Katherine Kalin Sworn In as Newest BOE Member

Katherine Kalin, the newest member of Summit's Board of Education, was sworn in at the Board's July 15 meeting. She raised her right hand and swore to uphold the duties of her station as Assistant Business Administrator Donna Schneider administered the oath of office.

"(Kalin) is universally loved by the board of education and by the mayor, who appointed her," said Board President Jack Lyness.

Kalin is filling the void left by the retirement of Eleanor Doyle, who sat on the board for two terms, or six years. Kalin will serve on the Operations and Policy committees, and Board member Thomas O'Rourke will take over as chair of the Operations Committee for Doyle.

"Eleanor is an exceptional woman who has spent thousands of hours helping us," said Lyness. "She will be missed."

Kalin and her husband Steve, both born in England and dual citizens of the United States and Great Britain, moved from Manhattan to Summit more than a decade ago. Their three children –ages 16, 15 and 11- are all part of the Summit public school system. A vice president at Johnson and Johnson and owner of an MBA from Harvard, Kalin hopes to use her business savvy to help the Board of Education.

I think I'm very open to understanding different ways of doing things," she told Patch last week.