened my eyes to the challenges and the opportunities that lie ahead. Our district, like many others, will have other make some difficult decisions in the coming years dues to ongoing budget challenges. We need to be committed to finding creative solutions to ensure that our students have the resources they need, our teachers are supported and our facilities are maintained and improved. We need to do this while ensuring that taxpayer money is allocated responsibly.
In my current role as an attorney at Hoagland, Longo, Moran, Dunst, & Doukas, LLP, I negotiate contracts for municipalities, giving me an intimate understanding of local government and regulations. My professional experience would be an asset to the BOE as many of the member's responsibilities are what I do every day. Board members need to listen to all voices - parents, students and teachers - and work with each other to ensure that every dollar in our education budget is spent wisely - all while keeping the best interest of our students in mind.
Adam lefkowitz
I believe in the power of our schools to shape the future - not just for individual students, bur for our entire community. Let's work together to ensure all of the students in Bernards Township get the excellent education they deserve.
If I wasn't an attorney...I'd be an astronomer. My love of hiking often leads me away from city lights, where the stars unfold in their unfiltered glory and I can lose myself in cosmic contemplation. Reading Carl Sagan deepens my fascination, especially his wonder at how we are all, quite literally, made of "star-stuff." I find myself thinking about why the universe exists at all and how it came to be. I think there is something profoundly moving in the idea that science, at its best, is an expression of the age-old human longing to grasp our place in the universe.
I hope to share my passion for astronomy with my son as he grows up - perhaps saving the deeper conversations for when he is just a little older.
