Front row, from left, village President Sheena Collum, professor Karen Gevirtz and Assemblywoman Mila Jasey take time after the discussion to schmooze with event coordinators Rachel Fisch-Kaplan of South Orange, back left, and Christine Jacobsen of Maplewood, back right, who were joined by Women’s Connection President Alison Oxman of South Orange, back center.
SOUTH ORANGE, NJ — Temple Sharey Tefilo-Israel, the Reform synagogue in South Orange, was the stage for an evening of conversation and socializing at the Women’s Connection Summer Soiree on July 20. Members heard from New Jersey State Assemblywoman Mila Jasey and South Orange Village President Sheena Collum, the panelists for “Women’s Changing Roles in American Politics and Global Leadership.” The discussion was moderated by Karen Gevirtz, associate professor of English and co-director of the Women and Gender Studies program at Seton Hall University.
Approximately 40 Women’s Connection members gathered on the synagogue’s terrace as Jasey and Collum talked about women in politics. Some of the points they covered were the changing roles of women in politics over the years, how to build consensus and collaboration while still in the minority of the political arena, overcoming gender stereotypes and how women can infuse a new approach to governing. A lively question-and-answer period followed the program, which was coordinated by event chairwomen Rachel Fisch-Kaplan of South Orange and Christine Jacobsen of Maplewood.
Jasey, who represents New Jersey’s 27th Legislative District, has served in the New Jersey General Assembly since November 2007. Prior to her election to the Assembly, she served on the South Orange-Maplewood Board of Education for eight years. Collum has been active in South Orange initiatives since her college days at Seton Hall University, and was elected in May 2013 to the village of South Orange Board of Trustees.