Kathy Goldenberg Named Moorestown's 'Citizen Of The Year'

MOORESTOWN, NJ — The former Moorestown Board of Education president who was sworn in as a member of the New Jersey State Board of Education this year has been named Moorestown’s Citizen of the Year by the township’s service clubs.

The Rotary Lunch and Breakfast Clubs, The Lions Club and the Y Service Club have named Kathy Goldenberg the Moorestown Citizen of the Year for 2017. She will be honored during a dinner at the Moorestown Community House on Feb. 7, 2018, 6 p.m.

Goldenberg, who was born in Dallas, Texas to parents who fled Germany during World War II and endured the loss of many relatives, has been a Moorestown resident for 25 years, according to the service clubs.
Her father was a war hero at the age of 19, and flew 33 B-24 tail gunner missions until he was shot down over the Adriatic in 1945. Her mother’s family was fortunate to escape to Namibia, Africa in November 1938 and then immigrated with her parents to the United States.

Goldenberg’s family ultimately settled in Commerce, Texas where her father and mother enjoyed long and successful careers as university professors. From her earliest years, Goldenberg learned the value of education, service, commitment and hard work.

Goldenberg has dedicated her entire life in Moorestown to serving the community, public schools, and the township’s children. She started volunteering when her oldest child, Jennifer, entered Baker Elementary in 1997.

Over the next 10 years, she was a volunteer member of the Home and School Association, serving as a room parent, district chairperson, vice president, and ultimately as president from 2005 to 2007. In 2007, Goldenberg was elected to the first of her four terms on the Moorestown Public School District’s Board of Education.

During the next 10 years, she served as president, vice president, and chair for the Curriculum, Budget and Finance, Negotiations, and Operations committees. As the most visible representative of the board, Goldenberg led the district’s most important accomplishments, attended thousands of meetings, met with every school and community support organization, and served as a tireless advocate and champion for the township and its children.

As a member of the Board of Education, Goldenberg served on the Moorestown Education Foundation, the New Jersey School Board Association, the Garden State Coalition of Schools, and the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association.

Goldenberg was consistently selected for leadership and committee positions in all of her associations and foundation work. She advocated fiercely and passionately at the local, county, and state level for improved education funding for Moorestown and other suburban districts.

In recognition of her outstanding service and contributions, the Governor’s Office requested her talents at the state level this year. Goldenberg was sworn in as a New Jersey State Board of Education member this summer. The New Jersey State Board of Education advocates and establishes policies for New Jersey’s public schools and our 1.4 million students.

As a result of her nomination, Goldenberg resigned from the Moorestown Board of Education on June 19 because she isn't permitted to serve on the state board and the local board simultaneously. Sandra Alberti was then elected to serve as the Board President. Mark Villanueva was appointed to fill the vacant seat the same night, and was elected to fill the remainder of the term in November.

Prior to her career in service, Goldenberg's professional life included management positions with Dow Jones and Co. and NWH Investments. She earned her Bachelor's of Business Administration in Finance and International Business from The University of Texas at Austin’s McCombs School of Business.

She has been married to Dr. Samuel Goldenberg for 32 years. Their two adult children, Jennifer and Jason, went through the Moorestown Public School system. Jennifer Goldenberg went on to earn her undergraduate degree in Chemistry at Franklin and Marshall and a Masters degree in Biomedical Engineering at Columbia University. Jason Goldenberg went on to earn his undergraduate degree at The University of Miami in Biology and is currently a medical student at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine.

For more than 20 years, Kathy Goldenberg has pursued her passion for music and served as the principal flutist for the Philadelphia Doctors Chamber Orchestra.

Tickets for the dinner are on sale at the Moorestown Community House. They can also be obtained by contacting one of the service clubs listed above. Tickets are $55 each, and tables can be purchased.

The attached image of Kathy Goldenberg was provided by the Moorestown Service Clubs Council