Scotch Plains Native Named 2023 Presidential Leadership Scholar

SCOTCH PLAINS, NJ — David Baumwoll, a native of Scotch Plains and 2002 graduate of Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School, has been named one of 60 scholars from around the country who will form the prestigious Presidential Leadership Scholars’ (PLS) eighth annual class.

Over the course of the program, scholars will travel to each participating presidential center to learn from former presidents, key former administration officials, business and civic leaders and leading academics. They will study and put into practice varying approaches to leadership and exchange ideas to help strengthen their impact.

The 2023 program will begin on Jan. 24 in Washington, D.C.

"PLS serves as a catalyst for a diverse network of leaders brought together to collaborate and create meaningful change in the United States and around the world as they learn about leadership through the lens of the presidential experiences of George W. Bush, William J. Clinton, George H.W. Bush, and Lyndon B. Johnson and their administrations," a press release states.

The 2023 class was selected after a rigorous application and review process. Scholars were chosen based on their leadership growth potential and the strength of their personal leadership projects.

Baumwoll is a former teacher and prosecutor and currently serves as Senior Associate at the law firm of Fischer Porter & Thomas, P.C. where he specializes in civil litigation.

Prior to entering private legal practice, Mr. Baumwoll began his career as a Teach for America Corps member in Newark where he taught elementary school, coached basketball, and later served as an education program consultant for Mayor Cory Booker.

After attending law school, Baumwoll served as an Assistant District Attorney in the Bronx County District Attorney’s office where he prosecuted crimes related to human trafficking, gun trafficking and public corruption.

He then served as Associate Counsel for the New York City Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice where he led multi-agency criminal justice reform initiatives related to gun violence reduction, anti-human trafficking, opioid harm mitigation and prosecutorial accountability.

He has also served as consultant to the John Jay College’s Institute for Innovation in Prosecution.

"I am truly honored to be selected as a Presidential Leadership Scholar," Baumwoll said. "By learning from the experiences of these past Presidents, as well as the inspiring cohort of leaders I will joining from around the country, I hope to strengthen my leadership abilities and bring these skills back to have a meaningful impact on the community."

Apart from the law, Baumwoll is the co-founder of a political technology platform called Rep’d, dedicated to enhancing communication between leaders and communities.

Co-founded during the pandemic with brother and 2005 SPFHS Graduate Mike Baumwoll, Rep’d has been used by political candidates and government officials across the country to digitally connect with voters. Rep’d was recently featured in WIRED Magazine.

Baumwoll is also the co-founder and Executive Director of the Student Movement Against Cancer (SMAC), Inc. — a non-profit dedicated to empowering students to be the next generation of cancer fighters.

The organization was founded in 2001 at Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School after Baumwoll’s high school friend, Rob Mattar, was diagnosed with cancer. SMAC now has more than a dozen chapters in New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania and has raised over two million dollars for cancer causes.

SMAC’s national expansion efforts were featured on the CBS Morning Show.

Baumwoll is a graduate of Tufts University, the Harvard Kennedy School of Government and Rutgers Law School. He now lives in Tarrytown, New York with his wife Karen and two daughters.

During the six-month Presidential Leadership program, Baumwoll will also develop his personal leadership initiative focused on enhancing civic engagement.