Meet BOE Candidate Kathleen McCarthy

In advance of Election Day (Tuesday, Nov. 6), Collingswood Patch will bring you information on each of the five Board of Education candidates seeking office for the upcoming term.

The following personal statement was provided to the Collingswood School District by incumbent Board of Education candidate Kathleen McCarthy. Patch is reprinting it here, unaltered.

I have been married for 30 years to my husband Tom who is a lifelong resident of Collingswood. We have three children, Collin, 26, Jonathan (Jake), 23, and Kaitlyn, 21 who are all graduates of Collingswood High School and have gone on to pursue a College education. Collin is a senior at Rutgers University in Camden majoring in History. Jonathan has Civil and Architectural Engineering degrees from Drexel University and is working for a Structural Engineering firm in Mt. Laurel, NJ and Kaitlyn is completing her final year of a Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing at Ramapo College of NJ.

I have worked at a part-time orthodontic practice at Jefferson Hospital as an Office Manager and now in a Bookkeeping capacity for 27 years, and concurrently work full-time for the Borough of Collingswood for the last 10 years, most recently serving as Tax Collector. I believe my work experience has prepared me to be a fiscally responsible Board member with leadership abilities.

I have been actively involved in the Collingswood community for many years. Previously, I was a member of the Junior Woman's Club, a Soccer coach for the Collingswood recreation program, a CCD teacher for 10 years at Transfiguration Church and I volunteer for the May Fair each year. I have always made an effort to give back and be a part of all our town has to offer.

I have been involved in the Collingswood Schools since my oldest son started Kindergarten and have enjoyed chaperoning numerous field trips, coordinating class talent show acts, running the Spring Fair and Project Graduation. I was a member of the PTA for 18 years which included serving as President at Mark Newbie School and Collingswood High School. I served on the Special Education Strategic Planning Committee and I am a current member of the Collingswood Board of Education for the last three and a half years. I have been the Curriculum Chairperson and the Collingswood Board Representative for the Camden County School Board Association for the last two and a half years. It is an exciting time to be part of all of the changes taking place on the curriculum level with the Common Core Standards being implemented and I look forward to serving another term so I can be part of completing this process while preparing our children for life after Collingswood High School.