Englewood Assemblywoman Valerie Vanieri Huttle Selected For Political Panel on April 20th

Emerge New Jersey, the premier political training organization has selected Englewood Assemblywoman Valerie Vanieri Huttle to speak at its Second Annual Building The Bench Breakfast at 8am on Thursday, April 20, 2017 at the New Jersey Education Association office on 180 West State Street in Trenton, New Jersey

“Today, our work is more important than ever, as recent actions by the new administration have shown how real the threat is to women’s collective rights and liberties,” said Emerge New Jersey Executive Director Truscha Quatrone. “The Building The Bench Breakfast will bring these issues to the forefront through our selection of dynamic Democratic women, who understand the importance of working together and have become catalysts for change in New Jersey’s communities.”

The event will begin with opening remarks delivered by U.S. Congresswoman Bonnie Watson Coleman, a long-time supporter of Emerge New Jersey. Thereafter, a political power panel with prominent New Jersey female legislators sharing their journey to elected office, the challenges they have overcame, and why women should run for office will take place. The panel will be moderated by award-winning reporter Deb Howlett and will feature the following female legislators:

· Senator Sandra Cunningham

· Assemblywoman Valerie Vanieri Huttle

· Assemblywoman Mila Jasey

Assemblywoman Vanieri Huttle was elected to the New Jersey General Assembly in 2005. She is now serving her sixth term representing the 37th District. She has has sponsored several landmark laws including the Anti-Bullying Bill of Rights, the Human Trafficking Prevention, Protection, and Treatment Act, and the end of the Return Home New Jersey program to ensure that individuals with developmental disabilities are not forced to leave facilities where they are receiving the proper care.

She also is Vice Chair of the Transportation & Independent Authorities Committee, a member of the Tourism Gaming & the Arts Committee, and serves as an Ex-Officio member of the New Jersey State Council of the Arts. In 2003, she helped establish the Bergen Performing Arts Center in Englewood. In 2012, Assemblywoman Vanieri Huttle started the District 37 Young Women’s Leadership Program to introduce high school students in her district to government and public service.

The Second Annual Building The Bench Breakfast serves to inspire audiences to run for elected office and educate them on the resources available to them in New Jersey. Today, women make up 19.4 percent of the U.S. Congress and 20.7 percent of mayors in cities with populations greater than 30,000, according to data provided by the Center for American Women and Politics. The event fosters the dialogue of why women need to run and encourages women to take the next step toward elected office in the Garden State.

General admission tickets for the event are $175.00 per person and $100.00 for Emerge New Jersey alumnae. The RSVP deadline is Tuesday, April 18, 2017. To purchase a ticket or event sponsorship, go to http://www.emergenj.org/content/emerge-new-jerseys-second-annual-building-bench-breakfast

For more information, please contact Emerge New Jersey Executive Director Truscha Quatrone at truscha@emergenj.org or (973) 519-0033.