CJPRIDE
Central to Jersey Program
for the Recruitment of Diverse Educators
Their Aspirations. Our Inspiration
Visit our CJ PRIDE main website above!
CJPRIDE Executive Board:
President: Charity Comella, West Windsor-Plainsboro Regional
Vice President: Jennifer Sharp, Freehold Regional
Secretary: Kelly Mattis, Montgomery
Committee Co-Chairs:
Marketing/Outreach Co-Chairs: Beth Grant (Chatham) and Shannon Regan (Warren)
Professional Development/Best Practices Co-Chairs: Dave Bailey (Millburn) and Danita Ishibashi (Ewing)
Recruitment Co-Chairs: Kimberly Maloy-White (South Brunswick) and Aja Thomas (Mount Laurel)
Scholarship Co-Chairs: Susan Burman (Livingston) and Kimberlee Gartner (Jackson)
New Membership Co-Chairs: Tana Smith (Hopewell Valley) and Erin Servillo (East Windsor)
Legislative Co-Chairs: Patrick Duncan (WW-P) and Dennis Copeland (Hamilton)
Purpose
CJ PRIDE is a large consortium of school districts who have committed to each other with the combined effort of seeking and acquiring new talent for individual districts from populations that are not well represented. The group originated with a small number of districts in central New Jersey, but has since expanded to several neighboring counties and consists of 80 actively participating school districts.
Representatives, often Directors of Human Resources and Assistant Superintendents for Personnel, meet several times a year to discuss strategies for meeting goals aligned for the group. There is great value in the networking opportunities and the development of partnerships with colleagues from around the state.
Meetings historically took place in person at the board offices in West Windsor since moving to a virtual meeting platform. Every spring, the group sponsors a large recruitment fair in which all members can participate. The meetings prior to the fair allow the group to plan for the event and utilize technology for the analysis of candidates and staffing needs. Only members who have joined the consortium prior to the January before the fair are permitted to participate. CJ PRIDE works closely with partners such as NJSCHOOLJOBS.com and enjoys discounts from vendor partners such as the Global Compliance Network (GCN) and other vendors who cater to Human Resources for school districts.
Districts desiring membership in CJ PRIDE must submit a completed, board approved shared services agreement and initial registration fee. There are annual dues submitted each year. Funds are used according to the agreements and decided upon by member vote.