Schools
New School Board Member Selected To Fill Vacancy In Bernards Township
Faisal Chaudhry, Smrithi Mohan, and Adam J. Lefkowitz all submitted applications for Csilla Csipak's vacancy.
BASKING RIDGE, NJ — A new school board member was selected to fill a vacancy on the Bernards Township School Board after Csilla Csipak resigned in May.
Smrithi Mohan was unanimously chosen by the Board of Education(BOE) at the June 16 meeting out of the three candidates who applied. The other two candidates were Faisal Chaudhry and Adam J. Lefkowitz.
"My desire to serve on this Board stems from a deep personal connection to our schools. I grew up in these schools. I went to Cedar Hill, went on to William Annin, and finally graduated from Ridge High School. Today, I am a proud parent of two elementary school children in our district, watching them benefit from the same excellent education that I had growing up," said Mohan during her candidacy speech.
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Mohan serves as General Counsel for SmugMug and Flickr. She previously served as the Head of Global Innovation and Intellectual Property at Dun & Bradstreet, while simultaneously serving as the Head of Legal and Compliance at Dun & Bradstreet-India.
"My desire to serve on this Board stems from a simple truth. I believe in giving back to the community that helped shape me. As both an alumnus and a parent, also with retired parents who have moved back to Bernards Township, I have a unique multigenerational perspective on our district’s strengths and the challenges we face," said Mohan. "I understand what makes our school special, and I’m committed to preserving that excellence while navigating today’s fiscal realities."
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The selected candidate, Mohan, will fill out the remainder of Csipak's term through December 2025. Additionally, if Mohan chooses to serve on the school board beyond 2025, she must file with the Somerset County Clerk’s office to run in the November BOE 2025 election.
"I view service as a long-term commitment. If selected for this position, I intend to run in the November election to continue serving," said Mohan. "My vision extends beyond filling a vacancy, and I am prepared to commit to multiple terms if the community continues to place their trust in me."
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