Meet Recently Elected BOE Member: Rupali Wadhwa

Following last week's election two newcomers were elected to join Millburn's Board of Education. The Patch sat down with one of them, Dr. Rupali Wadhwa. Here's what she said:

The Patch: Now elected what is your first priority?

Wadhwa: Our community and schools are still recovering from Hurricane Sandy's impact. My immediate focus is to work with fellow Board members and Dr. Crisfield to help our schools get back on normal rhythm and plan to make up for the time lost. My other priorities are to quickly integrate to perform various Board member duties and build a plan with fellow Board members to achieve our longer term goals.

The Patch: What do you hope to accomplish on the Board of Education?

Wadhwa: I hope to achieve what I have discussed during the run-up to this election - shape our school's education to prepare all kids for the changing environment, get our district back to the leading ranking, improve transparency and work collaboratively with fellow Board members to achieve all this.

The Patch: What did you do when you found out you won?

Wadhwa: Well, I was delighted. And humbled and honored by the trust our community has put in me for this role.

The Patch: What would you like to the say to the community now elected?

Wadhwa:I would like to say 'Thank You. I plan to work hard to achieve the goals we laid out.'

The Patch: Tell the community something about yourself that you think is important.

Wadhwa: I am a working mother of 2 beautiful girls and we moved to Short Hills 6 years ago. Educational excellence is very dear to me as it has provided me with opportunities to have a career and raise a family and I hope to help create similar opportunities for our children. As a small business owner, I also understand the challenges of balancing priorities, resources and fiscal responsibility and I look forward to bringing these skills to perform my duties as a board member.