View Other Items in this Archive | View All Archives | Printable Version

November 23, 2016
Trenton, NJ

NJLM’s Women in Municipal Government Presents Awards to Health Leaders

The New Jersey League of Municipalities’ Women in Municipal Government (WIMG) Committee recognized extraordinary efforts on behalf of the health of communities at its annual breakfast, held at the League’s 101st Conference on Thursday, November 17 in Atlantic City. Barbara George Johnson, Executive Director, John S Watson Institute for Public Policy, Thomas Edison State University, and New Jersey Health Care Quality Institute’s Mayors Wellness Campaign (accepted by President and CEO Lisa Schwimmer) were the recipients of Outstanding Women in Government Awards.

“Over the last few decades, global and national initiatives have begun to recognize the need for reconnecting the fields of planning and public health. The health of a community can determine the quality of life for its residents, impacting every facet of life, every day. Living well means brining health into all of your local government policies-from economic development and planning to community activities,” noted WIMG committee co-chair and League Past President Mayor Suzanne Walters of Stone Harbor.

Barbara George Johnson is the Executive Director of the John S Watson Institute for Public Policy (JSWIPP) at Thomas Edison State University. She brings more than 20 years of experience as a public policy professional in New Jersey and has been a leading voice in shaping economic, health and social policy in the region. Barbara comes to the University with experience as managing principal of GOVCONNECTIONS, LLC, and a Senior Associate for MBI-GluckShaw, where she represented a diverse client base that ranged from the New Jersey Council of Teaching Hospitals to municipal governments including the City of Trenton. She was also the first Legislative Director of the American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey. As Executive Director, Barbara provides technical support to the New Jersey Urban Mayors Association. She also oversees the six policy centers housed at JSWIPP focused on early childhood education, urban environmental issues, public health, civic engagement and leadership development, and capacity building. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Biology and Technology from Cornell University, an MPH from Columbia University’s School of Public Health, and a Juris Doctor from Rutgers-Newark Law School.

The Mayors Wellness Campaign is a statewide community health initiative in partnership with the New Jersey State League of Municipalities.

The MWC is a program that gives mayors tools and strategies to champion healthy and active living and to improve the overall health of their communities.

NJHCQI President and CEO, Linda Schwimmer, accepted the 2016 Outstanding Women in Government Award in honor of the 10th anniversary of the Mayors Wellness Campaign.

The event featured a Host City Welcome by Donald Guardian, Mayor of Atlantic City, as well as a League President’s Welcome from Joseph Tempesta, Jr., Mayor of West Caldwell, then League President.

In addition, Barbara George Johnson, spoke at the event, sharing her insights on public health. “Public Health is really the lynchpin of the healthcare system, dating back to the late 19th century,” she noted, adding that health care is key to the future of the nation. “Access is the minimum we can do. If you can’t afford to provide health care for your population, you can’t consider yourself an advanced nation.”

Contact: Lori Buckelew by email or 609-695-43481 ext. 112