SMDC's 'Spirit of Summit Award' Dinner Set for Oct. 1, 2023

The Summit Municipal Democratic Committee (SMDC) will honor the recipients of the 2023 Spirit of Summit Award, Phyllis Sank and Andrea J. Stein, at its fifth annual dinner on Sunday, October 1 at the Summit Elks Lodge. The Award recognizes exceptional leadership, volunteerism, and contributions to the Summit community. The dinner will also feature Congresswoman Mikie Sherrill as guest speaker.

“I’m delighted that the SMDC is honoring Andrea and Phyllis, two exceptional women, this year,” said Richard Sun, current Chair of the SMDC. “They each exemplify the best of Summit and embody qualities that shape our town: a collaborative approach to getting things done, courage, kindness, and a selfless dedication to our community.” Past recipients of the Award include former Summit Mayor Jordan Glatt, Councilwoman Susan Hairston, long-time civic leader and former SMDC chair Henry Bassman, former SMDC chair and active volunteer Terri Tauber, environmental leader Marian Glenn, civic leader and volunteer Ted Chao, volunteer leader Lisa Campbell, and former Council President David Naidu. All residents of Summit and neighboring towns are welcome to attend the dinner and awards.

The Honorees
Phyllis Sank has demonstrated political activism and strong volunteerism in Summit for over 50 years. She and her husband, Lew, a pediatrician, moved to Summit in 1972, where they raised their three children. Phyllis soon became active in Summit life, joining the board of the Summit Child Care Center (now TLC, The Learning Circle of the Summit Area Y). She became Board President in 1974 and led the effort to raise $600,000 for what would become the state’s first newly constructed day care facility, at 95 Morris Avenue.

Phyllis’s leadership also extended to political activism. Beginning with her first-generation American parents, and especially her late mother, Sylvia Lipton, a passion for democracy (small d) and having Democrats in government at all levels has been a driving force in her life. But when she arrived in Summit, there were no Democrats on the ballot. So Phyllis chose to support and campaign for moderate and thoughtful Republican candidates like Janet Whitman and Walter Long in their primary elections for mayor.
Her political passion led her to take on Jordan Glatt’s first campaign in 2002, when he successfully ran for Councilperson At-Large. That was followed in 2004 by Jordan’s election as Summit’s first Democratic mayor; Phyllis again played an active part in the campaign..
Since then, Phyllis has contributed to the Summit Municipal Democratic Committee in numerous ways, from hosting candidate “meet and greet” evenings to helping with campaign fundraising and strategic planning. Phyllis and Lew are the parents of three children, and the grandparents of seven. They consider it their good fortune that three generations of their family live in or close to Summit, and enthusiastically support their political and philanthropic activities.

Andrea J. Stein moved to Summit in 2003 with her husband David Naidu; they now have two sons, one at Swarthmore College and the other at Summit High School. She first became involved with the Summit Democrats in 2013 and served for two years as Third Vice Chair before becoming Chair from 2019 to 2023. She also co-managed the campaigns of David Naidu and the late Matt Gould. Having first volunteered for a political campaign in 1992, she co-founded three grassroots organizations in the wake of the 2016 election: NJ7Forward, which was dedicated to flipping the 7th Congressional district; Summit Area Indivisible, and Summit Marches On. In 2021 and 2022, she served on Congressman Tom Malinowski’s re-election campaign steering committee.
In addition to her political volunteerism, Andrea has served on the PTO boards at both Washington Elementary School and Lawton C. Johnson Summit Middle School, including a term as co-president at Washington, where she managed the school’s largest fundraiser for four years running. Additionally, she was a member of the rabbi search committee and the Board of Trustees at Summit’s Temple Sinai, including a year as Vice President of Membership. She was a member of the Board of Directors of Speak Up Summit, an advocacy group focused on public education; actively fought for Full Day Kindergarten; and spent eight years on the Bard College’s Alumni/ae Association’s Board of Governors, with two years as Vice President.
Professionally, Andrea is Director of Publicity at Jane Wesman Public Relations, where she has worked in book publicity since 1995. She is also an author; her first novel, Typecast, was released in fall 2022 and has received several awards. She is currently working on her second novel. Andrea received her Bachelor’s degree in political studies from Bard College and her Master’s degree in government from Cornell University.

Congresswoman Mikie Sherrill, the guest speaker for the evening, has served New Jersey’s 11th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives since her first-ever run for public office in 2018. In 2023, Mikie was named the most effective member of the New Jersey Congressional delegation by the nonpartisan Center for Effective Lawmaking for her years of work delivering on the concerns of her constituents.
Mikie graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1994, and spent almost 10 years on active duty in the United States Navy. As a Sea King Helicopter pilot, she flew missions throughout Europe and the Middle East; she also worked on the Battle Watch Floor in the European Theater during the Iraq invasion and served as a Flag Aide to the Deputy Commander of the U.S. Atlantic Fleet.
After leaving the Navy in 2003, Mikie earned a law degree and went on to work in private practice, eventually joining the U.S. Attorney’s Office in New Jersey. Her roles included Outreach and Reentry Coordinator, establishing programs to develop trust between law enforcement and the communities they serve and supporting people leaving prison through successful reentry. As an Assistant U.S. Attorney, Mikie prosecuted federal cases, advised law enforcement on investigations, and worked to take illegal guns off the streets of New Jersey.
As a congresswoman, Mikie has authored over 20 pieces of bipartisan legislation to fight the state and local tax (SALT) deduction cap to cut taxes for New Jersey homeowners, improve our healthcare system, strengthen our national security, support our veterans, and improve the lives of working families. Recently, her PAWS for Veterans Therapy Act was signed into law, helping make life-saving therapy service dogs more accessible to veterans suffering from PTSD. Mikie currently serves on the Armed Services Committee and the newly formed House Select Committee on Strategic Competition between the U.S. and the Chinese Communist
Mikie holds a Bachelor’s degree from the United States Naval Academy, a Master’s degree in Global History from the London School of Economics and Political Science, and a law degree from Georgetown University. Mikie and her husband Jason, a fellow Naval Academy graduate, live in Montclair, New Jersey, where they are raising their four children ages 17, 15, 13, and 11.

The SMDC Dinner and Awards Ceremony will be held on Sunday, October 1 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Summit Elks Lodge located at 40 Maple Street in downtown Summit. Tickets, which include dinner, can be purchased here.
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