Jersey City, N.J. – February 14, 2019 – Saint Peter’s University today announced that Ginger Gold Schnitzer, former director of government relations for the New Jersey Education Association (NJEA), has been appointed to the position of executive director for the Guarini Institute for Government and Leadership at the University, effective March 4.
Over the span of her 22-year career with the NJEA, Schnitzer helped to shape education policy in New Jersey. She worked on the current school funding formula, the Education Facilities Construction and Financing Act, and helped re-write the state’s teacher tenure law. She also developed highly successful political action training programs and worked with association members to elect NJEA political action committee-endorsed candidates.
“Ginger has more than two decades of experience as a respected leader of one of the most important unions in our state,” said Eugene J. Cornacchia, Ph.D., president of Saint Peter’s University. “We are confident that her experience and connections will be a tremendous asset to the growth and success of the Guarini Institute.”
The Guarini Institute for Government and Leadership was established in 1994 by Congressman Frank Guarini H ’94 and aims to provide a non-partisan forum for discussion of key public policy issues. The Institute sponsors lectures and programs throughout the academic year to promote critical thinking, debate and careers in public service. The Institute also sponsors a number of programs with the United Nations such as the Visiting Ambassadors’ Colloquium, the High School Model UN, the Harvard Model UN and Non-Governmental Organization activities.
“The Guarini Institute for Government and Leadership at Saint Peter’s University is an ideal place to explore critical public policy issues and inspire the next generation of leaders, advocates and policy experts,” said Schnitzer. “This is important work and I am excited to leverage my experiences in state and local politics to raise the bar for the Institute.”
Schnitzer earned her bachelor’s degree in political science from Rutgers University, Douglass College; a master’s degree in government administration from University of Pennsylvania, Fels Institute of Government; and a juris doctorate from Villanova University School of Law.
She has also served in a number of other public service roles throughout her professional career. In 2008, she was appointed as a member of the United States Electoral College for New Jersey. She also served on the Plainsboro Township Committee for eight years and was president of the Plainsboro Public Library Foundation and vice-chair of the Plainsboro Township Zoning Board. She currently serves as a visiting associate at the Eagleton Institute of Politics at Rutgers University.
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