Moorestown Mayor Wins County Woman Of Year Award

MOORESTOWN, NJ — Moorestown Mayor Nicole Gillespie is among the 2020 winners of the annual Outstanding Women of Burlington County awards, county officials announced on Wednesday.

Gillespie was recognized for her corporate leadership. She will be among those honored during an awards reception at The Merion in Cinnaminson on March 30, 5:30 p.m.

“We want to use this time to celebrate women of Burlington County who are making an impact on our community and paving the way for other women to follow in their footsteps,” Burlington County Freeholder Director Felicia Hopson said.

Gillespie was first elected to Moorestown Council in 2018. In her first year on the governing body, she served as deputy mayor. This year, she was appointed mayor by the other members of the township's governing body.

Gillespie earned a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering with a minor in Russian from the United States Naval Academy, according to her biography provided by county officials. She served five years as an Active Duty Naval Officer in the field of Cryptology at National Security Group Activity, Edzell, Scotland and at the Joint Interagency Task Force East in Key West, FL. She was awarded a Navy Achievement Medal, Joint Services Commendation Medal and Defense Meritorious Service Medal.

After the service, Gillespie went to work as a sales engineer for the Innova Corporation in Seattle, WA. She earned an M.S. in Physics from the University of Washington and a Ph.D. in Science Education from the University of California, Berkeley. She was awarded the 2004 Spencer Dissertation Fellowship for her research on collaborative argumentation and model-based reasoning among physics students.

As the President & Chief Executive Officer of the Knowles Teacher Initiative, Gillespie leads the foundation in its efforts to strengthen the teaching profession and improve the state of STEM education. The Knowles Teacher Initiative is a non-profit organization that supports a national network of mathematics and science teachers who are collaborative, innovative leaders improving education for all students.

She joined Knowles as one of the foundation’s first employees in 2004 and took the lead role in 2013. She was instrumental in developing the Foundation’s signature Teaching Fellowship Program and intensive and cohesive, five-year program that supports early career, high school mathematics and science teachers in their efforts to develop teaching expertise and lead from the classroom.

Beginning in 2016, Gillespie led the Knowles staff in the development of a business plan to leverage the teacher leadership developed through the Teaching and Senior Programs to serve a greater number of STEM teachers nationally, but particularly in Southern NJ region. In 2017, she and her team launched the Knowles Academy, offering unique professional development experiences for teachers. Since launching the Knowles Academy, 27 Senior Fellows have provided professional development to more than 175 teachers.

Gillespie is active in the Rotary Club of Moorestown and the Moorestown Business Association and volunteers as a sexual assault advocate for Contact of Burlington County, where she was named volunteer of the year in 2019.

The other 2020 nominees are:

• Carmella Carter- Mentorship;
• Kristan Hoffman- Volunteerism;
• Kim Brelin- Law;
• Sherry Knight- Education;
• Doan Tucker- Community Service;
• Shenee Omuso- Diversity/Inclusion;
• Grace Harsche- Alice Paul Champion Award;
• Ann Marie Bangura- Celeste Arties Memorial Award; and
• Athira Arayath- Elizabeth Coleman White STEM Award.

The winners have been chosen from several areas of exceptional service. In addition to the awards being presented, three local students will also receive scholarships in the amount of $1,000 each.

Tickets for the awards reception are $75 each to attend the event, and may be purchased by mailing a check or by credit card via EventBrite.

To pay by credit card, visit EventBrite at: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/outstanding-women-of-burlington-county-awards-dinner-tickets-86035828479.