Women of Achievement

2010 Women of Achievement Honorees

Jennifer Beck – NJ State Senator

            Senator Jennifer Beck, who resides in Red Bank, is currently serving in the New Jersey Legislature representing District 12.  She has proved herself to be a hard-working, innovative, committed and caring representative.  As a former City Councilwoman, she was able to break through partisan political barriers and become the only Republican at that time to serve on the council.  Once there, she crossed party lines to help make the council a productive governing body that met the needs of its people.  As an Assemblywoman, her reform minded agenda, responsible fiscal policies and initiatives propelled her to the State Senate.  She was instrumental in preserving the non-profit property tax exemption, which benefits organizations owning real property.  She has sponsored or co-sponsored corrective initiatives aimed at eliminating waste, preventing fraud, and providing services to the needy.  As a participant in community charities and organizations, and as a rape crisis counselor, Jennifer has demonstrated sincere compassion for others.

Deborah Berry-Toon – Single Parent Advocate  
       
          Deborah Berry-Toon, who is a resident of Andover, is the Executive Director of Project Self-Sufficiency, or PSS, a nationwide pilot housing voucher program for single parents.  She began her professional career as a Special Education teacher, having earned her Masters Degree from Rutgers University.  From the start of her career, Deborah exhibited a passion to serve single parents and their children, to be their voice and their strength, while teaching them how to help themselves.  Her first “office” was a windowless janitor’s closet.  Today, Project Self-Sufficiency provides comprehensive services to 1,100 families each year in Sussex County and neighboring Morris and Warren Counties.  As a result of Deborah’s vision, fierce advocacy, hard work and determination, PSS now occupies a campus comprised of four buildings in Newton.  Not only does PSS provide an ever-expanding list of services, it is a successful, female-run business, employing more than 50 employees, most of whom are women. 

Sharon A. Burke – Pediatrician to Premature Infants

Dr. Sharon A. Burke, M.D., of New Brunswick, has committed herself to improving the lives of our most frail and needy children, the very fragile preemie population.  Born and raised in New Jersey, Dr. Burke attended Fairleigh Dickinson University and trained at Ross University.  She completed her internship at Newark Beth Israel in Newark and her fellowship at St. Peter’s Hospital in New Brunswick.  Dr. Burke has spent the last twenty-six years training, learning and saving the lives of countless children.  Working at Children’s Specialized Hospital, she has dedicated herself to improving the odds of survival for premature infants.  Recognizing that early intervention is critical to the highest quality of life possible for preemies, she has developed multiple programs that have proven to make a difference in the outcome for these children.  Most importantly, Dr. Burke is continually exploring and testing ways to improve the care that she gives to children. 

Susan Rose – Mother’s Advocate

Susan Rose, a resident of Cherry Hill, is the President of the Lauren Rose Albert Foundation.  This Foundation was established in 2000 by Lauren’s parents, family and friends to honor her memory after Lauren lost her life in a car crash while on vacation in Morocco in 1999. The Foundation focuses on encouraging mothers to achieve economically and educationally, and to seek brighter futures for themselves and their families.  It provides scholarship programs to help offset the cost of college textbooks for income eligible, single head-of-household mothers.  Another fund, Emergency Grant Assistance, responds to needs of mothers and their families that cannot be met through any government or agency help. The Mothers Day Gift Basket Project provides gift bags filled with women’s personal care and beauty products to women facing difficult challenges, and each basket carries the message that “Mothers Matter.”  To date, the Lauren Rose Albert Foundation has packed and delivered more than 10,000 gift bags. 

Anne Salvatore – Dedicated Historian

            Anne Salvatore, who resides in Cape May, is a nurse, nurse educator, and a dedicated historian.  She founded, developed, preserved and restored two heritage sites as non-profit museums, Historic Cold Springs Village and the Naval Air Station Wildwood Aviation Museum.  In all, twenty-five historic buildings and a World War II airplane hangar were saved from demolition.  Anne continues to serve Cold Springs Village as Executive Director.  In addition, Anne researched Volunteers for Medicine, secured a building to house the clinic, and was the driving force behind the founding of Volunteers for Medicine in Cape May County.  This is a free clinic designed to provide primary health care and related services to the medically uninsured and underinsured living and working in Cape May County.  Born and raised in New Jersey, Anne has used her fund raising and administrative skills to preserve Cape May County’s historical heritage, and also benefit her “neighbors in need”. 

 

Click here for the 2008 Honorees, 2009 Honorees