Sharon’s Candidate Statement
I am honored and excited to be slated for President-Elect for the NJPTA. I truly believe in preparing our children for the future and that is what drives me to be involved in PTA. It really does take a village to raise a child.
My PTA involvement started when my daughter was in elementary school. I never heard of PTA but was encouraged to attend at Kindergarten Orientation. I remember asking my sister about it and she told me to attend—to get involved. Needless to say, over 20 years and three children later, I am still involved with PTA. I was encouraged to run for President. I love working with people and PTA allowed me to do so while being a stay-at-home Mom. As a local President, I worked with four officers and 19 chairmen. We hosted monthly programs for the children. I worked with the school staff and administration by participating in curriculum meetings to bring a parent’s perspective to the table. It didn’t take long before I became an advocate for issues such as longer recess time in schools.
After members of the Burlington County Board recruited me to serve on the county board, I held various county positions culminating in my election to Burlington County Council President where I served for four years. My favorite part was attending local unit Spring Dinners to preside over Installation Ceremonies. I believe that teamwork is what helps make every child’s dream a reality and I always looked forward to seeing the excitement of new officers and their vision for their local unit. In my role on the NJPTA State Board as Region Director, I used my skills as a certified facilitator, trainer, peacemaker and negotiator to help the County Councils leadership team.
I served on the NJPTA State Board as a member of the Executive team as Vice President of Advocacy for three years. I currently serve as Vice President of Leadership Development. Working on the NJPTA Executive team gives me the knowledge and experience of how the NJPTA works at all levels, as well as the policies, guidelines and procedures set forth by NJPTA.
It’s only through engagement of children, parents, teachers, staff and community will our children succeed in this ever-changing world. I like to tell the story of when my oldest child was in college. Her team had an issue with their coach and could not resolve their issues with him. Her teammates were very frustrated. My daughter told them, “don’t worry, my Mom is with the PTA and she can help us turn this around”. Sometimes we don’t realize that when we advocate for our children, they learn to advocate on their own behalf.
On a personal level, I’ve worked for the Federal government for over 20 years and currently work in the Human Resources field. I want to thank my husband, Charles, for his support in me accepting this nomination and the support of my children, Deborah, Rachel, Nathan and Caleb.
Sharon Roseboro
The best leaders are humble enough to realize their victories depend upon their people…John Maxwell.
